On S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, a couple of miles east of the Shops at Wiregrass, behind a stunning entrance with an eye-catching waterfall feature, a brand new community called The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch is taking shape.
Families who want to enjoy the best possible Florida lifestyle in luxurious, custom homes began moving into the community earlier this year. Of the more than 180 homes that have been sold in the community so far, 50 have been completed. The Ridge is expected to eventually include 562 homes.
Homes in The Ridge are priced starting from $295,000 to $615,000, with sizes from just under 2,000 sq. ft. to more than 5,000 sq. ft. Most homes back up to ponds or conservation areas, and the few homes that back up to another home feature deeper lots and green space in between.
The Ridge is being developed, built and sold by Sunrise, FL-based GL Homes. GL Homes is a privately owned company that has been in business for more than 40 years. It started in Palm Beach and Broward counties and has grown to include communities throughout Florida.
The company is different from many community developers, because it also is the builder. “We purchase the land, work with engineers to create a site plan, go through the approval process, develop each home site and build each home,” says Marisa Lufkin, project manager for The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch.
Although Marisa just recently began working at The Ridge, she says she has been with GL Homes for 17 years, most recently at Valencia Lakes (the only other GL Homes community in the Tampa Bay area), which is for adults ages 55 and older and located in the Sun City Center area of southern Hillsborough County.
She explains that being both the developer and the builder has its advantages. “We control the standard of the overall aesthetics,” Marisa says. “We start with the entrance and follow through with the elevations of the homes. We tie it all together, from the guardhouse to the landscaping, to the exterior of the clubhouse and the homes themselves.”
The elevations of the homes in The Ridge all include concrete roof tile, stacked stone exterior details, a covered patio, and brick pavers on driveways, walkways, entries, and covered patios.
“These are standard features in all of our homes,” explains Marisa. She adds that the high-end standard features continue inside, as well, where you won’t need to upgrade to get stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, 42” upper cabinets in the kitchen or luxury bathroom finishes.
“In this community, you really can have it all,” Marisa says.
Clubhouse & Pools
As homes are being constructed throughout the community, so is The Ridge’s amenity center. The 12,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse currently is under construction and GL Homes plans to open it in February. The clubhouse will include a fitness center with 24-hour resident access, aerobics room, indoor sports court, game room, kids room and even an arcade.
Outdoors, a resort-style pool is accompanied by a lap pool, kids water play area and a water slide. There also are four tennis courts, a shaded tot lot, a full-size, full-court basketball court, open play field and party pavilion.
“There’s nothing else like it in a community this size,” says Marisa. “We’re different for the market, and that’s what attracts buyers to this community.”
When the clubhouse is complete, a social director will be hired to build programs based on what the residents want, and schedule those programs based on when they want them.
“That’s the beauty of a brand new community,” she says. “We can mold it into an outstanding (facility), and the residents will dictate what those programs will be.”
“I can’t wait for the clubhouse to open,” says Steven Nguyen, a resident at The Ridge. “No doubt my two kids will use the pools.”
Steven says he moved from New York, “to get away from the cold weather.” The family moved into the new home in May.
“We bought a four-bedroom home,” he says, “where I live with my wife, my children and my parents. My brother lives next door.” He adds that the entire family chose to move into The Ridge because, “This community is definitely one of the best in all of the Tampa Bay area.”
He adds, “Here, everything is convenient. Shopping is just minutes away, and everything is close.”
Steven has that in common with many other residents of The Ridge, who also say they were attracted to it because of the location. In growing Wesley Chapel, with close proximity to The Shops at Wiregrass, Tampa Premium Outlets, and I-75, the community is where families want to be.
Steven also researched local schools and liked where students in The Ridge were zoned to attend. The community’s rear entrance, which is not yet open (and will be gated for residents only), backs up to Dr. John Long Middle School. Students also are zoned to attend nearby Wiregrass Elementary and Wiregrass Ranch High.
Marisa says Steven and his brother aren’t the only families who have purchased two homes next door to each other; other families have their parents next door. She adds that a wide variety of people are coming to live at The Ridge, “from newlyweds to families with children to empty nesters.”
She says many of the buyers are local. “Our community gives people who have outgrown their New Tampa homes an opportunity to build a bigger home in the area,” she says, adding that other local buyers are looking to downsize once they become empty nesters. “Other families just want to live in a brand new home with all the finishing touches and these amazing community amenities.”
In addition, she says, “GL Homes offers the whole package. From the multi-million-dollar entry that makes you feel like you’re coming into an upscale community, to our many floor plans and hundreds of options for customization, along with the great lifestyle.”
The sales center at The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch is open every day, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information about The Ridge, see the ad on the inside back cover (pg. 55) of this issue, visit GLHomes.com or call (855) 671-1700.
New Tampa families looking for a private, Christian education for children in grades pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) through high school will soon have another option — thanks to the Florida Conference of Seventh-Day Adventists.
The campus will occupy about 43 acres of land. In the fall of 2018, it is expected to be open to students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, although Barron says the school would enroll a ninth grade class if there is enough demand for it. Higher grades will be added in subsequent years.
nt one of the most advanced schools anywhere. “It’s kind of like a dream school,” he says.
