Pulte acquires final phases of large residential subdivision bordering Lake Pickett

Pulte Homes just purchased the next few phases of its Sunset Preserve residential subdivision it has been developing along the eastern shore of Lake Pickett in northeast Orange County.

According to a recently recorded deed, the homebuilder paid about $8.13 million for roughly 130 acres of land that nearly reach Fort Christmas Road and the Seminole County line.

In total, Pulte has rounded up about 292.8 acres of land that border Lake Pickett Road. It sits just east of Chuluota Road between TV Tower Road and the Pulte-developed Lake Pickett Reserve residential community.

Max Perlman, Pulte’s vice president of land acquisition, said the company spent somewhere around $17 million for the total property.

Prices range from $400,000 to over $1 million for homes between 2,000 square feet and 5,000 square feet.

Construction has begun on the first few of phases of the single-family home subdivision. The Sunset Preserve residential subdivision can hold a maximum of 253 single-family home lots, as recommended by Orange County staff.

Perlman said Pulte hasn’t yet finalized the site plan for the 130 acres it recently acquired. Poulos & Bennett is the civil engineer.

In February, the developer won a rezoning provision asking to amend the Lake Pickett Cluster Plan to allow for interior lots, or non-lakefront lots, of the subdivision to be developed on one-third of an acre. Lakefront homes will sit on a minimum of one acre.

The gated community will also feature several half-acre lots, while all lot sizes will maintain at least 100 feet in width. The developer is also seeking to add wildlife corridor along north and east property line.

Preliminary subdivision plans for the portfolio of properties were approved in 2017 for the Lake Pickett Cluster Plan. Construction in underway on the southern end.

The new development will outsize Lake Pickett Reserve, which began with 52 lots in 2015 and later expanded with 160 acres to the west via the residential community Estates at Lake Pickett Reserve, a 116-unit subdivision with a lakefront recreation center.

The area, known for its rural character, is growing quickly into a residential neighborhood with large homes with farm-like characteristics.

Nearby, developer Columnar Investments is trying to develop a large residential community on former ranch lands east of the Econlockhatchee River. The neighborhood, called Sustany, was proposed to feature nearly 2,000 new homes.

To the south, developer Dwight Saathoff, president of Project Finance & Development LLC, is master-planning a $1 billion mixed-use community on 1,200 acres north of Colonial Drive and east of Tanner Road, called The Grow. Plans call for a revenue-generating farm, community gardens, farm-to-table restaurants and 12 miles of trails.

In Osceola County, Pulte is helping develop a 502-home subdivision on Poinciana Boulevard in Kissimmee.

The builder also has plans to build a 286-unit townhome community on a 40-acre site just off Kissimmee’s W192 tourism corridor.

Pulte has several resort communities in Osceola County’s Westside Boulevard area, and it’s building residential communities in St. Cloud and on Boggy Creek Road. The company’s active adult division is developing a Del Webb branded community in Sunbridge.

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