Lakewood Ranch development timeline

Lakewood Ranch development timeline

1900: First home built in Lorraine Township near the intersection of State Road 70 East and Lorraine Road.

1905: John Schroeder of Milwaukee assembles land as Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.

1922: Uihlein family, founders of Schlitz Brewing, purchases Schroeder-Manatee Ranch.

1960: Ranch operations expand beyond cattle and timber.

1978: First shell and aggregate mine opens.

1983: Initial planning for residential development begins.

1988: Braden River Elementary opens.

1989: Cypress Bank's development of regional impact wins approval. Would become Summerfield and Riverwalk villages.

1990: Braden River Middle School opens.

1991: University Place development of regional impact wins approval. Would become the Corporate Park. Sarasota Polo Club opens.

1992: University Lakes development of regional impact wins approval. Would become Edgewater Village, the Country Club and Town Center.

1994: Initial ground-breaking for Lakewood Ranch.

1995: Summerfield Village opens. First 50 residents recognized as community founders.

1996: Edgewater Village opens. Expansion of University Parkway begins.

1997: Country Club, Legacy Golf Course, Corporate Park, and Out-of-Door Academy upper school open.

1998: 1,000th home sold. Lakewood Ranch High School opens. Lakewood Ranch receives award as best master-planned community in America from Professional Builders Magazine/National Association of Home Builders.

1999: Financial Park at Town Center opens. Lakewood Ranch Commerce Park announced. Lakewood Ranch receives Aurora Award as best planned community in the Southeast from Southeast Builders Conference. Ranch Station at Town Center, Riverwalk Village and Lakewood Ranch Braden River Bridge open.

2000: Market Square at Town Center opens. 2,000th home bought. Greenbrook Village opens. Private golf club and course breaks ground.

2001: Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club opens. Holiday Inn becomes first hotel to open at Lakewood Ranch.

2002: Cypress Links Golf Course opens. Greenbrook's Adventure Park opens. Port Marnock's second phase opens. First Jazz Festival at Lakewood Ranch.

2003: Manatee County Center for Innovation and Technology opens. Digital Village Launched. First Lakewood Ranch Medical Office building opened. McNeal Elementary School opens.

2004: Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, Town Hall, Nolan Middle School open. Heritage Ranch, a 2,000-acre conservation area, opens. First housing east of Lorraine Road built in Greenbrook. Lorraine Road from Greenbrook Boulevard to University Parkway opens. Lakewood Ranch Boulevard four-laned between State Road 70 and University Parkway. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine opens. Rex Jensen elected CEO of SMR, replacing John Clarke. Residents take control of first two community development districts.

2005: Lakewood Ranch Main Street and Willis Elementary School open.

2006: The Lake Club opens.

2007: Gullett Elementary School opens. Residents take control of all community development districts.

2008: Lakewood Ranch Post Office opens. Manatee Association of Realtors moves into new Lakewood Ranch office. Lakewood Ranch Civic Association commissions incorporation study. Dan and Corrine McClure Center, housing the Chamber of Commerce and United Way, opens.

2010: Neal Communities' Central Park opens. Plans for the Villages of Lakewood Ranch South approved by Sarasota County Commission. Lakewood Ranch begins Tag partnership with Microsoft. Fishkind study shows incorporation feasible at Lakewood Ranch.

2011: Premier Sports Campus opens in April. Resident straw poll says time not right for incorporation.

2012: Esplanade active lifestyle community and Lost Creek Resort apartments open. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine opens dental college. Lakewood Ranch named ninth in the United States for new home sales by John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

2013: Work begins on the 697-acre Lakewood Centre project with 4,683 residential units, 1.67 million square feet of commercial space and 1.46 million square feet of office space planned. Ancient Oak Gun Club opened.

2014: First Winterfest comes to Lakewood Ranch. University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee College of Hospitality and Tourism Leadership opens Culinary Innovation Lab at Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

2015: Lakewood Ranch turns 20. Lakewood Ranch Main Street and Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance turn 10.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch development timeline ."