Esplanade - a New "Active Lifestyle" Community Added in Lakewood Ranch

    Lakewood Ranch, the 8,500-acre master-planned community situated astride the Sarasota and Manatee County line and currently home to over 15,000 residents, is now offering a new and different alternative to homebuyers attracted to all the other amenities that make Lakewood Ranch so attractive a place to buy a home. It is a new type of community, called an "active lifestyle" community.

    Taylor Morrison, a well-established home builder has opened "Esplanade," an "active lifestyle" community, the first such community in Lakewood Ranch. “There is the sense of a shift in the market,” explains Cammie Longenecker, vice president of sales for Taylor Morrison’s West Florida division. "When that shift was detected," she says, "the company wanted to jump back into aggressive building in Lakewood Ranch, the second largest master planned community in Florida. But we wanted to add something to the area that did not exist before."

    What, you ask, is an "active lifestyle" community? Here's a hint. It is not just an empty-nester or retirement community with a bike trail. First of all, it is not age-restricted. The Esplanade is a resort-style community of maintenance-free villas and modest sized homes surrounding a community center where all sorts of activities and programs will be offered by an on-site "lifestyle director." Nestled on 207 acres just north of State Road 70, this gated enclave of 450 detached villas and single family homes brings a touch of the Mediterranean to Southwest Florida with its regional-inspired architecture, lush landscaping and serene lakes.

    Construction of the 5,000 square foot community center, to be completed by late summer, will include a fitness center, yoga center, grand ballroom, catering kitchen, crafts room, billiards room, an outdoor kitchen, a lap pool as well as a resistance pool for low-impact water aerobics, a jacuzzi, a fire pit and barbecue area, bocci ball and pickle ball courts, and finally, even a lakeside canoe and kayak launch. For pet lovers, there will be a pet park, and, for those with kids or grandchildren, an adventure playground.

    Esplanade villas and mid-sized houses will be priced from the low-$200's for smaller villa home with about 1,900 square feet up to the mid-$300's for homes from 2,200 to 3,150 square feet on larger lots, many of which will be lakeside. As part of Lakewood Ranch, the largest green-certified community in America and one of the best selling master-planned communities in Florida, Esplanade residents will also enjoy the many commercial, recreational and cultural opportunities that are so much a part of this nationally recognized, award-winning and eco-friendly master-planned community.

    Rex Jensen, President and CEO of Schroeder-Manatee Ranch (SMR), the firm that that built Lakewood Ranch said recently, "We strive to work only with top-of-the-line, well-respected and proven builders. Taylor Morrison offers a product that is solid, proven and they are a market leader when it comes to active-lifestyle communities." With only 450 homes initially, Esplanade will be more of a "boutique" community, unlike the more common life style communities with 1,500 or more homes." With 7 homes old during the kick-off weekend, the public is showing clear interest in this type of community.

    I would be delighted to introduce you to Esplanade and all that Lakewood Ranch, and the Sarasota - Bradenton Florida area have to offer. Call me today at 941-266-1799, E-Mail Me or take a few minutes now to review the many golf course, waterfront and in-town housing options presented on my Sarasota Florida real estate website.