Crescent B Commons shopping center at Babcock Ranch nearly fully occupied

Crescent B Commons, the new 83,487-square-foot shopping center at Babcock Ranch, is now 98 percent leased, announced Kitson & Partners which is developing America’s first solar-powered hometown.

Since the September 2021 opening of Publix Super Market, the center’s first tenant, it has been joined by resident-owned restaurants Pi Local Pizza and M’xuma Tacos Mexican Grill as well as Publix Liquors, Clover Nails & Spa and The Postal Place Pack & Ship. More businesses are expected to open in the coming months.

“Bringing businesses to residents of Babcock Ranch and the surrounding region is an important part of our vision as a sustainable and growing community,” said Syd Kitson, chairman and CEO of Kitson & Partners. “It significantly reduces long commutes for grocery shopping and services residents need.”

Recently recognized with a Silver Certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition and located at the main entrance to Babcock Ranch at 14500 State Road 31, Crescent B Commons offers a mix of retailers, restaurants, healthcare providers, beauty salons and professional services.

Stellar Vision and the Vet at Babcock with a surgery center are expected to open this month. Royal Paw Grooming & Boarding and a dental office will open by June. Additional tenants include U-Yee Sushi, Burger Fi, a hair salon and a residential real estate office. Kitson & Partners is also finalizing leases for a national coffee shop and a pet supply company for two freestanding buildings.

“Businesses want to be in Crescent B Commons and Babcock Ranch,” said Matt Buehler, senior vice president of retail for Kitson & Partners. “Those which have already opened are busier than anticipated.”

With Chicago brick-accented facades and architecture reflecting Babcock Ranch’s distinctive style, the shopping center offers outdoor areas for dining, large oak trees, a children’s play area, shaded gathering spots and benches.

“Babcock Ranch was founded on the principles of green building, improved energy efficiency and conserving natural resources,” said Kitson. “Everything we do is built on the premise that smart growth and sustainability is best for the land and improves the quality of life for our residents, business owners and their employees. Certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition validates this philosophy and provides impartial verification that we’re fulfilling our commitment.”

Babcock Ranch has previously earned the coalition’s top certification level as a Platinum Florida Green community in 2018 as well as Gold and Silver Certification in 2020 for commercial buildings in Founder’s Square, its lakefront downtown.

Encompassing 18,000 acres, half of the town’s footprint is set aside as greenways, parks and expansive lakes, providing recreation and scenic backdrops for Babcock Ranch’s homes, Founder’s Square and Crescent B Commons. The town is planned for 19,500 residences and 6,000,000 square feet of commercial space.

Construction activity continues to accelerate to meet demand with new homes, neighborhoods, amenities and facilities introducing the next phase of the town’s development. Babcock High School and the neighboring Field House are under construction with plans to open for the 2022-23 school year.

Recognized as the country’s 14th top-selling master-planned community in 2021 by RCLCO Real Estate Advisors and named Master Planned Community of the Year by the Lee Building Industry Association for a second consecutive year in 2021, Babcock Ranch offers homes from seven homebuilders in seven neighborhoods, with additional builders and new neighborhoods coming soon.

Homebuilders offer over 50 home designs ranging from 1,120 to more than 4,000 square feet. Homes appeal to young millennials, families, empty nesters and retirees, with prices ranging from the $200,000s to over $1.5 million. Built to FGBC standards, homes emphasize energy and water conservation and have a full gig of fiber-optic connectivity.

Within Babcock Ranch’s welcoming neighborhoods, more than two dozen model and quick-delivery homes are now open or under construction by AR Homes by Arthur Rutenberg, Divco Custom Homes, Florida Lifestyle Homes, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pulte Homes and WCI.

For more information about Southwest Florida’s new hometown, located just northeast of Fort Myers off Babcock Ranch Road/State Road 31, visit the Woodlea Hall Discovery Center at 42850 Crescent Loop in Babcock Ranch, call 877-709-6620, or visit www.BabcockRanch.com.