As the region grows, new communities are sprouting in suburban areas,
giving residents more places to live and relax in St. Johns and Nassau counties.
community in the country.
RCLCO reported sales of 973
homes in 2016 in Nocatee after 1,105
homes were sold in 2015, when it was
also ranked as the third best-selling
community.
Melissa Glasgow, director of
economic development for St. Johns
County, says Nocatee attracts new
residents with distinctive neighborhoods
within the community.
“Their popularity
remains high as they continue
to add new housing
options at varying price
points to further diversify
their community offerings,”
she says.
The growth of Nocatee
is spurring more development
nearby in northern
St. Johns, Glasgow says.
The Pavilion at Durbin Park
JACKSONVILLE AND NORTHEAST FLORIDA SPONSORED SECTION 5
Nocatee and Beyond
W hen the First Coast Expressway
is extended to St. Johns County,
it will bring you close to Nocatee, the
sprawling 13,323-acre development
mainly in northern St. Johns County
that extends partially into southern
Duval County.
Nocatee has already transformed
the region, certified by real estate
advisory firm RCLCO as the thirdfastest
selling master planned
Wildlight
When you cross the state line into Northeast Florida,
one of the first things you’ll find is the new Wildlight
development in Nassau County.
Wildlight, part of the 38-square-mile East Nassau
Community Planning Area, is being developed
by Rayonier, which already moved its corporate
headquarters into a 55,000-square-foot office building.
Besides that building, a 600-student Wildlight
Elementary School opened in 2017.
Rayonier is a forest products company with thousands
of acres of timberland in the region. A decade ago, the
company saw an opportunity for commercial development
on properties it owns along the I-95 corridor.
For example, Twin Creeks/Beachwalk
is a 1,000-acre project that will include
3,000 residences plus 2 million square
feet of retail and commercial space. A
14-acre Crystal Lagoon amenity features
a private beach club and sparkling blue
water for swimming, sailing and other
activities.
Also under development in northern
St. Johns County is Durbin Park, a 1,600-
acre project that will open with 700,000
square feet of retail space.
Nocatee neighborhood
When it started the Wildlight project in 2016,
Rayonier decided it was an ideal location to consolidate
its three Northeast Florida offices.
Wildlight will eventually have 3,200 rooftops and
6.8 million square feet of non-residential space.
“What’s happening here is a new city is coming
out of the ground in Nassau County,” says Laura
DiBella, executive director of the Nassau County
Economic Development Board.
Wildlight Elementary School
Wildlight Village
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