If you’re ready to build your next home, you’ve probably started thinking about where you’d like to build it. You may have heard of “master planned” neighborhoods, but what does that actually mean?
Developers with a master plan put together a neighborhood based on more than just how many houses they can pack into each acre or square mile of land. In addition to residential space, they might include retail stores, medical and business offices, workout facilities, parks, walking/running trails and playgrounds.
They might also work with the surrounding town or municipality to make the neighborhood fit into the area, possibly helping to fund improvements to public infrastructures such as roads, public transportation and schools. Some such neighborhoods include only upscale homes, while others might offer a mixture of starter homes, condos or townhomes and high-end houses.
A master planned community generally will start with a large parcel of land, so there’s more space to provide numerous amenities. Here are five reasons to consider a housing development with a master plan.
Get More Exercise
Depending on where you live, housing subdivisions could offer swimming pools during the summer or even tennis courts and gyms. However, a master plan development might provide miles of walking trails and might even connect to city or county greenways.
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Master planned neighborhoods such as houses for sale in Illawarra plan for miles of walking and bike trails plus parks and playgrounds. If you have children or plan to have them, you’ll love living within walking distance of places for your kids to run, jump and play.
Easy Access to Stores and Restaurants
If you like picking up fresh ingredients for dinner as often as possible, you’ll find it very convenient to live within walking distance of grocery stores and other shops.
Suddenly need to send treats to school tomorrow? No problem! Just walk to the nearby bakery.
Don’t feel like cooking? You might have nearby restaurants or delis to choose from.
Small Town Village Living
Master planned communities often cover so much space that they feel like small towns. You can get to know the neighbors by holding block parties and cookouts.
Help each other out by organizing child care or petsitting coops. Have contests to see who can put up the best Halloween decorations.
Dog Friendly
Families with dogs might look for a master planned development with long walking trails complete with trash cans for disposing of doggie waste. Some such developments offer nature trails with plenty of trees and shrubs for leashed dogs to explore. You might even find a neighborhood with an off-leash dog park, or one that connects to a city greenway leading to a dog park.
This post was underwritten by Calderwood Valley; please read my disclosure here.
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