Farm to Table Living: Light Farms in Celina May be North Texas' Equivalent to Serenbe, Georgia

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Light Farms sunsetLast Thursday I zipped up to Light Farms in Celina after touring the Sorrento at Preston Center. Why am I boring you my nightly schedule? I hit two events in one night, and Light Farms in CELINA was a good thirty-five minute drive north. That is significant. This new Republic Properties Group development is so conveniently located for being in the boonies — it is way up there, but RIGHT OFF the Dallas North Tollway. In fact, when the Tollway is complete, the development will have it’s own Light Farms exit as the main drag in. So you have a pretty direct route to just about anywhere. Light traffic on the tollway means a fast and easy commute to Light Farms.

It’s also the newest RPG development everyone is talking about.

Light Farms (1)Light Farms is not your typical North Texas housing development. 908 acres smack in Celina/Prosper neighboring up to many other family home developments, 2700 homes, 8700 residents. But at Light Farms, you can tell that things up there are different — some old charming stuff, like the wifi/coffeehouse community center built with repurposed barn timbers from the 1830’s in upstate New York’s Mohawk River Valley, timbers with more strength because they were created before climate change.

Light Farms will offer 132 acres of manicured green space, a $13 million greenbelt, multiple playgrounds, parks, gardens, picnic areas, a community lawn, four pools (one has a beach-like walk in), tennis courts and exercise clubs.

Light Farms Eden Hill(3)

Local wineries!

As far as schools, they are why most people move north. Families can plop kiddos in the highly rated Prosper ISD.  Light Farms is designed with kids in mind, rumbling everywhere, walking/biking/running to award- winning schools. Republic donated 11 acres within the community for a new Propser ISD elementary school, and more will be on the way like expectant mothers.

Homes start at $240,000 on up to $400,000 from quality builders such as Darling, American Legend, Highland, Drees, Lionsgate and Shaddock. Phase one will see the finish out of 267 homes.

OK, so the Serenbe connection? A few weeks ago at the National Association of Real Estate Editor’s annual conference, we were whisked off to Serenbe, an amazing sustainable community just southeast of Atlanta that is unlike any other U.S. development. (There is Prairie Crossing in my native Illinois.) The 1000 acre community lies in the heart of 40,000 acres in a protected plan that calls for 70% green space. Serenbe is a very new approach to community development — and so is Light Farm. At Serenbe, though, all homes are EarthCraft certified, buildings are heated with geothermal, boutiques are scattered closer to homes for increased walkability, trash cans go underground where you sort trash and compost out of sight, even mail boxes have to be tucked away. There are front porches, no lawns, 10 miles of paths and trails and everything is connected. You will be hearing more from me about this amazing community.

You may have to get to Serenbe by car, but once you get there, the foot rules. Oh and the farm to table? When you buy a home at Serenbe, you also get ownership of a patch of farmland where you raise your own vegetables so you can pick up what you need for tonight’s dinner right at the local farmer’s market. Community gardening and a farmers market is a concept Tony Ruggeri told me he and Jake Wagner, both RPG executive vice presidents, are contemplating at Light Farms.Tony-and-Jake

 

Candy Evans, founder and publisher of CandysDirt.com, is one of the nation’s leading real estate reporters.

4 Comments

  1. […] was a year ago and I got a call from Candy Evans, THE only Dallas Real Estate Blogger, and she asked me about Light Farms in […]

  2. […] was a year ago and I got a call from Candy Evans, THE only Dallas Real Estate Blogger, and she asked me about Light Farms in […]

  3. […] Republic Property Group started dreaming up Light Farms, a master-planned community in Celina, we at CandysDirt.com have been intrigued. The location, the amenities, and the builders all drew our attention and we’re happy to hear […]

  4. […] Republic Property Group started dreaming up Light Farms, a master-planned community in Celina, we at CandysDirt.com have been intrigued. The location, the amenities, and the builders all drew our attention and we’re happy to hear […]

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