Alive and thriving: Shearwater continues robust growth amid pandemic – St. Augustine Record

The Record

Despite the economic challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, Shearwater has continued to experience robust growth and strong home sales. Since the start of the outbreak this spring, the northern St. Johns County master-planned community has developed two new neighborhoods, received a coveted Gold Nugget Merit Award, expanded its community management team and continued to offer safe recreational programming for residents.

We are seeing a significant trend in more people making remote working situations permanent, which allows families to move to locations where they actually want to live, said Suzanne Maddalon, vice president of marketing at Freehold Communities. St. Johns County, widely known for its great school district and high quality of life, has seen a serious increase in housing demand in master-planned communities. We are pleased that Shearwater strengthens this appeal by offering a community with all of the qualities and conveniences of an established town combined with a desirable selection of new homes and a rich mix of resort-style amenities and lifestyle programming.

Shearwater also reported increased home sales since the onset of the pandemic, putting them on track to outperform 2019sales. With increased buyer interest in master plans, Shearwater has expanded exponentially to keep up with the demand.

Lennar and David Weekley Homes began development on two neighborhoods in Shearwater this summer, expanding upon the communitys current quality home designs from six leading builders.

In the new Timberline neighborhood, Lennar is selling two-story luxury townhomes ranging in size from approximately 1,611 to1,751 square feet of thoughtfully designed living space. Potential buyers have four different floor plans to choose from, each featuring two to three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms. The townhomes also offer Lennars signature Everythings Includedprogram with upgraded features at no extra cost. Pricing starts from the $250s.

Award-winning builder David Weekley Homes is selling two distinct series of homes in The Hammocks. Priced from the $270s, the Discovery Series offers one- and two-story homes situated on 40-foot homesites. The open-concept homes range in size from approximately 1,613 to 2,374 square feet with rear-loading garages, three to five bedrooms and two to three and a half bathrooms.

Buyers have seven different floor plan options to choose from, each featuring LifeDesign benefits.

One- and two-story homes in the Designer Series offer five different award-winning floor plans situated on 40-foot homesites. Priced from the $280s, the homes range in size from approximately 1,797-2,340 square feet with two to five bedrooms and two to three and a half bathrooms. Each of the homes feature front-load garages, open concept living spaces and spacious lanais.

A panel of top industry experts named Shearwater an Award of Merit winner for Best Community Land Plan in the 2020 Gold Nugget Awards. The annual awards program is the largest and most prestigious of its kind in the nation, honoring innovative architecture, planning and construction concepts that solve fundamental building industry needs to improve communities.

In the programs 57th year, judges selected grand and merit winners in more than 50 categories from a field of roughly 575 U.S. and international entries, including single-family productions, custom homes, interior design, commercial, renovated projects, mixed-use, affordable, multifamily and site planning. The winners showcase the most exciting trends in design, planning and building.

Expanded management team

Due to community growth and an increased number of households, Shearwater expanded its community management team with the appointment of Dylan Read to assistant manager. He previously served as lifestyle director and now assists in handling community operations, including covenants enforcement, design review and facility maintenance.

To fill Reads vacated role, Remy Pugh was hired as the new lifestyle director. She is responsible for year-round community lifestyle programming, encouraging homeowners to engage with their neighbors and motivating residents to build long-lasting relationships. Pugh is also tasked with ensuring the highest level of satisfaction amongst residents.

Meticulously designed for modern-day living, Shearwaters resort-style amenities and vibrant lifestyle programming have remained front and center throughout the pandemic.

At the start of stay-at-home orders, Shearwater utilized social media, virtual platforms and other resources to help residents stay connected and offer support during the public health crisis. Since those restrictions have started to lift, the community has shifted gears to resume hosting some socially distanced community events with new precautions and safety protocols in place.

Most recently, Shearwater delivered a variety of kits for residents to enjoy on their own, including build-your-own-cocktail kits, lifestyle busy kits and relaxation kits for parents as kids head back to school. Shearwater also hosted a movie night on the lawn and a blood drive event with local food trucks. Additional programming is confirmed for the remainder of the year.

Located at 100 Kayak Way in St. Augustine, Shearwateroffers home designs from Drees Homes, David Weekley Homes, Lennar, MasterCraft Builder Group, Dream Finders Homes and Toll Brothers.To learn more, visit ShearwaterLiving.com.

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Alive and thriving: Shearwater continues robust growth amid pandemic - St. Augustine Record