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Babcock Ranch Town Center

Babcock Ranch, FL

August 2018
Babcock Ranch Town Center
  • The developer planned a town, not just a masterplan. Integrating amenities like this town center early helps visitors to see the vision from the start.
  • The nearby lake is utilized for views, as well as fishing, boating, and even stand-up paddleboarding.
  • Features like the grocery store, restaurant, and school help this town center support its residents.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Developers are always told to create a sense of place before sales start. The master-planned community of Babcock Ranch developed by Kitson & Partners did just that. They spent time up front crafting their vision and translating it before the first person bought their home. The town center is a key piece of this vision, so that is why DesignLens elected to feature the town center this month instead of including a historic feature to highlight what great placemaking can do.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Babcock Ranch is more than just a masterplan; it is a town. Located just 15 miles northeast of Fort Myers, Florida, the community is 17,000 acres and will include 18,000 people at build out.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The town vision is based on eight core initiatives: environment, health, education, energy, technology, transportation, storm safety, and fun. To learn more about the community and its vision and core initiatives, click <a href="https://www.babcockranch.com/about-us/vision/">here</a>.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The vibrant town center, called Founder`s Square, is located about a mile into the community along the shore of Lake Babcock. It is the start of a downtown district that will stretch south as the town grows.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Open to the public, the town center became an amenity for the wider region, which is exactly what the developer wanted. People from the surrounding communities drive in for events, dinner, or school for their kids.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
With the first buildings completed in February 2017, the Founder`s Square now includes a lot of great aspects that will be explored in this feature, from shops to events to the connection to the lake.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The 300-acre lake is not only beautiful but also allows for multiple water-related activities.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Visitors and residents alike can take an electric boat tour or rent a kayak to explore the lake. The tours are free and happen daily.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The Discovery Center at Woodlea Hall is the town`s information center and takes up the bottom floor of the building. This strategic integration into the town center makes Woodlea Hall part of the day to day life of the town. The 4,667-square-foot discovery center takes up the bottom floor of the building and was designed by Hayes Elkins Design in collaboration with International Design Source.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The center design pays homage to the town`s past, present, and future. The center includes a gathering area with living wall, town ambassadors, a bar with stool where visitors can get a cup of coffee, a meeting space, and more
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Curry Creek Outfitters is located in the same building as Woodlea Hall. The store supports the active, outdoor lifestyle of Babcock Ranch and sells everything from fishing gear to clothes to sunscreen.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The store also rents kayaks, canoes, and bikes to explore the community.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Founder`s Square is one of the key event locations in the town. Events include live music at the band shell, festivals, and even a farmer`s market.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Another unique feature of Babcock Ranch is that it is America`s first solar-powered town. Sustainability is built into the community with the largest solar-plus storage system operating in the U.S. today due to a partnership with Florida Power &amp; Light (FPL). The Ranch has a solar energy center with FPL that has 343,000 solar energy panels that provides 74.5 megawatts of solar capacity.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Beyond a solar field and battery storage, Babcock Ranch also includes solar on individual homes and innovative solar trees (like the one seen here). These act as focal points for education, charging stations for small devices, and are artistically designed, so they beautify where they are placed.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The center of the square includes seating and is activated with an interactive splash pad for those hot Florida days.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Plenty of seating is provided in the shade of palm trees on the square.
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Florida Babcock Ranch town center Babcock Ranch Town Center Developed by Kitson &#38; Partners Babcock Ranch, Florida
Babcock Ranch Town Center
From the cafe table,s parents can watch their kids at the nearby splash pad or visitors can enjoy a meal or a good book.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
A simple band shell, which integrates the town`s logo, supports many of the events held at Founder`s Square.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Besides concerts and festivals, the green and band shell are also host to yoga and other fitness classes.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Lee Health`s wellness facility is the newest addition to Founder`s Square. Membership and services are open to both residents of Babcock Ranch and the surrounding area.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The center offers a wide range of services and programs, such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, massages, health education, and rehabilitation. Starting in fall 2018, the center will even include medical care for check-ups and screenings.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Founder`s Square even includes a school, which opened in August 2017. Babcock Neighborhood School includes grades K through 6 and is fully subscribed with large wait list. People are driving from Fort Myers to go there because of the high ratings and the STEAM-based program.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center

The town center even has it`s own market and cafe, Slater's Goods & Provisions. The retail center supports many of the town's needs from groceries and fitness to education and entertainment.

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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The Hatchery, which located over Slater's, is an office and co-working space. The balcony provides a connection to the outdoors for people working at the Hatchery.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
From the outside Slater`s has a small town feel with rocking chairs and a covered porch.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The inside, however, has a much more modern and fresh look.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
Beyond the basic groceries, the retailer offers a farm-fresh menu, self-serve salad bar, and wine and liquor.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The grocery store even includes a seating area.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center

Founder's Square also includes its very own farm-to-table restaurant, Table & Tap. This successful farm-to-table restaurant serves locally sourced ingredients.

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Babcock Ranch Town Center
A spacious patio allows diners to enjoy the outdoors with views to the square and out to the lake.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
A boardwalk runs along the southern edge of Lake Babcock, which provides a connection to the lake for the town center and many of the events extend along this space.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The boardwalk provides access to the boats for rent as well as a fishing pier.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
The lake is one of the community's great natural amenities. Residents can rent a kayak or canoe from Curry Creek Outfitters, go fishing from the dock, or even do stand-up paddleboarding.
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Babcock Ranch Town Center
While Babcock Ranch is still in its infancy, it is off to a great start with its town center.
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This Vibrant Town Center Became an Amenity for the Wider Region

  • The developer planned a town, not just a masterplan. Integrating amenities like this town center early helps visitors to see the vision from the start.
  • The nearby lake is utilized for views, as well as fishing, boating, and even stand-up paddle boarding.
  • Features like the grocery store, restaurant, and school help this town center support its residents.
Product type
Masterplan Special Feature

Consultants

Builders

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Architects

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Interior designers

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Landscape Architects

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Developers

JBREC Consultant

Lesley Deutch
Managing Principal
Boca Raton, FL
ldeutch@jbrec.com

Location

Phone number
Region Florida
State Florida
City Babcock Ranch
Zip Code