HERE COMES THE BOOM

Central Florida’s most-respected builders are pulling out all the stops.

The region’s best builders want to be a part of Horizon West. And their new developments are now reshaping the landscape with welcoming neighborhoods featuring state-of-the-art homes and plenty of amenities.

In fact, Horizon West boasts numerous new-home communities in various stages of development, including five now underway along a one-mile stretch of Seidel Road. That’s an extraordinary number, but it’s indicative of the burgeoning popularity of Horizon West.  

Waterleigh by D.R. Horton is currently the biggest new-home community being developed in Horizon West. The company’s Central Florida Division has just started construction on this lifestyle-centered, lakefront community, which could ultimately encompass up to 3,600 homes. The 1,400-acre site is dotted with more than a dozen lakes and clear-water ponds.  

And if location still counts for anything in real estate, Waterleigh has it made. It’s just a short jaunt from the site of the Horizon West Town Center. 

D.R. Horton has designed Waterleigh with environmental concerns in mind, particularly because of its adjacency to 350-acre Hickory Nut Lake. Lakefront homesites, for example, are engineered with swales to help prevent nutrients from impacting the lake. In addition, vegetative buffers and easements will help preserve and protect the flora and fauna that thrive around the lake.

Although Horizon West itself offers an array of amenities, Waterleigh will offer its own amenities package that will include a 5,000-square-foot lakeside clubhouse with a fitness center and multipurpose room and a 2,000-square-foot lakefront pool with a beach lounge area.

Also planned are grilling and picnic stations; beach volleyball and interactive exercise stations; two fishing and observation piers, one located on a 700-foot peninsula; nature and wildlife exhibit plaques placed along a nature walking trail; a dog park; a community garden; and a miniature golf course.

Home prices in Waterleigh had not been confirmed at presstime, but were expected to be in the $250,000 to $350,000 range.

Here’s what other builders are working on, or have planned, in Horizon West:

• Ashton Woods Homes. The company is opening three new communities this fall: Ashlin Park, Latham Park and Peachtree Park. Of the three, only Peachtree Park is open now. It’s a small (20 homesites) community in which prices start at $309,990. A model home is ready for viewing. Latham Park, with 202 homesites, will open later this year, offering five distinctive new-home collections with a mixture of front- and rear-entry garages. Prices had not been set at presstime. Ashlin Park will have 137 single-family homes, some with rear-entry garages, and 259 townhomes. Amenities will include a pool and cabana. It’s expected to open by the end of the year. Prices had not been set at presstime.

• KB Home. The company is set to open Lake Hancock Preserve on Seidel Road across from the Village of Summerlake. It will encompass 65 homes on 48 acres. Prices had not been set at presstime.

• Lennar. The company is busy in Windermere Sound with The Estates at Windermere Sound (from the high $320s), The Manors at Windermere Sound (from the high $250s) and The Townhomes at Windermere Sound (from the low $200s). Amenities include a basketball court, a tennis court, a playground and a pool and cabana. There are move-in-ready homes available.

• Meritage Homes. The company has one community open and one set to debut early next year. Watermark, which is underway now, offers resort-style homes, some of which are lakefront, priced from the low $200s. Amenities will include a playground, tennis courts and an amphitheater. Twinwaters, located on Johns Lake, will offer such amenities as a park, a pool and cabana and a playground. Some homesites are lakefront. Prices had not been set at presstime.

• M/I Homes. The company is set to open Summerlake Groves, which will encompass both single-family and townhomes. Amenities will include a pool, a cabana, tennis courts and basketball courts. And the community backs up to the Orange County National Golf Course and Lodge, so homes overlook both the golf course and wetlands. Prices had not been set at presstime.

• Pulte Homes. The company is set to open Lakeview Pointe, which will offer a mixture of single-family homes and townhomes. Amenities will include a pool, a clubhouse and a passive park. Prices had not been set at presstime.

• Standard Pacific Homes. The company has just opened Bradford Creek, a park-like community less than two miles from historic downtown Winter Garden. Homes feature living areas filled with natural light, oversized kitchen islands, luxurious master suites and numerous customization options. Prices start in the $350s. 

• Taylor Morrison Homes. The company is starting presales in The Cove at Hamlin, where just nine waterview homesites are available. Amenities will include a clubhouse with a fitness center, a family pool and children’s splash deck, a playground and several pocket parks. A boardwalk will connect Lake Hancock’s northern cove to Hamlin’s planned retail and restaurant area. Prices start in the $370s.

• Toll Brothers. The leading builder of luxury homes in the U.S. is set to debut Royal Cypress Preserve, a luxury gated community of 206 single-family homes. Amenities will include a well-appointed clubhouse with a resort-style swimming pool and a state-of-the-art fitness center. A boat ramp has also been proposed. Residents will enjoy spectacular nightly views of fireworks displays from nearby area attractions.

For a complete list of Horizon West communities, and their locations, see the pullout map located in this issue. 

Waterleigh by D. R. Horton is the biggest new-home community now underway. Located along Hickory Nut Lake and near S.R. 429, it could eventually accommodate 3,600 homes.