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Lake Nona Masterplan

Orlando, FL

May 2018
Lake Nona Masterplan
  • Effectively integrates large companies into the masterplan to create a vibrant employment center.
  • The community plan and even the businesses that are in the community reflect the strong emphasis on health, art, and technology.
  • Diverse range of product from for-rent and for-sale with a focus on walkability
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Lake Nona is one of the most well-known and desirable master-planned communities in the Orlando MSA, commanding a home price premium above most of its competition. Despite offering some of the highest-priced homes across the MSA, Lake Nona has ranked as one of the fastest-selling master-planned communities on John Burns Real Estate Consulting’s top master-planned community list for the past 6 years (as of May 2018). Lake Nona started in 1995, when Joe Lewis, the owner of Tavistock Group, purchased the struggling Lake Nona golf course and 4,000 acres of adjoining land – all located close to the Orlando International Airport. Over time, Tavistock added another 3,000 acres. The developer worked in tandem with the state and local governments and focused on appealing to medical institutions to open branches or offices within the community. Lake Nona ended up attracting the University of Central Florida medical school, Sanford Burnham Research Institute, the VA Hospital, and Nemours...
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Lake Nona’s success was not driven by its location (although it is close to the Orlando Airport) but a result of the developer enticing high-wage jobs and large companies to the community with significant incentives. The developer then used the existing employment base to create a walkable, well-designed community focused on neighborhood, health, wellness, art, and technology, almost mirroring the type of industry clusters at the masterplan. Lake Nona’s success started with the developer’s focus on attracting health services industries. Opened in 2012, Nemours Children Hospital is an integral part of the Lake Nona’s Medical City, and has helped more than 200,000 children since opening.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Opened in 2015 and panning over 1.2 million square feet, the VA Hospital at Lake Nona serves the region's 400,000 veterans. This campus is also home to the SimLEARN National Simulation Center.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
The University of Central Florida (UCF) Health Sciences Campus at Lake Nona was one of the first job generators in the community. Earlier this year, UCF announced it will be building a new teaching hospital on the campus. This expansion will continue to support the growth and strong sales of the overall community.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Expanding beyond the medical businesses is Lake Nona's Sports and Performance industries, which is anchored by the USTA National Campus, which is home to 100 tennis courts and a dormitory. The campus houses the USTA's Community Tennis and Player Development divisions as well as the University of Central Florida`s tennis teams.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Lake Nona is a true mixed-use masterplan and offers three distinct apartment communities for residents. Landon House (pictured here) is an urban-style apartment building in central Lake Nona that is walkable to the town center. Demand for apartments at the community has been strong.
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Lake Nona Masterplan

The current Lake Nona Town Center is located adjacent to Laureate Park, which is one of the for-sale neighborhoods and is now home to Tavistock Development offices, retail stores, a variety of restaurants, and two Marriott Hotels (pictured). These two hotels are among the few in the country to offer Delos™ Staywell Rooms, which offer evidence-based health and wellness features in hotels to help travelers maintain their health and well-being while on the road. This feature connects to the community`s focus on health and wellness.

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Lake Nona Masterplan
Phase 2 of the Lake Nona Town Center will offer entertainment options such as a cinema and the Lake Nona Hotel, which will further transform Lake Nona into more of a destination than just a masterplan.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
The Beacon and the Code Wall (seen here) are two structures that are central to Lake Nona and represent the developer`s vision to fuse art and science within the community.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
The structures were designed in partnership by Lake Nona artist JEFRE, New York-based Michael Counts, and 3 Legged Dog.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Lake Nona comprises various neighborhoods with a variety of architectural styles as well as home offerings. Enclave at Villagewalk is a Mediterranean-inspired community by Pulte.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Lake Nona Golf and Country Club was one of the first neighborhoods at the Lake Nona masterplan and was started before Tavistock purchased the Lake Nona Golf Course. With homes that are primarily custom estates, Lake Nona Golf and Country Club offers a private Tom Fazio-designed golf course, a large clubhouse, an extensive wine cellar, and a golf shop. Additionally, an 18-room guest lodge overlooking Lake Nona has private rooms and accommodations for members and guests. Many of the original homes in this neighborhood are now being torn down and replaced with modern architecture.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Lake Nona monumentations run throughout the community. There is not a main entrance but multiple entrances, which makes the masterplan feel more like a city than a single community. The Laureate Park neighborhood is located centrally in Lake Nona and offers a neo-traditional high-density housing environment with great access to parks, lakes, amenities, and the Lake Nona town center. While Lake Nona has various neighborhoods selling concurrently, Laureate Park has the largest mix of builders and product.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Bike rentals are available for residents, guests, and employees throughout the Lake Nona masterplan. The bikes reinforce the theme of health and wellness and community.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
LP Fit is the main fitness center for Laureate Park. The facility offers a wide range of fitness equipment and classes. It is available for use by Laureate Park residents only and included in the HOA.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Canvas Restaurant is one of the signature restaurants in Lake Nona, offering American cuisine influenced by Southern and Latin American roots.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Chef Jason Bergeron focuses on seasonal ingredients and, of course, Florida seafood.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
The modern, hip interior offers group and intimate dining, and the menu encourages sharing with small plates.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Live music is offered at Canvas on multiple days of the week, which creates a lively evening scene. During the day, the restaurant provides a place for multiple business meetings and for residents to enjoy lunch.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Centrally located in the community, Canvas has won multiple dining awards. Orlando Weekly named it one of the city`s best new restaurants in 2016, and USA Today deemed it best for al fresco dining in 2017. Canvas also has a market with home accents and gifts for sale, as well as smoothies, coffee, and treats.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Glass House by Brooklyn-based artist Tom Fruin is situated near Canvas Restaurant and Laureate Park and is representative of the unique art installations across the master-planned community. The piece utilizes reclaimed materials and celebrates overlooked landmarks by pulling cues from sustainable urban design and American folk art, all while eliciting the spiritual qualities of stained glass.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Laureate Park offers two pools...
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Lake Nona Masterplan
...a family pool and a quiet pool with private cabanas for adults.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Much of the lakefront is reserved for the community...
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Lake Nona Masterplan
...with 44 miles of walking trails and benches spread throughout the nearly 1,000-acres of lakes.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
The integration of art is spread throughout Lake Nona. This gathering spot in Laureate Park offers both a place to gather as well as artistic elements.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Shaded areas are important for a Florida community, and Lake Nona has installed many gathering spots with full shade.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Lake Nona, and especially Laureate Park, prides itself on its distinct architecture. A range of builders, including David Weekley (featured in the September and October 2016 editions of DesignLens), Ashton Woods, Taylor Morrison, Pulte Homes, Craft Homes (one of their collections is featured in this edition, May 2018), Dream Finders Homes, and Minto Communities (featured in the March 2016, April 2016, and February 2017 editions) offer unique, colorful architecture and a wide range of product to add variety the streetscenes. Minto Communities offers this low-maintenance condo product (pictured here) with patios and courtyards that line the main boulevard of Laureate Park. This collection, called Courtyard Homes, was featured in the March 2016 edition of DesignLens.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Density is common in Laureate Park, but homes are typically flanked by parks or walkways. Laureate Park offers both single story (for empty nesters and retirees) and two-story product (for families). As is common with traditional neighborhood development, these products are mingled throughout the neighborhood.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Natural landscaping is used throughout Laureate Park, with lots of common areas for residents.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Lake Nona hosts Lake Nona Nights, which are weekly and monthly events that bring food trucks, family-friendly films, and live music into the community. These events help foster a sense of community, which is part of the vision of the masterplan.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Many of the homes offer front porches that spill out into common areas, which further supports the traditional neighborhood development concept behind the planning of this neighborhood.
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Lake Nona Masterplan
Laureate Park is designed to be a walkable community with a strong connection between parks, amenities, and the town center.
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Art and Technology Come Together to Create a Community of Tomorrow

  • Effectively integrates large companies into the masterplan to create a vibrant employment center.
  • The community plan and even the businesses that are in the community reflect the strong emphasis on health, art, and technology.
  • Diverse range of product from for-rent and for-sale with a focus on walkability.
Product type
Masterplan

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
[email protected]

Location

13615 Sachs Avenue
Phone number (407) 888-6500
Region Florida
State Florida
City Orlando
Zip Code 32827

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