Clear the air

APRIL FOOLS — Lakewood Ranch is serious about being the premier residential destination for Florida snowbird homebuyers — but it needs amenities for East County that will propel it to the top of Florida retirement hot spots.

On Monday, a developer called Equestrian Airpark, which has submitted a preliminary proposal to build 5,000- to 10,000-square-foot luxury residential homes on 300 acres south of University Parkway, thinks it has what it takes to bring a new buyer to East County: private airplane runway homes.

A preliminary site plan submitted to Manatee County calls for 30 home sites with 10 acres each. According to the plans, each home will come with  a runway, a luxury hangar to house a private plane and an option to build a barn and corral that can accommodate up to 20 horses.

Equestrian Airpark officials declined to comment on the development. But preliminary application documents state the developer is working to accommodate nearby residents who are concerned about retirees flying 30 planes onto their own runways at all times of the day and night.

“It’s absolutely crazy that planes could be taking off and landing whenever they please in a residential area,” said a resident of The Concession, which is located north of the proposed development. “How would you like it if you bought property for serenity and instead got to live next to what is essentially 30 airports?”

A flight pattern and times in the day and evening to fly the plans over Lakewood Ranch and other communities is still in the works.

“The 4,400-foot-by-150-foot runways are lighted and offer all the facilities that a pilot needs,” according to the application.
The application states a desire to build something  similar to two existing airplane communities.

Naples Wing South Airpark, a community of 59 estate homes with private runways located off Collier Boulevard in Naples, and Jumbolair Aviation Estates, a 550-acre community of 167 homes in Ocala that includes actor John Travolta as a resident.

The Naples community, built in 1972, has homes ranging from 10,000 square feet to more than 17,000 square feet with views of the Intracoastal Waterway. Five-acre lots in the community sold for $100,000 years ago and $500,000 homes were constructed 30 years ago. Today, those Naples home fetch $5.5 million on average.

The Ocala community has runways that lead directly to the front door of residences and can accommodate private planes as large as a Boeing 707.  

The Equestrian Airpark application states: “We are seeking homebuyers looking for the ultimate experience of both horse and airliner accommodations.”

While specific details were not presented in the application, the applications states the community’s runways could handle planes as large as Boeing 707s, which are 128 feet long and have a wingspan of 130 feet.

A blurb in Horse & Hound magazine this month cites the possibility that Travolta is a partner in the proposed community, with a headline that reads: “Is Travolta looking to fly southwest?”

Travolta currently keeps a Boeing 707 at his Jumbolair Aviation Estates home and uses it to go to dinner across the state.
The Manatee County Planning Commission is scheduled to review the project in May.

Hopefully you made it to the end of the article, so we can say, Happy April Fools' Day! This story is not true.