During the next 15 years, LandMar Group will bring 4,300 homes and thousands of local jobs to Clay County with a new master-planned community called Saratoga Springs.
LandMar, the company behind such communities as North Hampton, South Hampton and Hampton Park, envisions Saratoga Springs will spark a revival of the Green Cove Springs “grand resort” heritage of the late 1800s.
The 2,444-acre site, located between state roads 209 and 16 on County Road 315, will have access off U.S.17 via Shedd Road.
“Saratoga Springs will bring back that sense of destination that was so vibrant in Clay County during the late 1800s,” said LandMar Chief Executive Officer and President Ed Burr. “In those days, Green Cove Springs was known as the ‘Saratoga of the South’ and we embrace that ideology and are incorporating that grand era into the planning and design of this community.”
According to LandMar Chief Operating Officer Roger Postlethwaite, Saratoga Springs will also have a considerable fiscal impact on Clay County.
“In addition to bringing thousands of new homes to the county, this project will enhance the area’s road infrastructure, school system and economic base by creating new jobs. We also hope to attract a new hospital,” he said.
LandMar has plans for major road connections to improve Clay County’s infrastructure and provide long-term connectivity of Green Cove Springs and Lake Asbury. LandMar expects to invest more than $50 million in regional transportation improvements to the area and create nine miles of new or improved major roads to enhance regional transportation.
Part of the infrastructure plan includes improving Shedd Road to four lanes for a new east-west connection from U.S. 17 to CR 315 and continuing on to CR 218. The company will also provide a north-south access road along the eastern side of Saratoga Springs to State Road 16 that will create a Green Cove Springs bypass.
LandMar will earmark land for proposed new elementary and middle schools within Saratoga Springs. The company plans to fund the construction of the elementary school under a financing agreement that is being discussed with the School District to open the school approximately four years after sales commence.
Company officials expect to create about 2,000 new jobs within the project.
“We are thrilled to see LandMar bring their special brand of quality community development to Clay County,” said landowner Jerry Agresti of Peter’s Creek Investments LLP. “We did an extensive search for just the right developer and LandMar’s vision surpassed our highest expectations for the property. The company’s plan will create a wonderful addition to the county both in terms of positive impact and enhanced quality of life.”
LandMar officials estimate an average of 300 new homes will be built in Saratoga Springs annually over a 15-year build-out period. The plan will offer a wide range of housing options in the community in many distinctive villages including traditional single-family neighborhoods, townhomes, apartments, condominiums, an age-restricted active adult community, a golf course community and a traditional neighborhood designed village.
“Saratoga Springs will be a livable, recreationally focused residential development,” Postlethwaite said. “The community will also celebrate the area’s rich heritage with well researched architecture, planning and amenities.”
A builder program and design criteria will guide the design and construction of homes in the community and LandMar anticipates a wide range of architectural styles.
Housing prices are expected to range from the mid-$100s to more than $600,000.
LandMar plans to revive another community design popular in many historic towns - the formal town square.
The community’s Village Green will have tree-lined streets and buildings designed with historical authenticity on a town square. The Village Green will have a sales and information center, community center and a resident fitness center.
A thematic Spring Run Park will feature a recreated spring connected to a free-form pool. Homes with a strong historical feel will also be planned in the Village Green. Saratoga Spring’s Town Center will also be a focal point as the community matures and will offer office, commercial and retail centers to service the needs of residents and provide areas of employment along CR 315.