NEWS

By Florida Weekly Staff | December 16, 2020

Babcock Ranch has surpassed the 1,000 homes sold milestone, with 505 year-to-date contracts at America’s first solar-powered town. COURTESY IMAGE

Babcock Ranch has surpassed the 1,000 homes sold milestone, with 505 year-todate contracts at America’s first solar-powered town.

Additionally, construction continues at Crescent B Commons, the 82,640-squarefoot Publix-anchored shopping center that broke ground this year at a new entrance to Babcock Ranch about a mile south of the signature Babcock Ranch bridge on Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31.

Babcock Ranch began marketing new homes in 2017, with the first residents moving into the town in January 2018.

Today, Babcock Ranch offers homes from nine homebuilders in seven neighborhoods.

Born of a dream by Syd Kitson and created by Kitson & Partners with respect for the natural environment and the philosophy that smart growth and sustainability work hand in hand, half of the town’s 18,000-acre footprint is set aside as greenways, parks and lakes, providing recreation and scenic backdrops for homes and the Founder’s Square downtown district.

Encompassing 18,000 acres, with 19,500 planned residences and 6,000,000 square feet of commercial space, Babcock Ranch achieved another major milestone in 2020 when it was named to the RCLCO Real Estate Advisors’ Top 50 list for the first time. COURTESY IMAGE

“Babcock Ranch continues to fulfill our vision of a vibrant new hometown that’s full of possibility,” said Mr. Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners. “Whether you’re raising a family or enjoying an active retirement, you’ll find homes for every lifestyle, along with everything you need to stay healthy, active and connected.”

Babcock National brings golf to Babcock Ranch with an 18-hole Gordon Lewis designed course as the centerpiece of Lennar’s new lifestyle community.

Babcock Ranch homebuilders offer more than 50 home designs ranging from 1,120 to more than 4,000 square feet.

Prices range from the $200s to more than $1.5 million.

Built to Florida Green Building Coalition standards, homes emphasize energy and water conservation and offer a full gig of fiber-optic connectivity.

More than two dozen model and quick-delivery homes are now open or under construction by AR Homes by Arthur Rutenberg, Divco Custom Homes, Florida Lifestyle Homes, Fox Premier Builders, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pulte Homes, Stock Classic Homes and WCI.

Many models are open for viewing daily.

Encompassing 18,000 acres, with 19,500 planned residences and 6,000,000 square feet of commercial space, Babcock Ranch achieved another major milestone in 2020 when it was named to the RCLCO Real Estate Advisors’ Top 50 list for the first time, ranking 39th among the country’s top-selling master-planned communities.

The Commons will be at a new main entrance to Babcock Ranch. That puts it about 6 miles north of the nearest shopping center with a supermarket: The Shops at Verandah, on State Road 80 in east Lee County.

“We’re thrilled. It’s a big endorsement for Babcock and great for homebuyers,” says Thomas Hoban, president and CIO of Kitson & Partners. “To be able to bring something like this to our town this early, to land an 85,000-squarefoot shopping center after we only broke ground in 2015, is a major achievement.”

The Shops at Veranda is home to four restaurants, a liquor store, a pool supply store, a Publix and several other stores. Nearby are a dry cleaner, a bank and a gas station/convenience store.

Stores in the Crescent B Commons will provide a wide range of basic-needs shopping, too, not only for Babcock residents but for people throughout the region as well.

“Think about it as like a place where you lived and grew up, with a groceryanchored center that caters to your daily needs — your salons, dry cleaners, restaurants, banks, that sort of thing,” says Mr. Hoban. “The sort of place your parents shopped every weekend.”

Situated at a corner near the new main gate, the grocery store itself will inhabit almost 51,500 square feet and include a drive-thru pharmacy. Outparcel space now available for lease will be suitable for restaurants or commercial space.

Crescent B Commons will align with the Babcock Ranch vision and vernacular style, Mr. Hoban adds.

The shops in the Commons will compliment rather than compete with those in Founder’s Square, including the acclaimed Table & Tap restaurant with its lake-view verandah and such shops as Slater’s Goods & Provisions, Square Scoops Coffee & Creamery and Curry Creek Outfitters.

The Commons will also have two distinct outdoor seating areas where shoppers can relax and enjoy the surrounding natural beauty.For more information, visit the Woodlea Hall Discovery Center at 42850 Crescent Loop in Babcock Ranch, call 877-709-6620 or go to www.BabcockRanch.com.