WCI eyes expansion from east

EAST COUNTY — As the housing market continues to rebound, Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities has planted itself in the East County with plans to grow.

The company not only has relaunched sales within its Tidewater Preserve community with the opening of a new model this month and two more models under construction, but it also purchased 150 homesites in The Links at Rosedale in June.

“Our plan is to buy additional communities not only in this market, but also in Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville,” said Dave Ivin, who joined WCI about nine months ago to lead its new North Region division.

Ivin continues to add staff, including someone to specialize in land acquisition, to the new division, which operates out of offices at Tidewater Preserve’s information center.

He expects the division will operate there for about two years.

At Tidewater Preserve, WCI works to complete infrastructure within the community so it can begin building out remaining neighborhoods. Inventory is expected to last about 1.5 years.

WCI also looks to formulate plans for the western-most portion of the property, for which there is no site plan.

“We’re very excited about what’s going on here,” Ivin said.

Of Tidewater’s 535 homesites, 211 are sold, with about 30 under construction.

Contractors are completing Tidewater Preserve Boulevard, the community’s loop road.

“That will allow us access to the entire community and it completes the infrastructure,” said Brian Keller, regional sales director. “We can start home sales once the pavement’s in and continue to grow the community.”

The company also has broken ground on two new carriage home floor plans — the one-level Loxahatchee with 1,710 square feet of living space and two-level The Potomac with 2,376 square feet of living space — in the new Riverside neighborhood. The new homes start from $239,000.

The model homes WCI will offer in Rosedale are not featured in Tidewater Preserve, but they can bee seen in WCI’s Sarasota National community, in Venice.

Construction on the models will begin in August.

“We’re very excited about that neighborhood,” Ivin said. “We think it’s a very attractive established neighborhood.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].