Developer of Parrish’s North River Ranch expects sales to pick up with new phase
Sales activity at North River Ranch in Parrish slowed down in March with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, but picked up again in May and June.
That’s when it appeared that the curve had been flattened on spread of the disease, and Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed partial reopening of retail stores and restaurant dining rooms.
North River Ranch, approved for the construction of 6,000 homes, is generally located north of Moccasin Wallow Road and west of U.S. 301 in Parrish. It is by far the single largest master-planned community in Manatee County north of the Manatee River.
Although North River Ranch now has only a handful of residents, sales could increase by five fold in the near future, John Neal, president of of Neal Land & Neighborhoods, said Monday.
To date, only one of five builders working at North River Ranch had models open. The other builders will also be opening models, he said.
“Now we have more buyers than we can build homes for,” Neal said, adding that many of those are coming from more congested communities, such as St. Petersburg-Tampa and northern cities, seeking wide-open spaces and nature trails.
This week, Neal announced the opening of a new phase at North River Ranch. The new phase will have 190 new homesites for homebuilders Homes by WestBay, Park Square Homes and KB Home. The builders join Centex, which began selling homes in the community in April.
The phase will be located in North River Ranch’s Brightwood neighborhood.
North River Ranch will have a retail component as well, but retail will come after the construction of more residential rooftops.
“In the next 18 months we will have small shops and restaurants under construction, if not opened,” Neal said.
“Having these three additional renowned homebuilders is exciting forward momentum at North River Ranch. Centex has been making great sales, and with the addition of these new builders we will have an even greater offering of home product, all in one great location,” Neal said.
This new phase of North River Ranch translates to an approximate $12 million land sale.
The builders will begin construction on model homes this month.
Each of the three homebuilders are national or regional award winners with a strong presence in the Tampa Bay and Manatee/Sarasota area.
The next phase at North River Ranch, the Riverfield neighborhood, is being developed by Neal Land & Neighborhoods. David Weekley Homes and Neal Communities will begin model home construction and launch sales there in August.
For more information, visit www.NealLand.com.
