The Most Sustainable Town in America
It was love at first sight for Richard and Robin Kinley. But it took a sunset to seal the deal. The Kinleys, both 59 and living in Atlanta, visited southwest Florida in January to look at Babcock Ranch, a planned community that could become the most sustainable town in America. When finished, Babcock Ranch, located about […]
Babcock Ranch making development history
Florida development history was made last weekend at Babcock Ranch in southeastern Charlotte County. In a scene that was reminiscent of the real estate promotional events of the 1920s Florida Land Boom, about 20,000 people attended the two-day Founders Fest event, which gave the public its first look at the first buildings and model homes […]
Florida Eco-Friendly Town opens for business
With a farm-to-table restaurant, driverless shuttles, homes built with the latest green techniques and a massive solar farm to offset energy use, Florida’s first sustainable town is now open for business. The buzz about Babcock Ranch, an eco-friendly city of the future and the largest development of its kind in the United States, drew more […]
Lennar Signs on to Babcock Ranch
Lennar is joining the roster of builders at Florida’s Babcock Ranch, set to be the nation’s largest solar-powered town upon completion. The provide a mix of twin-villas and single-family homes at price points within reach for a broader range of home buyers at the community near Fort Myers. “The neighborhood located southeast of Founders Square, adjacent […]
Former NFL Player Syd Kitson Banks on Babcock Ranch, His Ambitious Sustainable Community
IT’S GAME ON for developer Syd Kitson’s sprawling Babcock Ranch, an ambitious bet on a huge, high-tech new town east of I-75 built on sustainability, solar energy and access to nature. The ranch is located about 75 miles south of downtown Sarasota and east of I-75 on State Road 31. Babcock’s modest entrance is followed by […]
OpEd: Florida making smart progress on solar
On a sunny day in Florida, I watched the American flag rise and fly over hundreds of acres of solar cells. It was an amazing experience to think the million panels I was looking at in Manatee County were replacing energy from conventional fuel combustion plants. Yet this solar field feeding directly into the power grid […]
Florida Lifestyle’s Taylor model ready to open at Babcock Ranch
Submitted by Caffrey & Associates BABCOCK RANCH — Kitson & Partners announced that Florida Lifestyle Homes is poised to complete its furnished Taylor model in the Lake Timber neighborhood at Babcock Ranch. A second furnished model featuring Florida Lifestyle’s Lauren floor plan is on schedule for completion in approximately 60 days and construction of a third […]
Lee County looks ahead to driverless car revolution
The biggest revolution in cars since Henry Ford cranked up the first automotive assembly line is dawning. Just as putting automobiles within reach of everyday consumers brought mobility to the masses, cars wirelessly connected to the driving environment will mean changes in the way we arrange our lives, get around in our world and perhaps even choose where […]
Lake Kinley named after first homeowners at Babcock Ranch
Andrea Stetson, Special to The News-Press There’s a big perk to being the first person to purchase a home in Babcock Ranch. That perk: getting a lake named after you. Richard and Robin Kinley purchased a house and will soon be living on Lake Kinley. “My husband was teasing and said ‘we are the first […]
The CenturyLink Prism Trailer is Coming to Babcock!
You may have heard that we collaborated with CenturyLink to provide our residents with gigabit internet and now, you’ll get to experience it for yourself at our upcoming Spring Picnic! CenturyLink will be bringing their Prism trailer to our upcoming Spring Picnic so guests and potential residents can see the benefits of Prism and fiber […]
Babcock Ranch wired for the future
Naples 5:00 a.m. ET June 11, 2017 | Naples Daily News The classic styled homes with inviting front porches along broad sidewalks at Babcock Ranch harken back to simpler times. But below the surface, this new town is all about the future — expanding and enhancing on classic hometown characteristics with cutting-edge technology and efficiency […]
Babcock Ranch One of the “Best of the Best” Eco-Friendly Communities by ideal-LIVING Magazine
Wilmington, NC – ideal-LIVING magazine announces the 2nd Annual “The Best of the Best” in towns and residential communities in its Summer 2017 edition. These awards will also be posted at www.ideal-LIVING.com/2017BestoftheBest. “Given the very positive response last year to our first ‘Best of the Best‘ feature,” said ideal-LIVING Editor and Associate Publisher Kelly Godbey, […]
Models by Fox Premier Builders nearing completion at Babcock Ranch
June 14, 2017 – The Florida Weekly Fox Premier Builders’ Camden and Cabin furnished models are expected to be completed by the end of this month in the Lake Timber neighborhood at Babcock Ranch, a new 18,000-acre solar powered town being developed by Kitson & Partners 20 minutes east of Fort Myers off Florida State Road 31 […]
Smart development, eco-tourism make for happy neighbors in Punta Gorda, Florida
Florida’s Gulf Coast is a weirdly dissociated place. True, there’s a cohesiveness to it all, mainly in that the Gulf Coast is more laid-back and less preoccupied with appearances than Florida’s Atlantic Coast. It clings to the vestiges of Old Florida a bit tighter. Yet this cohesiveness begins to crack and the distinct personalities of […]
Lennar sees most home orders in a decade in Q2
Lennar’s strong quarter bucked an industry trend. While the homebuilder saw its deliveries and orders increase, tight inventory has activity across the industry trending downward. The most recent data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau revealed housing starts hit lows in May while new home sales dropped 11.4% in April, HousingWire […]
Appreciating Farm to Fork
He was the only possible choice, really. When Babcock Ranch food and beverage director Matt Seiler was in a position to hire an executive chef for the all-new, eco-friendly, sustainable solar city, the stack of resumes consisted of one. Seiler had recognized at once how Chef David Rashty always “forged strong relationships with ranchers and […]
If You Build It…
They will come, suggests the 1989 baseball-oriented movie, “Field of Dreams”, starring Kevin Costner. That’s certainly what real estate firm Kitson & Partners must have thought when they first purchased 18,000 acres of Florida Gulf shore properties, later named Babcock Ranch , and then started to build an ecofriendly, net zero energy, solar-powered town. But it hasn’t been all […]
Babcock Ranch is Resilient by Design
Each June as the hurricane season gets underway, Floridians are reminded that the dream of living close to the coast comes with a certain amount of risk. When storms take aim at Southwest Florida and evacuation orders are issued, residents of Babcock Ranch will find themselves at a distinct advantage. “Storm safety and resiliency has […]
The Sunshine Town
How do you build America’s first completely solar-powered community? You start from scratch. Developers Kitson & Partners designed and constructed Babcock Ranch, a South Florida town that spans 17,000 acres (440 of which are a solar field), in partnership with state and local government. It took them more than a decade. Getting around will be […]
Babcock Ranch in Florida Will Become America’s First Solar Powered Town
Located in southwest Florida, Babcock Ranch is not only the America’s largest development currently underway, but it will also be the first town primarily powered by solar energy. Kitson & Partners unveiled Babcock Ranch, which–when completed–prmisses to be the most sustainable, most innovative and healthiest new town in the country. Kitson & Partners is a private […]
