Area developer moves forward with plans for over 700 affordable, sustainable residential units

Developer Marshall Gobuty and his Sarasota-based company, Pearl Homes, are actively working to change something that's a hot topic in many cities and states nationwide: filling the demand for housing, affordable and otherwise. 

One big attempt at a solution is in Ellenton, north Manatee County, where he’s planning a community of 720 sustainable rental residential units on 160 acres to appeal to a variety of demographic groups, from millennials and veterans to working professionals to 55+ retirees. He also wants the community, under the brand name OurLives, to appeal to members of the workforce, such as teachers and firefighters, who have been priced out of other housing options.

‘The only way to get affordable to work is to get economies of scale.’ — Marshall Gobuty, Pearl Homes