Developers bet on demand for smaller homes, apartments in Lee County

LEESBURG — Two residential developments moving forward in Leesburg will add hundreds of new housing options in Lee County over the next few years, with developers saying they are targeting a market they believe has been underserved: young professionals and small families looking for newer housing they can afford.

Developers presented updates Wednesday night at the Downtown Development Authority of the city of Leesburg board meeting on Wooten Station, a 125-unit apartment and retail development planned just off Walnut Street, and 32 Crossing, a residential community expected to eventually include about 300 homes.

Both projects are being designed in part around attracting younger professionals to Lee County, though they approach that market from different directions: Wooten Station through higher-end apartment-style living and 32 Crossing through smaller, relatively lower-priced modern homes designed around community connection.

Wooten Station developer Matthew Davis said the apartment complex will include 108 two-bedroom, two-bath units and 17 one-bedroom, one-bath units. Plans also include a separate retail building, gated access, a pool, grilling area, fire pit and dog-washing station.

“There’s a need in our community for good living for young professionals,” Davis said.

The intended market became clearer — and drew some humor — when a board member asked whether developers envisioned couples with children or young professionals occupying the units.

“Young professional,” Davis responded, adding that he did not anticipate the complex attracting many families with children.

When someone jokingly asked whether children were banned, Davis quickly clarified.

“I don’t think we can ban [them]. Fair housing laws. I’m not an attorney,” he said, before returning to the more serious point behind the design. “You build, though, to fit — to attract certain residents, which is what we attempted to do here.”

The amenities reflect that strategy. Rather than water slides or other features typically associated with family-oriented apartment complexes, developers described an outdoor area built around a pool with tanning shelves, grilling stations, a fire pit and gathering spaces.

Rental rates have not yet been finalized. Davis told the group the project has been expensive to develop and said final pricing will depend in part on the market as the complex approaches leasing.

The development also incorporates Leesburg’s recently adopted architectural standards. City Manager Bob Alexander recalled telling Davis that the project would have to meet the city’s new requirements after seeing an earlier version of the plans.

“He said, ‘Well, if that’s the case, I’m going to do more than what I anticipated to do,'” Alexander said.

Davis said developers studied other apartment communities and the local market before settling on the final design.

The project still has permitting work ahead. Davis said developers have received state fire approval but had not yet received building permits at the time of Wednesday’s presentation.

Just a few miles away, another development is targeting young professionals and families who want to buy rather than rent.

Andy Wood, a real estate agent with the Virtual Realty Team representing the new 32 Crossing subdivision, presented the update. Wood told the board the development’s first homes are expected to start at about $255,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bath house with a garage. Homes will range from approximately 1,336 to 1,570 square feet, with the larger floor plan expected to start around $279,000.

“Our anticipation is that a lot of young professionals and couples will be interested,” Wood said. “Honestly, that was one of the attractions — trying to find homes that these young families or young professionals coming back to the county can afford.”

Wood said developers also expect the community could attract professionals from elsewhere in the region, including nurses from Americus, as well as older residents interested in downsizing to homes requiring less maintenance.

He said the development is entering a price range that has become increasingly difficult to find in local new construction.

“We’re actually in a unique market here, starting at the 250s,” Wood said. “We haven’t seen that a long time, really … for new construction.”

Wood contrasted the planned homes with another area development where he said new homes begin at about 1,800 square feet and range from roughly $369,000 to $399,000.

The design of 32 Crossing also takes an approach uncommon among newer subdivisions in the area. Homes will face shared green spaces and sidewalks rather than streets, with vehicle access and parking located behind or alongside the homes.

The concept prompted some skepticism during the presentation.

“I believe the whole idea is just odd to me,” Board Chairman Jim Quinn said of having the fronts of homes oriented toward pedestrian areas instead of a traditional residential street.

Common green space will be maintained through a homeowners association, and plans include pickleball courts and a playground.

The homes themselves will be built from five basic floor plans, but developers said different elevations and reversed designs will be used to create more exterior variety.

Wood said each of the five floor plans will have two exterior elevations, with plans also reversed to further vary their appearance.

The first phase is expected to include about 55 or 56 single-family homes and 10 townhomes. Developers plan to begin with 10 houses and add another two or three as homes sell. The townhomes, planned as quad-style buildings with three-bedroom, two-bath units, are expected to be priced below the single-family homes. The initial 10 homes are estimated to be completed by mid-November. 

Developers also are considering a separate 55-and-older community.

Another point Wood stressed during the presentation was that the community is intended primarily for homeowners rather than investors. Initial purchases will be required to be owner-occupied under the development’s covenants, although he acknowledged that restricting rentals after the initial sale could be more difficult.

“Our goal certainly is to keep it as an owner-occupied community,” Wood said.

Taken together, the projects represent a potentially significant addition to Leesburg’s residential inventory: 125 apartments at Wooten Station and, if fully built out, approximately 300 homes at 32 Crossing. More significantly, both are being developed around the same bet — that there is demand from people who want to live in Lee County but need more options between renting older housing and purchasing the larger, more expensive new homes that have characterized much of the county’s recent residential growth.