Town Builders
The PARC Group, small by industry standards with 17 employees, had been quietly developing residential communities and commercial office parks in Northeast Florida since its inception nearly 20 years ago.?
????Quietly that is, until Florida’s newest town put itself—and The PARC Group—squarely on the map.?
????Nocatee, an innovative master-planned community located in prestigious Ponte Vedra, has received attention for its sheer size—more than 14,000 acres—as well as for its ambitious amenities.
????For example, there’ll be a resort-style aquatics park with a tubing river and 50-foot waterslide, a vibrant Town Center, a 300-acre park system, a multipurpose community center with fitness facilities and a pristine preserve for canoeing, fishing and hiking.
????Eventually, Nocatee—a Native American word meaning “peaceful river”—will encompass some 14,000 homes in all styles and price ranges clustered in an array of residential villages.
????Clearly, the ongoing transformation of this once-rural area tucked between U.S. 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway has been one of Northeast Florida’s biggest development stories in the past several years.?
????So who are the masterminds behind this signature project??
????The PARC Group was founded in 1989 by Roger O’Steen and Greg Barbour, who cut their teeth with legendary developer Chester Stokes of Stokes and Company. O’Steen and Barbour are among a number of Stokes alumni who have gone on to stellar careers on their own.??
????For a time, The PARC Group concentrated on such upscale projects as Marsh Creek, Reedy Branch Plantation, Timberlin Parc and Orange Park and Deerwood country clubs. Richard Ray joined the team as a third partner about seven years ago.
????Ray, who labels himself a business generalist and oversees the firm’s land deals as well as marketing and public relations, refers to the partnership team as a well-balanced “three-legged stool.” O’Steen handles governmental relations and long-term planning while Barbour rounds out the trio with expertise in permitting, land planning and engineering.?
????The PARC Group also developed Pablo Oaks Office Park, where company headquarters are housed, Pablo Bay and most recently Pablo Creek Reserve, site of the 2008 Symphony Showhome.?
????But most of the ink these days is about Nocatee, which will be consuming the majority of the firm’s energy for the next several decades. In fact, the project is not anticipated to be built out until 2028 at the earliest.
????The grand adventure started in 1998, when The PARC Group partners began kicking around ideas on how to develop the vast wooded acreage that had been in the Davis family, of Winn Dixie fame, for close to a century.?
????Once the self-contained town concept was developed, it took nearly ten years for permitting and approvals to fall in place. But the wait was worth it, says Ray.
????“To have a single landowner of a property of that size—30 square miles—is very unusual,” he notes. “And it’s especially beneficial to work with a landowner like the Davis family. They have a vision for Nocatee and understand the complexities of the development process and the real-estate market.”
????For the Davis family, selection of the right developer to implement their wishes for the land was easy.
????“We had worked with The PARC Group in developing Timberlin Parc and were very, very pleased with the quality of their work and the ease of our working relationship,” says Jay Skelton, president and CEO of DDI Inc., the Davis family’s diversified holding company.?
????“We felt that The PARC Group could oversee a project that would carry out the family’s wishes and make us all proud. When the timing was right, they were a natural choice.”
????So far, The PARC Group’s proudest moments have included receiving a Northeast Florida Regional Council Environmental Stewardship Award. Nearly 9,000 acres, amounting to almost 60 percent of the project’s property, has been set aside for conservation.
????And the three partners, who all live within two miles of one another in Ponte Vedra Beach, take particular pride in the fact that the community’s infrastructure improvements, such as construction of Nocatee Parkway, will positively affect the entire region for decades.
????“It’s exciting to see parts of Nocatee physically unfold and see the magnitude of what it will be,” says Ray. “To drive on Nocatee Parkway—and our families and kids are on it all the time—is really satisfying, knowing we’re associated with something of this quality.”
????The greatest challenges? Weathering the fluctuating market and maintaining the patience to handle the long lead times involved in a project of Nocatee’s scope.
????“We’re always thinking years out, and right now we’re working in 2010,” Ray says. “It can sometimes be difficult personally to go home and suddenly live in 2008.”?
????Also, Ray adds, the company must maintain a consistent pace regardless of changes in the market. “It’s tough when the market is running at a pace that outruns us, but it’s also tough when it slows down and finds its way into equilibrium,” he says.
????In the meantime, The PARC Group is focused on corporate citizenship as well as business. Through the company’s charitable foundation, it contributes to nearly 50 community-based organizations each year.
????“Giving back to the community is just part of responsible leadership,” says Ray, “and we want to make a difference where we live and work, not simply with development, but in other areas as well.”
????The company’s foundation, which started in 1997 under O’Steen’s leadership, takes a percentage of company profits and contributes to organizations related to education, the arts, fire and police, business and commerce, faith-based ministries and community service.?
????O’Steen remains mum on the exact figure donated but acknowledges that it exceeds six figures. And even during challenging years, contributions have remained steady.
????“Our support is critical to many organizations,” explains O’Steen. “And in this tricky market, we haven’t wanted anyone to suffer simply because the real estate business is not doing as well.”
????For Safe Harbor Boys Home Executive Director Robbie Smith, that commitment has meant everything.
????“To me, The PARC Group emulates what our organization is all about,” she says. “When we take in one of our boys, we’re still committed to seeing it through even if things get tight. This is exactly the same vision that The PARC Group brings to their community service.”
????Adds St. Johns County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Diane Quick: “We always say that The PARC Group is our greatest corporate supporter. They’ve been tremendous backers of our organization, not only financially but also in hands-on work.”
????Indeed company contributions don’t stop at dollars. In addition to donating over $200,000 to Habitat for Humanity in the six years they’ve been involved with the organization, employees of The PARC Group, along with residents and employees of Marsh Creek Country Club, have helped build six Habitat homes in St. Johns County. And for Safe Harbor, the company has served as a go-to source for advice and counsel.
????“The things The PARC Group has done for us are the unsung things that people normally don’t see,” Smith says. “Whether I’ve asked for expertise in marketing, public relations or simply called on them to help with project supplies, they’re always willing to stop what they’re doing and help us. I can’t say enough about the company’s character and integrity.”
????So what’s next for The PARC Group?? Will there be another Nocatee?
????“I’m not sure we’re old enough, or I should say young enough, to do another Nocatee,” says Ray, chuckling. “I doubt any of us would survive another 30-year buildout.”?
????But, Ray adds, the company is always watching the market and looking to the future: “We’ll certainly take our experiences from this and continue it into other projects in other parts of Northeast Florida.”
????Quietly that is, until Florida’s newest town put itself—and The PARC Group—squarely on the map.?
????Nocatee, an innovative master-planned community located in prestigious Ponte Vedra, has received attention for its sheer size—more than 14,000 acres—as well as for its ambitious amenities.
????For example, there’ll be a resort-style aquatics park with a tubing river and 50-foot waterslide, a vibrant Town Center, a 300-acre park system, a multipurpose community center with fitness facilities and a pristine preserve for canoeing, fishing and hiking.
????Eventually, Nocatee—a Native American word meaning “peaceful river”—will encompass some 14,000 homes in all styles and price ranges clustered in an array of residential villages.
????Clearly, the ongoing transformation of this once-rural area tucked between U.S. 1 and the Intracoastal Waterway has been one of Northeast Florida’s biggest development stories in the past several years.?
????So who are the masterminds behind this signature project??
????The PARC Group was founded in 1989 by Roger O’Steen and Greg Barbour, who cut their teeth with legendary developer Chester Stokes of Stokes and Company. O’Steen and Barbour are among a number of Stokes alumni who have gone on to stellar careers on their own.??
????For a time, The PARC Group concentrated on such upscale projects as Marsh Creek, Reedy Branch Plantation, Timberlin Parc and Orange Park and Deerwood country clubs. Richard Ray joined the team as a third partner about seven years ago.
????Ray, who labels himself a business generalist and oversees the firm’s land deals as well as marketing and public relations, refers to the partnership team as a well-balanced “three-legged stool.” O’Steen handles governmental relations and long-term planning while Barbour rounds out the trio with expertise in permitting, land planning and engineering.?
????The PARC Group also developed Pablo Oaks Office Park, where company headquarters are housed, Pablo Bay and most recently Pablo Creek Reserve, site of the 2008 Symphony Showhome.?
????But most of the ink these days is about Nocatee, which will be consuming the majority of the firm’s energy for the next several decades. In fact, the project is not anticipated to be built out until 2028 at the earliest.
????The grand adventure started in 1998, when The PARC Group partners began kicking around ideas on how to develop the vast wooded acreage that had been in the Davis family, of Winn Dixie fame, for close to a century.?
????Once the self-contained town concept was developed, it took nearly ten years for permitting and approvals to fall in place. But the wait was worth it, says Ray.
????“To have a single landowner of a property of that size—30 square miles—is very unusual,” he notes. “And it’s especially beneficial to work with a landowner like the Davis family. They have a vision for Nocatee and understand the complexities of the development process and the real-estate market.”
????For the Davis family, selection of the right developer to implement their wishes for the land was easy.
????“We had worked with The PARC Group in developing Timberlin Parc and were very, very pleased with the quality of their work and the ease of our working relationship,” says Jay Skelton, president and CEO of DDI Inc., the Davis family’s diversified holding company.?
????“We felt that The PARC Group could oversee a project that would carry out the family’s wishes and make us all proud. When the timing was right, they were a natural choice.”
????So far, The PARC Group’s proudest moments have included receiving a Northeast Florida Regional Council Environmental Stewardship Award. Nearly 9,000 acres, amounting to almost 60 percent of the project’s property, has been set aside for conservation.
????And the three partners, who all live within two miles of one another in Ponte Vedra Beach, take particular pride in the fact that the community’s infrastructure improvements, such as construction of Nocatee Parkway, will positively affect the entire region for decades.
????“It’s exciting to see parts of Nocatee physically unfold and see the magnitude of what it will be,” says Ray. “To drive on Nocatee Parkway—and our families and kids are on it all the time—is really satisfying, knowing we’re associated with something of this quality.”
????The greatest challenges? Weathering the fluctuating market and maintaining the patience to handle the long lead times involved in a project of Nocatee’s scope.
????“We’re always thinking years out, and right now we’re working in 2010,” Ray says. “It can sometimes be difficult personally to go home and suddenly live in 2008.”?
????Also, Ray adds, the company must maintain a consistent pace regardless of changes in the market. “It’s tough when the market is running at a pace that outruns us, but it’s also tough when it slows down and finds its way into equilibrium,” he says.
????In the meantime, The PARC Group is focused on corporate citizenship as well as business. Through the company’s charitable foundation, it contributes to nearly 50 community-based organizations each year.
????“Giving back to the community is just part of responsible leadership,” says Ray, “and we want to make a difference where we live and work, not simply with development, but in other areas as well.”
????The company’s foundation, which started in 1997 under O’Steen’s leadership, takes a percentage of company profits and contributes to organizations related to education, the arts, fire and police, business and commerce, faith-based ministries and community service.?
????O’Steen remains mum on the exact figure donated but acknowledges that it exceeds six figures. And even during challenging years, contributions have remained steady.
????“Our support is critical to many organizations,” explains O’Steen. “And in this tricky market, we haven’t wanted anyone to suffer simply because the real estate business is not doing as well.”
????For Safe Harbor Boys Home Executive Director Robbie Smith, that commitment has meant everything.
????“To me, The PARC Group emulates what our organization is all about,” she says. “When we take in one of our boys, we’re still committed to seeing it through even if things get tight. This is exactly the same vision that The PARC Group brings to their community service.”
????Adds St. Johns County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Diane Quick: “We always say that The PARC Group is our greatest corporate supporter. They’ve been tremendous backers of our organization, not only financially but also in hands-on work.”
????Indeed company contributions don’t stop at dollars. In addition to donating over $200,000 to Habitat for Humanity in the six years they’ve been involved with the organization, employees of The PARC Group, along with residents and employees of Marsh Creek Country Club, have helped build six Habitat homes in St. Johns County. And for Safe Harbor, the company has served as a go-to source for advice and counsel.
????“The things The PARC Group has done for us are the unsung things that people normally don’t see,” Smith says. “Whether I’ve asked for expertise in marketing, public relations or simply called on them to help with project supplies, they’re always willing to stop what they’re doing and help us. I can’t say enough about the company’s character and integrity.”
????So what’s next for The PARC Group?? Will there be another Nocatee?
????“I’m not sure we’re old enough, or I should say young enough, to do another Nocatee,” says Ray, chuckling. “I doubt any of us would survive another 30-year buildout.”?
????But, Ray adds, the company is always watching the market and looking to the future: “We’ll certainly take our experiences from this and continue it into other projects in other parts of Northeast Florida.”