Author: Rachel Gray
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SHACK yoga + fitness Opens at Waterside Place
People from Miami are moving to a growing Florida area. What’s happening there?
LAKEWOOD RANCH REPORTS ROBUST FIRST QUARTER SALES
LAKEWOOD RANCH REPORTS ROBUST FIRST QUARTER SALES
Lakewood Ranch closed the first quarter of 2023 with 580 sales, a 17% increase over the same quarter in 2022. In March alone, builders reported 236 sales, which was a 33% increase over the same month in 2022, as well as a 33% gain over the previous month (February of 2023).
Sales have been climbing month over month since September of 2022, but March represented the largest jump in sales since the pandemic housing boom occurred, in late 2020/early 2021.
The growth in sales was attributable, in part, to builders doing a good job in “finding the market” in the more challenging entry-level and family move-up villages, by offering special financing, flex cash and closing cost contributions.
The luxury market also saw increases, including the opening of Wild Blue, a new luxury home neighborhood in Waterside.
Laura Cole, senior vice president of LWR Communities, LLC, said that Florida is still seeing a great deal of in-migration from other states, but more recently, the Ranch has been experiencing increasing moves from within Florida, mostly from high-priced, congested regions. The Ranch’s ongoing sales successes are due to the variety of neighborhoods, home styles, and price points that continue to be offered to various buying segments. The introduction of neighborhoods with more attainable price points in 2023 will round-out and drive additional sales.
Also, rentals have become a major source of new home buyers – a number of new apartment and build-for-rent communities have opened or are nearing completion. “Many people want to move to Lakewood Ranch but haven’t made a final purchase decision,” Cole said, “or want to give Lakewood Ranch living a test drive. We are able to offer options for potential buyers, no matter where they are in their decision making.”
About Lakewood Ranch
Lakewood Ranch is the 33,000+-acre award-winning master-planned community in Sarasota and Manatee counties on the West Coast of Florida. Just minutes from the Gulf Coast beaches and cultural assets in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch is already home to more than 63,000 residents and features top-rated schools, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, the Sarasota Polo Club, the 75-acre Premier Sports Campus, and three town centers that include theaters, shopping and dining. For more information, visit lakewoodranch.com.
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Lakewood Ranch’s Waterside Place Adds Nationally Acclaimed Retailer; Announces New Openings
Lakewood Ranch, the nation’s best-selling master-planned community for all ages, recently announced a new tenant for its newest town center, the 36-acre Waterside Place – a retail, services, dining, and entertainment destination. The Black Dog store, which will sell resort wear, including T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies, and shorts, among other things, started in Martha’s Vineyard with stores mostly in the northeast, with the only other Florida location on St. Armand’s Circle.
The most recently opened businesses at Waterside Place include Man Cave for Men, a luxury modern barber shop; Monkee’s, an upscale women’s boutique; Florida Provisions Co., a retail and bar concept; Forked, a breakfast, lunch, brunch and cocktails establishment; the John Cannon Model Experience Center, M/I Homes Design, M/I Homes Financial, and M/I Homes Title Agency.
Between now and May, additional planned openings include SHACK (a yoga studio), Capstan Financial, Marmalade, featuring home decor and furnishings along with women’s apparel and unique gifts; Modish Salon, Good Liquid Distilling Co., Osteria 500, an Italian restaurant; and Shore Rejuvenation, offering spa services and treatments.
Tenants expected to open in the third and fourth quarter of 2023 include Agave Bandido, a Mexican-American restaurant and tequileria; Deep Lagoon, a seafood & oyster house; Duck Donuts, Platinum Palm Properties, Cileone Jewelers, and Williams Parker Law.
The new businesses will join the currently operating Korê Steakhouse and cocktail lounge, Good Liquid Brewing company, O&A Coffee Supply, CROP Juice, Bay Area Aesthetics, Body Bar Pilates, 3Form Fitness, Kilwins, Paint Nail Bar, Lakewood Ranch Medical Group, and Smith Law.
“Waterside Place has truly become a hub of activity for Lakewood Ranch,” said Kirk Boylston, president of Lakewood Ranch Commercial. “The design, layout and most of all, the tenants who are occupying the project, are providing a place that can be enjoyed by everyone who goes there. It is a great place to simply hang out and enjoy the water view, find an outdoor space to work, enjoy some great shopping or dining or participate in one of the many activities that are happening there.
“The turnout for the Farmers’ Market, Ranch Nights and music on the weekend evenings has surpassed all our expectations,” Boylston continued. “The majority of the project is leased with a large number of business openings planned for 2023, which will provide many new dining and shopping options for our guests. It has been extremely gratifying for everyone who has made this project come to life see so many people there meeting new and old friends, shopping, dining, listening to music, or participating in events at Waterside Place. It has turned out to be the place that we hoped it would.”
Recently named the “Best Lifestyle Program in the U.S.” by the National Association of Homebuilders, Waterside Place is already active with festivals, music, and sporting activities. It is home to the Farmers’ Market at Lakewood Ranch, with more than 100 vendors offering organic produce, baked goods, pet products, and prepared food, etc. Ranch Nite Wednesdays, “your favorite weeknight hangout,” runs every Wednesday through May 31, from 6-9 p.m., and features food trucks, live music from local artists, a weekly night market, and a vintage mobile bar hosted by Cornerstone and Co., and the second largest recreational cornhole league in the nation, hosted by MVP Sports & Social. There is also live music on the plaza Friday and Saturday nights, and is home to the new “Sights and Sounds at Waterside Place” music and arts series.
For more information about Waterside Place, visit www.WatersidePlace.com. For more information on Lakewood Ranch, please contact Lisa Barnott at 941-757-1542.
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About Waterside Place
Waterside Place serves as the heart of Waterside – Lakewood Ranch’s first Sarasota village – and offers an elevated community experience that extends beyond that of a traditional town center. Situated on a 36-acre peninsula overlooking the mile-long Kingfisher Lake, the development blends entertainment with 112,000 square feet of unique in-line and freestanding commercial, retail and office space; diverse dining options; an eight-acre park; miles of nature trails; communal “pop-up” spaces, and more.
About Waterside Village
About Lakewood Ranch
Lakewood Ranch is the 33,000+-acre award-winning master-planned community in Sarasota and Manatee counties on the West Coast of Florida. Just minutes from the Gulf Coast beaches and cultural assets in Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch is already home to more than 63,000 residents and features top-rated schools, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, the Sarasota Polo Club, the 75-acre Premier Sports Campus, three town centers, and countless shopping and dining experiences. For more information visit www.lakewoodranch.com.
