Nocatee home building on record pace

Families flock to neighborhood for good schools, safe streets

NOCATEE, Fla. – U.S. home prices rose 11.9 percent in June from one year earlier, reflecting stronger demand amid a tight supply of homes for sale and motivating more home construction.

Nowhere is this trend more true than in the Nocatee community in northeast Florida's fastest-growing community, which captured 11 percent of all new production in the Jacksonville market.

More than 1,300 families now call Nocatee home, and construction in the northeast St. Johns County community is on track to dwarf the "landmark" growth it saw in 2012.

"We love it," resident Anne Crane said. "The community is awesome; the amenities are awesome. Just the whole neighborhood is like one big family."

Homes in Nocatee's communities range from the high $100,000s to the $800,000s. In 2012, there were 508 homes built in the area, and growth this year puts it on pace for 800 more homes.

One neighborhood within Nocatee -- Greenleaf Village -- opened its first phase last year. It will open its fifth and final phase in October for a total of 525 homes.

Janine Resilard moved her family to Greenleaf Village from Brooklyn, N.Y., for a better quality of life.

"The community is very friendly -- family friendly -- and very community oriented. Everyone here pretty much cares about each other, and my daughter finds friends easily," Resilard said. "Have your kids just go outside like we used to when I was a kid and be able to play and not have to worry about too much crime or terrible things happening."

Anne Crane moved her family to Nocatee from West Palm Beach.

"St. Johns County obviously has the best school system, and we didn't realize there was being a school built when we moved in," Crane said. "We just knew the schools were great here, and having the school right down the street is awesome."

In addition to single-family homes, there are also plans for a 300-unit apartment community.