PUBLISHER’S PICK: COMMUNITY SUNBRIDGE
Del Webb, which is developing a 55-plus community within Sunbridge, has broken ground on a 27,000-square-foot complex called Hammock Club, which will feature indoor and outdoor amenities designed to help residents stay healthy and active year round. At 27,000 acres, Sunbridge will eventually encompass numerous communities aimed at a variety of demographics.
DEL WEBB SUNBRIDGE SHINES FOR 55-PLUS BUYERS NEAR LAKE NONA n March 2020, when Del Webb Sunbridge welcomed its first prospective homebuyers, Clint Ball, president of PulteGroup’s North Florida division, said: “Residents of Del Webb Sunbridge will enjoy an abundance of activities built around their interests. They’ll have many ways to engage in sports, hobbies and other healthy lifestyle pursuits.” But every developer says that about their active adult communities. Few, though, have the brand equity of Del Webb — since 2001 a brand of PulteGroup Inc. — which built its first retirement community in 1960 (Sun City in Arizona). In late 2021, as he assessed progress, Tavistock Group Managing Director Jim Zboril said: “We’re super excited about what’s happening out there.” As well he should be. Since that time, with sales continuing at a brisk pace, nothing has happened to curb that enthusiasm. Sunbridge is a 24,000-acre master-planned community by Tavistock, developer of burgeoning Lake Nona in southeast Orlando. The project sits just east of State Road 417 and south of State Road 528 — less than five miles from Tavistock’s signature “Medical City,” with its health sciences facilities and high-
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H O M E B U Y E R // C E N T R A L F L O R I D A E D I T I O N
tech neighborhoods. In a nutshell, that’s the setting for one of the newest and most promising places to live for retired and retiring boomers who want to continue to explore, grow and learn. There are 1,350 single-family homes and villas planned for Del Webb Sunbridge, to be brought on in stages. As of late December 2021, 342 homes had closed with prices starting in the mid-$300s. More than 500 people are now happily living there. The featured attraction at Del Webb Sunbridge — in addition to competitively priced homes and proximity to Lake Nona — will be a 27,000-square-foot, resort-style clubhouse, now under construction and scheduled to be open in the first half of 2022. There residents will enjoy fitness and wellness areas, an indoor/outdoor tavern, a grille pavilion, an aerobic exercise studio, and wet and dry craft rooms as well as a ballroom for special occasions. In addition, there’ll be an outdoor resort-style pool along with courts for tennis and pickleball, walking trails, sports fields, a playground and a community garden. Plus, there’s already a full-time lifestyle director who has brought residents together for social events and is planning a full calendar for 2022. “An abundance of activities” indeed. Complementing those community amenities is easy access to Lake Nona’s medical facilities as well as local shopping, dining, schools and the U.S. Tennis Association National Campus. Medical City — not an official term, but an apt one — contains the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, AdventHealth Lake
