While homes are truly the core of neighborhoods and where residents spend most of their time, planned community amenities are crucial today, especially within larger master plans.
In her Q2 Master Plan Community Update webinar, Zonda principal Mollie Carmichael presented the top-selling master-planned communities leading the race so far this year and some master plan amenity trends that many of the top 10 have in common. Check out the following 11 master plan features that Carmichael continually sees rising in popularity for this year and into the future.
1. Water: “No. 1 without a doubt, and this is getting bigger every year, is water,” says Carmichael. “But why water? And here's the answer, water is actually less environmentally insensitive than grass.” According to several studies, grass evaporates more water than a lagoon or lake, and water amenities create placemaking features for residents. “The premium you bring to the whole community is phenomenal,” she adds.
2. Schools: “We really do live for our kids … and I just think you can never get those schools in fast enough,” states Carmichael. Newly established ones can attract new residents to the area and can “dramatically increase absorptions.”
3. Arts and Culture: From music to thoughtful architecture to unique programming, the top-performing master plans incorporate space for art and celebrating diversity. “When you look at the demographics, you'll see quite a bit of segmentation as we get to the younger generations, and so we're going to see a lot more diversity,” says Carmichael. “Whether it's your event planning or the parts and pieces that you're showing in parks or your educational systems, I think [culture] is super important.”
4. Transportation: Some developers are experimenting with new ways to get around, including autonomous vehicles. “If you're trying to market to active-adult buyers, or frankly all buyers, give them an opportunity to go anywhere, including restaurants or local medical. These are such great tools to provide to people to age in place or enjoy their life in place.”
5. Workspace: Whether it’s part of the club or a coffee shop, the need for community work space is growing, according to Carmichael. “When you look at work at home today, I cannot tell you how this is changing radically, and it's going to continue to change, too,” she says.
6. Outdoor Fitness: “We're seeing a lot more of the indoor clubs changing to more outdoor clubs,” says Carmichael. “I'm not saying that indoor clubs are going away, because we have some markets where indoor is just crucial. I just think people appreciate the outdoors more than ever.”
7. Multipurpose Clubs: Building on the club, Carmichael says she has seen more multipurpose clubs popping up in planning. An example includes the grab-and-go store. “Especially some of these new master plans that are being developed in areas that may not have a grocery store close by, this is a great solution for that,” she says.
8. History: Although developers create places for people in the present and future, Carmichael says to consider the area’s history and incorporate it into the new spaces. “There's so many great, little special things in the land that we are touching and creating new places with,” she says. “To preserve and respect part of its history, I think it's such a gift back to the people that we're planning for.”
9. Farms: The idea of healthy living and eating local food has been a trend within master plans. “When you have that farm and you can preserve a piece of it and bring it to the community, there's nothing better,” Carmichael says. “And then get the community involved, so kids can get engaged in the program, too.”
10. Dogs: “The fastest growing segment out there today is nonfamily households. We do have more dogs today than kids as a whole,” states Carmichael. “Nobody ever really loves to live next to dog parks, but be creative about dog space and having dog trails and the doggy bags.”
11. Pickleball: “My last trend for the day, what would a master plan webinar be without pickleball,” she concludes. “I am telling you every master plan I work on where they're going into the next phase, they're like 'we don't have enough pickleball,' so be thinking about pickleball.”
Get even more insights on master-planned communities with Zonda’s new Master Plan Outlook or join the conversation in person at the annual Future Place conference, Oct. 9 to 11, in Irving, Texas. Register here and use code FPBUILDER at checkout for $100 off.
