A golf course is no longer the showpiece of a master-planned community. Instead, buyers are showing a greater preference to live near extensive trail networks and shared gardens. Developers are responding with new developments that are pushing out golf courses in favor of other outdoor areas that foster a sense of community.
“What we’re seeing is this trend toward helping people interact with each other and helping them interact in natural environments,” says Ken Perlman, a principal at John Burns Real Estate Consulting in San Diego. “There is a real desire to be outside, to have their space, and to get their breath of fresh air.”
In response, developers are adding in more walking trails in a community. But the trails can’t just be in a straight line, they say.
“When you talk about trails, they should be meandering,” says Dean Naef, president of Rise Communities, based in Katy, Texas. “No one wants to be on a linear trail where they can see what’s coming. We want curvilinear where the landscape changes. We like to create monuments along the way, respites to work out on, or take a rest to enjoy art.”
The New Home Company’s upcoming Russell Ranch community in Folsom, Calif., is adding mountain biking and hiking trails that rise and fall with the topography. A community known as Daybreak, outside of Salt Lake City, will use its mountain backdrop to have a looping walking trail and a separate bicycle lane for riders. The community also features public gardens, kayaking, and 30 miles of trails.
Jessica Lautz, managing director of survey research at the National Association of REALTORS®, says that millennials are a big driver behind the trend of more nature incorporated into developments. More millennials rate living near parks and recreation facilities more important than do older generations.
Source: “A New Kind of Green: Developers Trade Golf Courses for Hiking Trails, Gardens to Draw Buyers,” Construction Dive (April 18, 2017)
