Master-planned community hits sales milestone

BABCOCK RANCH — A community billed as America’s first solar-powered town, Babcock Ranch, recently surpassed a milestone: 500 new home sales.

Officials with Kitson & Partners, developers of Babcock Ranch, reported there were 507 new home contracts in the community through the beginning of December, according to a statement. Located on Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, on the border of northeastern Lee and southeastern Charlotte counties, half of Babcock Ranch’s 18,000-acres are set aside as greenways, parks and expansive lakes. Babcock Ranch is also one of the largest master-planned communities under development in Florida.

“Residents rank our sustainable eco-friendly and solar initiatives, our walkability and our trails, lakes and parks among some of the top reasons they’ve decided to make Babcock Ranch their new home,” Kitson & Partners Chairman and CEO Syd Kitson says in the release. “Surpassing this sales milestone is an affirmation of our vision as homebuyers discover our distinctive residential offerings and experience the welcoming sense of place that defines Babcock Ranch.”

More than two dozen model and quick-delivery homes are now open or under construction at Babcock Ranch. Builders include Arthur Rutenberg Homes, 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.

Babcock Ranch has had additional growth news lately, beyond the 500 sales milestone. For one, it was ranked Southwest Florida’s top master-planned community based on Metrostudy data on single-family home annual starts in Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties through September 2019, according to the statement. Also, at a recent appearance at a conference in Sarasota, Kitson announced that  the array of solar panels FPL will use to power what’s eventually projected to be 19,500 homes and 6 million square feet of commercial space has doubled in size, from 330,000 panels to more than 700,000.