Developer reveals new community's features

EAST COUNTY — Del Webb at Lakewood Ranch may be East County’s worst kept secret.

While representatives of Pulte Homes — a subsidiary of the Pulte Group, which develops homes under the name Del Webb — forge ahead in their plans to construct the first age-restricted community in Lakewood Ranch, the group has kept cosmetic specifics a secret.

“A lot can change between now and when we start building,” said Valerie Dolenga, spokeswoman for the Pulte Group. “We aren’t ready to show what it will look like just yet.”

Dolenga and other proponents of bringing the 55-and-older community to Lakewood Ranch did, however, paint a faint picture of what to expect from the project targeted at baby boomers.

To appeal to its demographic, Dolenga said the Pulte Group regularly recruits members for its focus groups. Selected individuals live lifestyles consistent with the active senior demographic Del Webb targets.

After discovering features the individuals they interviewed found appealing, members of the Pulte Group focused on floor plans that catered to specific needs.

“(Baby) boomers love to entertain and typically want plenty of outdoor living space,” Dolenga said. “They also love the idea of open-concept kitchens. We plan to make the kitchens spacious — one of the homes’ focal points.”

The homes will all be one-story units with raised dishwashers and lowered microwaves to accommodate seniors with mobility limitations.

Del Webb, which has communities in more than 20 states, will also feature amenities for more active adults, such as a trail path, pools, tennis courts and other outdoor recreational facilities.

The exact sizes of the amenities have not yet been released.

Pulte Homes will also not release any specific floor plan descriptions until next year.

Future residents will also have use of private streets, which will allow access to State Road 70 and the future extension of The Masters Avenue. The plan submitted for the May 8 Manatee County Planning Commission meeting also shows an access road to the community through the west side of Country Club East.

The site’s location — six miles east of Interstate 75 along State Road 70 — sits on a mixed-use community/residential zone currently. Zone restrictions for that area limit builders to one dwelling unit per acre.

To be allowed to construct the two units per acre Pulte Homes proposes, Del Webb must allow one canopy tree per lot, along with other landscape specifics set by the planning commission.

The community also passed inspection in terms of wetland disturbance. An environmental survey taken October 2013 reports the project shows an impact of .24 acres to the stream and lake swamp wetland will be affected. The more than 50 acres of other wetlands on the premises will remain undisturbed and will have the required 30- to 50-foot wetland buffers provided.

After Del Webb representatives agreed to the stipulations, they received a recommendation from the planning commission.

The Manatee County Board of County Commissioner’s will vote on the project June 5.

“We still have more public hearings to get through once the community gets approved,” Dolenga said. “There’s a public hearing in June, and we still have to get our plans approved through the land development department.

“We won’t break ground until the end of the year, and we really wouldn’t be open for selling homes until sometime in 2015,” Dolenga said.

BY THE NUMBERS
2 — The number of homes per acre to be developed in Del Webb at Lakewood Ranch.
20 — The number of states that house Del Webb communities.
643 — The number of acres the community will span.
1,500 – The number of homes proposed for the community.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].