LAKEWOOD RANCH REMAINS THE BEST-SELLING ALL-AGES COMMUNITY IN THE NATION

Lakewood Ranch had another record-setting sales year, bolstered by the opening of new villages, its third town center, expanded restaurant and retail offerings, and plans for new schools and a public library.

The Ranch saw 2,574 new home sales in 2021, up from 2,149 in 2020 – a 20 percent increase year-over-year and the best sales year on record. Lakewood Ranch was recognized as the best-selling, master-planned multi-generational community in the country for the fourth year in a row by RCLCO and John Burns, two independent real estate consulting firms.

Much excitement centered on Waterside Place, which is on its way to becoming one of the area’s most popular dining, retail, and experiential destinations. Lakewood Ranch’s newest town center opened for business in November, featuring not only shops and restaurants but becoming the new home of The Farmers’ Market and Ranch Nite Wednesdays, perennial favorites of the community for more than four years.

Waterside Place is the centerpiece of Waterside Village, located in the Sarasota County portion of The Ranch. Waterside currently offers single family homes in LakeHouse Cove and Shoreview as well as rental townhomes, apartments, and senior living options in a variety of waterfront neighborhoods.  Demand has been extremely brisk for Waterside and builders will be introducing townhomes, cottages, single family rentals, and large custom homes in the next phase of development.

Sales were robust throughout the more than 20 actively-selling villages in Lakewood Ranch – including newly opened Esplanade and Park East at Azario, Lorraine Lakes, Sapphire Point, and Solera – with the range of housing types and pricing addressing the growing demand. New models also opened in LakeHouse Cove, Savanna, and The Lake Club. Star Farms and Sweetwater both broke ground in 2021, with models opening in 2022. Furthering the multi-generational culture, more senior and assisted living options are being explored, to serve the growing needs of families who move to Lakewood Ranch with their aging parents.

“Lakewood Ranch was in a strong position to capitalize on migration trends boosted by the pandemic,” said Laura Cole, senior vice president of LWR Communities, LLC., the residential arm of Lakewood Ranch. “Our housing diversity, multi-generational appeal, and expanded amenities drew buyers from high tax markets across the U.S., buyers with accelerated retirement plans, and buyers untethered to their jobs.”  “We have not seen a slowdown in prospect activity in recent months,” Cole continued, “however buyers are gaining acceptance of the longer lead and build times for new homes as well as price increases, all induced by the pandemic’s labor and supply woes.” The average price of a new home in Lakewood Ranch in 2021 was $609k, 19% above 2020’s average price. Base pricing for new homes on www.LakewoodRanch.com starts at $263k and goes well above $2 million.

Activity in the multi-family housing market has surged as well, with new apartment offerings at The Summerhouse and Botanic, and Artesia, a single-family rental development, with much more to come. Leading the nation in the build-to-rent space, The Ranch has seven single family rental projects in various stages of leasing and development, segmented to meet a broad spectrum of the market, from workforce to luxury.

The Ranch’s growing population has driven expanded educational offerings. Additions to the existing Lakewood Ranch High School and R. Dan Nolan Middle School are planned, and a new K-8 school is scheduled to be finished by 2024. The Lakewood Ranch Preparatory Academy, a new K-12 charter school, projects a lower school opening in the fall of 2022, with construction of the high school to start in 2023.

The County, recognizing the population shift, broke ground in Lakewood Ranch for the newest library in the Manatee County system in December, and plans were announced for expanding the Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch, including a new aquatic center.

Lakewood Ranch’s award-winning lifestyle program also expanded, including large community events, more community groups and clubs, virtual programming, and the addition of a dynamic parks and recreation program.

Lakewood Ranch’s commercial landscape grew by leaps and bounds as well, with numerous new restaurants, retail stores, and office space opening or breaking ground, including both local and national names.

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 50,000 residents and features A-rated schools, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, the Sarasota Polo Club, the 75-acre Premier Sports Campus, three town centers that include theaters, shopping and dining, and more than 5.5 million square feet of commercial property. For more information, visit lakewoodranch.com.