Babcock Ranch, Southwest Florida’s unique eco-centric, solar-powered town just northeast of Fort Myers on Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, is celebrating the grand opening of Jack Peeples Park with the second annual Jingle Bell 5K Saturday, Dec. 8 at 8 a.m.
Peeples will serve as the official race starter for Jingle Bell 5K, which starts at the 4.5-acre park named in honor of his contributions to Babcock Ranch’s development. The race route continues through Founder’s Square and the Lake Timber neighborhood and finishes at the park with refreshments. A 9:30 a.m. awards ceremony will recognize the overall winner, masters, senior masters, senior grandmasters, and three deep in each five-year increment age group.
For more information and to register online before race day, visit www.BabcockRanch.com/events. Race registration forms are also available at Babcock Ranch and The Run Shoppe at 6900 Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers. Packet pick up will take place at The Run Shoppe in Fort Myers Friday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Packets will also be available on race day at Babcock Ranch starting at 7 a.m.
Located adjacent to Babcock Neighborhood School, Jack Peeples Park features six tennis courts, four pickleball courts, a full basketball court, and two bocce ball courts. Open to the public, the park offers a multipurpose field and will serve as the trailhead of the newest series of Babcock Ranch trails scheduled to open at the end of the year.
Babcock Ranch was created by Kitson & Partners with respect for the natural environment and the philosophy that smart growth and sustainability work hand in hand. Half of the town’s 18,000-acre footprint is set aside as greenways, parks and expansive lakes, providing recreation and scenic backdrops for Babcock Ranch’s homes and the Founder’s Square downtown district.
Emphasizing a front-porch lifestyle to nurture a sense of community, Babcock Ranch promotes healthy living through a walkable community plan, 50 miles of planned biking and hiking trails, interconnected lakes for paddling enthusiasts, a robust calendar of exercise classes, and the Healthy Life Center managed by Lee Health at Founder’s Square, with health club facilities, nutrition counseling, therapeutic services, and medical offices opening in December.
Table & Tap restaurant, Slater’s Goods & Provisions, Square Scoops Coffee & Creamery, Curry Creek Outfitters, and Babcock Neighborhood School welcomed the greater community to Founder’s Square even before the arrival of the town’s first residents in early January. A sprawling downtown park offers a lakefront band shell, boardwalk, covered pavilions and charging stations for electronics, including cars. An autonomous shuttle – part of the town’s mobility plan – provides transportation between homes and Founder’s Square. And with plans to expand into On Demand services, goods delivery, and hourly/daily car rentals within the next year, Babcock Ranch will continue offering compelling mobility solutions that reduce the need for car ownership in the new town.
Babcock Ranch has seven homebuilders offering more than 50 home designs including twin villas, cottages, single-family executive, manor and custom homes featuring one- and two-story plans, two to six bedrooms, and 1,400 to 4,761 square feet of living space. Homes appeal to young millennials, families, empty nesters and retirees alike, with prices ranging from the $190,000s to $1 million. Homes are built to Florida Green Building Coalition standards, emphasizing energy and water conservation, and offer a full gigabyte of fiber-optic connectivity.
More than 30 model and quick-delivery homes are now open or under construction by Florida Lifestyle Homes, Fox Premier Builders, Lennar, Pulte Homes, Solara Homes by Banroc, and Stock Classic Homes. Many models are open for viewing daily.
For more information about Southwest Florida’s new hometown, located just northeast of Fort Myers off Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, visit the Discovery Center at 42850 Crescent Loop in Babcock Ranch, call 877-709-6620 or contact us.
