BABCOCK RANCH, Fla. (July 24, 2025) – Babcock Ranch has surpassed 5,000 new home sales, a major milestone reflecting the town’s accelerating momentum in both residential growth and commercial development. Mark William and Fay Jean Petersen, the 5,000th homebuyers, purchased their second home in the Willowgreen community by Lennar and received a welcome gift basket to mark the milestone.
“This is a significant landmark for Babcock Ranch, representing more than 25 percent of our planned 20,000 homes now sold,” said Syd Kitson, Chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners. “It’s especially meaningful that this milestone was reached by residents like Mark and Fay, who have chosen to make Babcock Ranch their home once again, a true testament to the strong sense of community and quality of life we strive to offer.”
The latest milestone comes a little over a year after reaching 4,000 sales in America’s first solar-powered town. Babcock Ranch is the 10th top-selling master-planned community nationwide as ranked by industry-leading John Burns Real Estate Consulting based on new-home sales in 2024. The town appeals to a variety of Southwest Florida buyers, from young millennials and families of all sizes to seasonal residents, empty nesters and retirees.
Built in harmony with nature and designed to weather storms through resilient infrastructure, sustainable design, elevation and location, Babcock Ranch has experienced accelerated residential and commercial growth during the past year. Highlights include the completion of two new venues for outdoor recreation – the 23-acre William & Mary Ann Smith Sports Complex and The PKWY, a series of six interconnecting parks in MidTown with pavilions, playgrounds, hillside slides, multipurpose fields, a fishing lagoon and an observation tower overlooking preserves, lakes and wetlands.
The Shoppes at Yellow Pine welcomed its first tenants this spring while the introduction of new neighborhoods meets the demands of the best-selling town, offering private amenities, including golf courses, a lazy river, waterslides, state-of-the-art fitness centers and restaurants.
“There’s truly something for everyone at Babcock Ranch,” said Kitson. “Our builders are delivering a range of home styles and amenities that create vibrant opportunities for connection, wellness and recreation.”
Over a dozen neighborhoods in Babcock Ranch offer villas, townhomes, coach homes and single-family residences and dozens of one- and two-story floor plans by regional and national homebuilders D.R. Horton, DiVosta, Dream Finders Homes, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Park Square Homes, Pulte Homes, Toll Brothers and William Ryan Homes as well as custom homes by AR Homes by Arthur Rutenberg and Florida Lifestyle Homes. The town also offers single-family rental homes at The Flatwoods and apartments at The Canopy at Babcock Ranch.
Babcock Ranch continues to respond to residential growth with new retail shopping centers. The Shoppes at Yellow Pine, a 120,000-square-foot shopping center, features flagship retailers Marshalls, Home Goods, Ace Hardware, Five Below and Ulta Beauty, plus seven restaurants, beauty and healthcare services and professional offices. Tampa General Hospital will also operate an urgent care center and a medical facility, bringing its top-tier healthcare and one of the nation’s leading academic health systems to Babcock Ranch.
“Babcock Ranch has truly blossomed. What amazes me is how tastefully the town has grown. Construction is everywhere, yet you never feel overwhelmed or lose the beauty of the community,” said Babcock Ranch resident Marian Boyle. “The green spaces, trails, parks and the preservation of nature’s wonder are constant reminders of the vision behind this town. It’s incredible to witness it evolving into its own city, vibrant yet respectful of its roots.”
Also on the horizon is B Street, a dynamic live-play-work entertainment district, coming in 2026. Nearly a dozen businesses have signed leases, including BBQ King Smokehouse and Tavern, Blush Nail Lounge, Carondelet Drink Parlor, Flourish and Pops, Kong Fu Ramen, Mangiamo Italian Restaurant, NV Realty Group, South Florida Title Insurers, sugaringLA, Way Better Insurance and Wholistic Motus physical therapy. B Street will also offer two residential buildings and feature elegant wood- and brick-accented architecture, indoor and outdoor dining and tree-shaded gathering areas.
“Residents are delighted by the new offerings at The Shoppes at Yellow Pine and businesses have been exceeding expectations,” said Kitson. “Due to this incredible demand, we’ve unveiled preliminary plans for MidTown Marketplace, which will be anchored by a grocery store.”
Spanning 143,000 square feet, the marketplace is Babcock Ranch’s largest planned shopping center to date, which also includes downtown Founder’s Square and the Publix-anchored Crescent B Commons. The newest multi-building development is planned for retail, restaurants with outdoor patios, a possible gas station and professional services with abundant parking. It’s the first phase of MidTown’s shopping district, which will also have a village green and amphitheater.
Rooted in the principles of smart growth and environmental preservation since its inception, Babcock Ranch serves as a model for how communities can live in harmony with nature while embracing innovation, sustainability and a strong sense of giving back. Home to the A-rated K-12 Babcock Schools, the town offers public spaces, parks, trails, resident amenities and collaborative workspaces. Half of its 18,000-acre footprint is set aside as greenways, parks and expansive lakes, providing recreation and scenic backdrops for homes and Founder’s Square. The town is planned for approximately 20,000 residences and about 6,000,000 square feet of commercial space.
Professionally decorated model homes highlight the many homebuying opportunities available from Babcock Ranch’s preferred builders. Homes are priced from upper-$200,000s to $4 million.
For more information about Southwest Florida’s new hometown, located just northeast of Fort Myers off Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, visit the Woodlea Hall Discovery Center at 42850 Crescent Loop in Babcock Ranch, call 877-709-6620, or visit www.BabcockRanch.com.