Master-planned community nominated for global sustainability award

Babcock Ranch, billed as America’s first solar-powered town, is getting some national attention — both for sales and sustainability.

On sales, Babcock Ranch, located northeast of Fort Myers on Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, ranked No. 34 in 2020 home sales among master-planned communities nationwide. Developed by Palm Beach Gardens-based Kitson & Partners, Babcock Ranch posted 540 residential sales in 2020, according to RCLCO Real Estate Advisors and John Burns Real Estate Consulting. That represented a 121% boost from the prior year and one of the largest percentage jumps in the Top 50.

Babcock Ranch began marketing new homes in 2017, with the first residents moving into the town in January 2018. The master plan includes 19,500 homes and six million square feet of commercial and community uses to accommodate an estimated population of 50,000.