New road construction speeds through Lakewood Ranch Southeast

Landscape architect Bob Simons, the Schroeder-Manatee Ranch president of development, rode down a dirt path Feb. 9 that eventually will be five miles of four-lane Bourneside Boulevard from University Parkway to Fruitville Road.

Simons looked all around him, and then noted that just after the calendar turns to 2027, the road and all the infrastructure to support the builders of Lakewood Ranch Southeast will be finished.

The land looked so very raw, the thought of such a project being completed in less than a year seemed impossible.

"It is greenfield construction," Simons said with a smile. "This is why it's going so fast."

Greenfield construction is a description of undeveloped land that is virtually a blank canvas. Simons, who has been with SMR for 33 years, explained that when existing roadways are involved, the contractor not only has to deal with all the construction, but also controlling traffic through the area. That slows the project down and frustrates the motorists who regularly use such a roadway.

Photo by Jay Heater

Simons and SMR Project Engineer Mike Blackrick offered a tour of the road that eventually will provide access to Lakewood Ranch Southeast, which is situated on 4,120 acres and eventually will offer up to a maximum of 5,000 homes.

SMR is a stickler for infrastructure.

"When we start a project, we build to buildout conditions," Simons said. "The communities grow into our infrastructure."

For such an isolated area, there was a fury of activity for the heavy equipment operators, who were working on the roads, or placing water or sewer pipes, or moving dirt that will form the grand entrances to the new communities.

Courtesy image

Simons said SMR currently is overseeing six active roadway projects, which were all bonded together before construction began, to serve Lakewood Ranch Southeast along with off-site utility projects, and more. Construction began in August, after SMR cleared the Sarasota County rezoning necessary to build the project.

"This is roads, sewer, water, street lighting, sidewalks, trails," said Rex Jensen, the president and CEO of SMR. "This is a complete infrastructure package."

One feature for the planned roadways that will serve Lakewood Ranch Southeast are nine roundabouts. Eight of the roundabouts will be built on Bourneside Boulevard and already have been approved by Sarasota County. The other is a roundabout at University Parkway and Lucent Place, which still needs to gain final approval from Manatee County.

Although Jensen once considered roundabouts to be "an evil thing," he said they will well serve the Lakewood Ranch Southeast community.

Photo by Jay Heater

"We are doing them upfront," Jensen said in reference to the fact that most are being built on roadways that don't exist yet. "When a roadway first opens, why stop for a traffic light when there is no traffic? Four-way stops cause accidents. We are building this in a farm field. It is quite inexpensive, and it works well as the traffic volume builds."

Simons said he expects builders to begin constructing pads for the models in May.

However, Jensen said the builders have to wait until Sarasota County certifies the water lines to begin building anything. He said the county requires a "fire flow" to be in place.

He expects some models to start to rise in Lakewood Ranch Southeast in "eight to 10 months." Jensen said he expects builders to begin marketing the new homes in 2027.

Until then, Blackrick and Simons will be driving makeshift roads from University Parkway to Fruitville Road on a daily basis to make sure all the contractors are on the same page.

They have plenty to consider.

Photo by Jay Heater

On the Feb. 9 tour, they pointed out just a few of the projects, such as the lake being dug and filled on the 15-acre park property that was donated to Sarasota County. While the lake might serve a recreational purpose in the future, it also will hold all the reclaimed water that will be used in Lakewood Ranch Southeast for irrigation.

Simons pointed out the different colored PVC pipe all along the route. "The purple pipes carry reclaimed water that is used for irrigation," he said. "The green pipes carry the poo to the (sewage) plant. The blue pipe carries potable water."

He noted that all the utilities are supported by Sarasota County from stations on Fruitville Road. SMR built an access road along the Monterey community that leaves Fruitville Road, runs northeast, and presents a shorter path for all the utility lines that run from Fruitville Road to Lakewood Ranch Southeast.

Much of the project is bordered on the west by the 2,000-acre Heritage Ranch, which has a conservation easement through Sarasota County and can't be developed. It is owned by SMR shareholders.

Photo by Jay Heater

"We're keeping it," SMR Executive Vice President Laura Cole said of Heritage Ranch. "It is not publicly accessible."

In emphasizing how large the protected Heritage Ranch is, Cole noted that at 2,000 acres it is the size of the University of Florida campus.

Most of the builders already have been chosen by SMR and have bought and closed on their properties. John Cannon Homes, Neal Signature Homes, Neal Communities, Pulte, and Taylor Morrison and ready to go. Two other parcels are under contract to unnamed buyers who have yet to close on the properties. The Monterey by Toll Brothers community, which already is established, will be considered part of Lakewood Ranch Southeast. It is part of the Lakewood Ranch Stewardship District.

Jensen and Cole said the fluctuations in the national real estate market have had little effect on the planned makeup of Lakewood Ranch Southeast.

"The market always changes, and it will change again," Jensen said. "These are proven products."

While Cole said SMR does "look at where the market is going so as not to overload any one demographic," she added that Lakewood Ranch Southeast will be offering a great diversity of products that all are seeing success in existing Lakewood Ranch neighborhoods.

Consider Star Farms, which just had 55 sales in January, the most of any Lakewood Ranch village. She said Star Farms offers a targeted amenity package that often is popular with active adults, but which now seems to be popular with families as well.

She said the Pulte homes in Lakewood Ranch Southeast will be similar to the Star Farms product.