BOSTON, Massachusetts — Freehold Communities, developer of vital masterplanned communities nationwide, has announced residential and mixed-use communities in Florida, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and California. All of Freehold’s new communities express the company’s Vital Community™ approach that embraces healthy living, engagement, connectivity, stewardship and distinctive home design. And all are distinguished by extensive amenities, including nature preserves, or innovative merging of homes and open space, such as “agrihoods.”
Headquartered in Boston, and founded in 2013, Freehold is currently developing eight masterplans throughout the United States, five of which opened in 2017.
Credit: Chet Frohlich, courtesy of Freehold Communities
Shearwater, St. John’s County, Florida (near Jacksonville). A 1,524-acre, 2,600-lot community with 13-miles of walking trails through 600 acres of preserved habitat, parks, fields, lakes and canoe/kayak access to Trout Creek.
Legacy at Jordan Lake, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. With 304 homesites on 316 acres, the masterplan includes resort-style pool and clubhouse, golf course, walking trails, and community gardens in the rolling hills of the North Carolina Piedmont with views of Jordan Lake.
Durham Farms, Hendersonville, Tennessee (near Nashville). With 1,090 lots on 472 acres, Durham Farms offers a small-town lifestyle with tree-lined streets, ample green space, neighborhood parks, and nearly three miles of walking trails on Old Hickory Lake.
Headwaters, Dripping Springs, Texas (near Austin). This new 1,035-acre development has 1,000 lots. The community includes broad expanses of natural habitat, including Barton Creek and five protected hilltops, plus resort-style split-level pool, Wi-Fi café, and eight miles of trails.
Headwaters, Dripping Springs, Texas. Credit: Chet Frohlich, courtesy of Freehold Communities
Orchard Ridge, Liberty Hill, Texas (near Austin). With 248 acres and 670 homesites, the community features an expansive system of walking trails, playgrounds, orchards, community gardens, and neighborhood parks in Texas Hill Country.
Arden, Palm Beach County, Florida. 2,000 homesites are set within 1,209 acres that include a 5-acre community farm, mile-long central lake, 20 miles of trails, and 176 acres of parks and open space.
Arden, in Palm Beach County Florida, includes a five-acre community farm. Courtesy of Freehold Communities
Homestead, Schertz/Cibolo, Texas (near San Antonio). Its 522 acres offer 1,471 homesites with welcoming front porches and sustainable building, connected by five miles of trails to ponds, recreational parks, and natural surroundings.
Miralon, Palm Springs, California. One of the largest new “agrihoods” in the U.S., Miralon’s 309 acres will include 1,150 Modernist-inspired residences and the transformation of an 18-hole golf course into olive groves and community gardens.
Florida’s Shearwater exemplifies Freehold’s focus on amenities. Here, right at move-in, new homeowners enjoy access to resort-style Kayak Club and state-of-the-art Fitness Lodge, to the surrounding preserved habitat, and to the extensive trails and parks.
Shearwater in St. John’s County, Fla. Credit: Chet Frohlich, courtesy of Freehold Communities
“Rather than a cookie-cutter approach to masterplanning, we immerse ourselves in the local market to create amenities and a community that best expresses their interests and wellbeing,” says Freehold Southeast Division President Andy Smith. “This allows our pioneers – our first residents – to take pride of ownership immediately.”
At the heart of each Freehold community is an amenity center. This includes the clubhouse, or Hub, where residents may grab morning coffee or lunch at the Wi-Fi Café, gather community information, or talk with the on-site management team. All but one of the eight Freehold community has a full-time lifestyle director.
Also central to Freehold’s vital communities approach is healthy living. Each of the developments includes a fitness center and community trails.
Several of the developments are also innovative “agrihoods,” centered on community gardens. A highlight of Freehold’s Palm Springs development, Miralon, is its transformation of a previously constructed 18-hole golf course into working olive groves, community gardens and walking trails.
“Evolving the existing golf course into habitat-sensitive, agricultural open space is a response to the precious resources of Palm Springs’ Coachella Valley, including its need for water,” said Freehold California Division President Brad Shuckhart. “At the same time, we responded to peoples’ desire for authentic experiences – whether through community gardening or immersion in a rich range of social spaces.”
Although Freehold is a young company, its fresh vision is informed by leaders with decades of valuable experience in the most vibrant U.S. markets. Further, after identifying a property for acquisition, Freehold engages the best third-party consumer researchers, project managers and marketing experts. With the participation of local land planners, landscape architects, civil engineers, architects, and geotechnical and structural engineers, the larger vision for each project emerges. The result is an impressive physical design that is a natural expression of the land and the people who will live there.
About Freehold Communities
Freehold Communities is developing over 10,000 residential lots in Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida and California. We create Vital Communities™ that embrace healthy living, engagement, connectivity, stewardship and distinctive home design.
As we evaluate opportunities, we focus on the right planning, the right properties, and the right partners. We begin with comprehensive research to gain insight into the unique needs, trends and preferences in the local market. We then carefully consider each property to determine how we can maintain its beauty and character as we create a Vital Community™. Finally, we partner with quality, creative builders who share in our philosophy by offering niche solutions and unique, timeless designs.
