As many know, we held our Grand Reveal on April 22, 2016. To some, Earth Day is a regular day. For those of us at Babcock Ranch, Earth Day was and will always be about the announcement of our new town. Babcock Ranch is a town powered by people and their creative, innovative ideas. We’re the first solar city in the US. We’re one of the few cities to welcome autonomous vehicles on our future streets. And we want to share it with you!
To watch our Grand Reveal in its entirety, simply click the play button below. We’re so excited to share this with you and can’t wait to show the world what we have in mind.
The World’s First Solar Town
At the Grand Reveal, we heard from President and CEO for Florida Power & Light, Eric Silagy. ““We’ve been working hard to cost-effectively bring more emissions-free universal-scale solar to Florida for more than 10 years. The FPL Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center will further enhance our position as one of the cleanest utilities in the nation, while keeping FPL customer bills about 30 percent below the national average.”
When completed, if our new solar panels were stretched out over land, they would reach from Babcock Ranch all the way to Chicago, Illinois. The FPL Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center is expected to be completed and connected to FPL’s smart grid by the end of 2016.
To learn more about FPL’s involvement with Babcock Ranch, take a look at our fact sheet here!
Phase One of Babcock Ranch
Babcock Ranch is an eco-centric new town powered by the sun, nature, and innovation. During our Grand Reveal, we unveiled man of our plans for Phase One, which will include the construction of new homes at Babcock as well as storefronts, restaurants, and more.
Commercial Space at Babcock Ranch
Our town space for businesses will include the following:
- 70,000 square feet
- Initial downtown buildings clustered around a central lakefront park
- Lakefront restaurant
- Discovery Center
- Outdoor Outfitters
- The “Hatchery”, a co-working space
- Our first school
- State-of-the-art wellness center
- Coffee/ice cream shop
Completion of our first downtown buildings is expected in early 2017.
Homes at Babcock Ranch
Babcock Ranch’s future homes will be examples of timeless architectural designs that encourage social interaction and a strong sense of community. Our plan include a Lake House with a neighborhood pool, BBQ area, and playground. We’ll have over 50 miles of trails, which will include a dog park, lakeside fishing park, observation deck, and all within walking distance of downtown amenities.
Additionally, Babcock Ranch’s homes will have a little something for everyone:
- 1,100 residential units
- 700 single family homes
- 70 town homes/villas
- 330 condos
- Pricing ranging from $190k-900k+
- First neighborhood is Lake Timber
- 220 single family homes
- Diverse mix of home styles and price points
- Construction of 16 model homes begins in July for completion in late 2016 and early 2017
“Welcome to Babcock, Everybody!” – Syd Kitson
Syd Kitson spoke at length during the Grand Reveal about his vision for Babcock Ranch as well as all the work that led up to the point of our Grand Reveal. After receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at the Grand Reveal, Syd shared with the audience the significance of the day. “Welcome to Babcock Ranch, everybody! I can’t tell you how great it feels to say that! I’ve been waiting 10 years to say that!”
The history of Babcock dates back to 10+ years ago. During the purchase of Babcock Ranch, Syd KItson and his team at Kitson & Partners had to accomplish in 1 year what normally takes 5 years. The perserverence of Syd and his team proved worthwhile as we were able to share our plans for the future of Babcock Ranch.
