SEBRING — Equestrian enthusiasts and people who enjoy peace and quiet will enjoy a new development in rural Highlands County.
The 1,200-acre development, near the western edge of the county between Sebring and Lake Placid, will offer 10-acre to 18-acre parcels for homes and horse farms, and will ultimately have 96 homesteads. Because of the large lot size and their agricultural zoning, many of the homesteads will be eligible for significant breaks in property taxes.
The equestrian mecca will provide miles of trails, a 20-acre equestrian community center with a covered arena, a dressage arena, a hunter/jumper field, a community barn and acres of pastures and fields. The 24 lakes on the development will offer a vast range of outdoor activities for boaters and fishermen, and many of the lots will feature lakes.
The developers are making extra provisions to be environmentally friendly and decided to apply through the Florida Green Building Coalition to become an official green development.
"We are working with equestrian specialists to make sure everything is environmentally friendly," said Janie Coffey, who is marketing the development. "A lot of considerations go into it, but when we are finished we will be the only equestrian community in Florida, and maybe even in the country, to go this far to be green."
Terry Drum, senior vice president of operations of CoBree Homes, said the homes feature solar panels, recycled materials for insulation and flooring, metal roofs and energy-efficient appliances.
About six miles of roads wind through the property, in some places weaving around grandfather oak trees.
"The property is so naturally beautiful that I wanted to leave as many trees in place as possible," said land developer Tommy Kertesz. "Sometimes we even transplanted trees to new locations instead of cutting them down. We wanted to make as little impact to the land as possible."
Some of the lots even take advantage of the woodlands, backing up to forests of trees; other lots are in pasture areas, natural preserves or with palm tree vegetation.
Trails will border not only the roads but also the perimeter of the development and possibly between properties throughout the development.
"We want people to have a lot of options for trail riding," said Shelly Montalvo, a real-estate broker for the development. She also added that the facility is discipline-neutral, offering riding opportunities for English and Western styles.
She said about half the residents will likely keep horses on their property, and the community barn will offer an option for residents to board their horses there.
Residents will be able to custom build houses in the Florida-cracker bungalow style that incorporates elements to make them compliant with green standards. Montalvo said, in these types of developments, residents usually spend just as much time designing their barns as their houses.
The model homes should be complete by March, and construction on the rest of the development will start immediately.
