The PARC Group on Monday unveiled its plans for eTown, what it calls its smart-living community in southern Duval County at Interstate 295 and Florida 9B.
Etown features single-family homes, apartments, retail uses and amenities. The Welcome Center and initial neighborhoods are scheduled to open this summer.
The 1,500-acre community is 3 miles south of St. Johns Town Center.
Developers said in a news release that eTown is built on four principles: community, technology, convenience and sustainability.
It will feature smart-home technology, Zero Energy Ready Homes, eco-friendly features, community-oriented amenities, pedestrian- and electric car-friendly trails, and access to neighborhood services.
Etown is designed with parks, ponds and paths throughout the community, with 50 percent of its acreage remaining undeveloped to preserve what the release said is much of the area’s long leaf pine habitat.
The news release said the vision for the community is to strike a balance between convenient development and natural outdoor spaces.
“ETown is a one-of-a-kind community and a complete rethink of Jacksonville living,” said Roger O’Steen, chairman and founder of The PARC Group, the master developer of eTown and as well as Nocatee in St. Johns County.
“With state-of-the-art homes, canopied walking trails, resort-style amenities, and cafes and shops just a golf cart ride away, eTown offers a fresh approach to the modern lifestyle,” he said in the release.
Elements of eTown are:
The Village Center
Village Center is described as a walkable town center to comprise retail shops, restaurants and neighborhood services, as well as the “Hub,” the eTown welcome center. The Hub will feature a gourmet cafe, traditional and co-working offices and evening gathering spaces with outdoor seating. The eTown Hub is scheduled to open this summer. Village Center retail will be announced later.
“Residents will benefit from the community’s central location. The St. Johns Town Center, University of North Florida and the region’s fastest growing employment centers are right around the corner,” said Mike White, The PARC Group’s director of planning and development.”
Amenity center
Etown's 5-acre amenity area will include a resort-style pool with zero entry and an adjoining three-lane lap pool; a high-tech fitness center with an outdoor yoga lawn; a “Bier Garden” with lounge seating; a fire pit; a playground; an event lawn; and a lakeside dog park. Amenities are available only to eTown residents. The amenity area is scheduled to open in spring 2020.
Neighborhoods
ETown will feature several neighborhoods named after inventors and innovators.
• Marconi: The first neighborhood to open at eTown will feature homes by David Weekley Homes and ICI Homes. The gated community will offer a range of modern coastal, craftsman and farmhouse elevations starting in the mid-$300,000s. The grand opening is scheduled for May,
• Edison: Toll Brothers will build homes in Edison starting in the high $300,000s. The gated community will feature one- and two-story designs of 2,500 to more than 4,000 square feet. Edison is scheduled to open in the summer.
• Del Webb: The age-restricted 55-plus community will offer homes starting in the mid-$200,000s. The gated neighborhood will feature 5 acres of exclusive amenities, including an 8,000-square-foot private clubhouse, event lawn, resort-style pool and spa, fitness center, multipurpose rooms, and pickleball and tennis courts. The community also will have an onsite lifestyle director. Del Webb will open in the summer.
• Kettering: While all eTown homes will feature energy-efficient features and technologies, the Providence Homes neighborhood will be the only one to offer the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Homes, meaning that all or most annual energy consumption can be offset with renewable energy. Kettering is scheduled to open in spring 2020.
• Nobel: The ICI Homes and David Weekley Homes neighborhood is opening late this year.
• Apartments: Construction of eTown’s luxury apartment community will begin this spring. The neighborhood, located at eTown’s southernmost point, is scheduled to open in spring 2020.
More information is available at etownjax.com or by emailing [email protected]. An interactive map is at discoveretown.com.
