Market Snapshot: Abandoned golf course is reborn
It’s rare to find a large, undeveloped parcel of land centrally located in Sarasota west of Interstate 75. So when the owner of the Forest Lakes Golf Club, which had been lying fallow for nearly a decade, decided to offer 24 acres on the east side of Beneva Road, just north of Webber Street, for residential development, it attracted considerable interest.
This berm provides an enhanced view from townhouses at The Enclave at Forest Lakes. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 2-16-2016.
After several rounds of negotiations, Mattamy Homes, a Canadian builder/developer, got the nod. “We were very excited to be able to get the property,” says Ed Suchora, Mattamy’s division president for Tampa/Sarasota. “It’s close to downtown, the Interstate and right next to a newly redeveloped golf course.”
Since Mattamy Homes started in Toronto in 1978, it has built more than 70,000 homes. The company is the largest privately owned builder in the United States and the largest in Canada, period. It currently operates in six American markets, including Minnesota, the Carolinas, Arizona, Jacksonville and Orlando.
In the Tampa/Sarasota area, Mattamy has made inroads with Harmony at Lakewood Ranch and now The Enclave at Forest Lakes.
“We’re far from new, just new to the area,” Suchora says with pride. “We are a community builder with a focus on land planning and architecture that creates a sense of place, where people want to be and enjoy life.”
For the Enclave, Mattamy Homes broke ground in August of last year and has completed the infrastructure — roads, utilities and land development. Currently, the company is putting in all the amenities — the main gate on Beneva Road; a side entrance on Webber Street; direct access for residents to the new Palms Golf Club of Forest Lakes; and a large, lighthouse-like structure at the entrance to the community.
The amenity center is under construction at Mattamy Homes’ The Enclave at Forest Lakes.
In addition, a central area will have a clubhouse, swimming pool, dog park and a large, open green space, where residents can meet and socialize.
When The Enclave is finished, it will have 160 residences, housed in three-, four- and six-unit buildings consisting of two-story townhouses and an attached villa on either end. Designed by 4Q, a Toronto-based firm, the overall theme is architecture with both coastal- and craftsman-style elevations.
There are four models with flexible 2- and 3- bedroom ground plans — two townhouses and two villas — ranging in size from 1,548 to 1,936 square feet. In the townhouses, the master bedroom suite can be put either upstairs or downstairs. The villas have the option of adding a second floor bonus space at the time of purchase, increasing the square footage to 2,076. Every home will have a two-car garage.
Prices range from $289,980 to $299,990 for the townhouses and from $289,990 to $291,990 for the villas. Upgrading a villa with the bonus space pushes the price to $330,990. All homes come with large closets, granite kitchen counter tops, and stainless-steel appliances.
“The idea was to keep the community very reasonable, yet include everything that makes for a good quality of life,” says Suchora.
The Enclave will be a maintenance-free community, with all lawns, shrubs and common landscaped areas taken care of by a management company. The monthly fee of $217 also covers irrigation, the exterior painting and roofs of homes, and upkeep of the pool, park, and gates.
The Captiva model in The Enclave at Forest Lakes. It has two bedrooms and two baths in 1,630 square feet on one story, and is priced at $296,990. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 2-16-2016.
Another benefit is the community’s convenient location. Nearby shopping and restaurant opportunities to the north and south are within a five-minute drive. You can get just about anywhere in 15 minutes — downtown, the beach, theaters and movies.
But the main attraction is having your own neighborhood golf course next door and across the street.
The Palm Golf Club at Forest Lakes will open in March. An 18-hole course designed by links architect Gordon G. Lewis, who has created a number of courses in the area and nationwide, the course has all new greens and fairways. Membership will be limited to 200, and pay for play is an option.
Neal Neilinger, the owner of the course, is excited to get going. “It’s a difficult, challenging course — narrow with a fair amount of water hazards, although the bunkers are forgiving,” he says. “Our philosophy is to keep a round to three hours,” he explains.
A week ago, Mattamy Homes held a well-attended open house to introduce its four models to the public. According to Suchora, besides a good number of golf enthusiasts, most visitors were retirees, snowbirds and empty nesters. He expects that it will take about two years to sell and build all the homes.
“There has been great interest already, and we figure they will move quickly,” he says.
The Enclaves at Forest Lakes will be part of the Parade of Homes that starts today.
