Neal plans Indigo, new Lakewood Ranch community

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Neal Communities plans to continue growth in the East County.

Empire State Holding Group, a subsidiary of Neal, purchased 111 acres from Lakewood Ranch Developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Aug. 18 for $8.3 million. The property sits at the northeast corner of Neal’s existing Central Park community, at the corner of White Eagle Boulevard and 44th Avenue East.

“It’s going to be the sequel for our Central Park Piedmont, Claremont and Gramercy products,” said Dale Weidemiller, who oversees special projects for Neal Communities. “We have about a year of zoning and entitlements, and we hope to have the models open in January 2016.”

“It’s a perfect location within Lakewood Ranch,” he said, noting Central Park will sell out in 2015. “It’s going to be awesome.”

The gated community, to be called Indigo, will have 420 homes, as well as a $1.6 million clubhouse with a full-time activity director, a lap pool, cooking kitchen, pickle ball and other amenities.

Although Neal purchased 111 acres from SMR, Neal will build the 420 homes on a 151-acre parcel that includes 40 acres it already owns and for which it already has secured development approvals. The site plan for the land, known as the Riker property, was approved in April.

“We’ve already broken ground on that,” Weidemiller said. “We will work this community into the overall design.”

Approvals for the Riker rezone included 120 single-family detached units and about 0.7 acres for recreational space.

Weidemiller said Neal purchase the Reiker piece with hopes to purchase additional acreage for expansion of the project.

“We worked it out in a very short time,” he said. “We actually closed within 90 days of contract.”

SMR President and CEO Rex Jensen said the new community seems like a natural progression within Lakewood Ranch.

“It fits very well,” Jensen said. “Central Park has been a key part of Lakewood Ranch the last few years. It doesn’t make sense to abandon a successful product.”