SARASOTA, FLORIDA, October 23rd, 2016 – Prospective buyers of homes for sale in Charlotte County, barring any major hitch, will be touring builder models starting early next year in Lake Timber, the first community in the master-planned Babcock Ranch in east Punta Gorda.
Four homebuilders separately launched in September the construction of their showcases in this eco-friendly development accessible via Bermont Road then southward on State Road 31. This quartet includes Fox Premier Builders, Stock Development, Homes by Towne, and Florida Lifestyle Homes. Prices set for their first builds range from the $300s to the $800s.
All builds in Lake Timber and subsequent Babcock Ranch neighborhoods will have at least a bronze rating under the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This requirement is in keeping with the master development’s eco-centric tack of becoming the first solar-powered city.
Along with this developmental thrust, Florida Power and Light is completing a 75-megawatt solar photovoltaic power plant in a 400-acre site adjacent to the property to supply the local energy requirements. At night and in cloudy days, power source will be switched to the grid running on natural gas which is relatively cleaner than coal-run plants.
As an added green feature, Babcock Ranch’s developer, Kitson & Partners, plans to introduce low-speed, automated electric vehicles for shared use of community residents and businesses. It is already negotiating for a strategic partnership with shared mobility and automated vehicle companies and organizations.
A public charter school recently approved for Babcock Ranch should also contribute much in building it up as a choice destination for searchers of Charlotte homes for sale, particularly families with school-age kids. The tuition-free Babcock Ranch Neighborhood School features an environmentally focused educational program, and it will start accepting applications for enrollment this fall for school year 2017‒2018.
Construction of buildings at Babcock Ranch’s town center is also now well underway for its expected opening next year. Called Founders Square and located adjacent to a lake, this social and commercial hub also includes park features, such as splash fountains, lakefront boardwalks, shade structures, and a band shell.
The architectural features of the buildings at Founders Square reflect Babcock Ranch’s solar strategy. Their design, striking with large, south-facing shed metal roofs that maximize solar power collection, offers the first glimpse of the development’s several common areas planned as “micro-communities” of solar panels.
The first building rising at Founders Square will be host to a farm-to-table lakeside restaurant with family-friendly features. Its construction will be followed by a discovery center with interactive media for an overview of the 18,000-acre Babcock Ranch community. Besides providing office space for Kitson & Partners, it will likewise be home to an outdoor outfitter store. This will allow convenient shopping of residents and visitors with an eye for paddling across the community’s freshwater lakes, hiking or biking at the miles of trails in the Babcock Ranch area.
Two great outdoor destinations border the community: the 73,000-acre Babcock Ranch Preserve and the 65,000-acre Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area. Also nearby is the 1,000-acre Florida Tracks & Trails outdoor adventure park. It features 22 miles of trails for motocross bikes, ATVs, go-karts, and golf carts. In addition, this park has a four-acre man-made lake and an 80-acre paintball park, all giving plus points to homes for sale at the Lake Timber neighborhood of Babcock Ranch.
SARASOTA, FLORIDA, October 7, 2019 – Property values of communities in the Sarasota-Manatee region now face lesser threat from neighborhood eyesores brought about by abandoned, foreclosed homes. Known in the real estate trade as zombie foreclosures, these properties have shrunk significantly in the region. According to an August report of ATTOM Data Solutions, abandoned […] more>>