A lakeside vista in Greenbrook Village in Lakewood Ranch. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 5-21-2013.
Nature-oriented and family friendly, Greenbrook Village is one of Lakewood Ranch’s most attractive communities. Located five miles east of Interstate 75 on the south side of State Road 70, its nearly 1,000 homes are all built to Florida Green Building Coalition standards. At the same time, the combination of appealing prices and roomy houses acts as a magnet for people with children.
Lush nature preserves and lakes surround the residences, which face curving roads and cul de sacs. Two large parks have jogging and hiking paths, pavilions and playgrounds. The larger of the two, Adventure Park, connects via walking trails across the Braden River Preserve to Heron’s Nest Nature Park. It also has baseball and soccer fields, a hockey rink for inline skaters and a paw park with a separate area for small dogs. It’s also the venue for Lakewood Ranch’s Easter Egg Hunt.
Greenbrook was developed in 2005, with a number of sections, each offering residences in a variety of floor plans. (FOR A PHOTO GALLERY TO GO ALONG WITH THIS STORY, CLICK HERE.) Builders included Bruce Williams Homes, Homes by Towne and Lee Wetherington Homes.
This lakeview house at 13522 Glossy Ibis Place in the Haven section of Greenbrook Village is listed for sale at $ 359,000 through Gene Sherry of Keller Wlliams Realty. It has bedrooms and 4 baths in 2,616 square feet, and a pool. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 5-21-2013.
Most of the community is composed of single-family residences. Depending on the neighborhood, homes range in size from 1,500 to 4,200 square feet. There are also some villas, condos and two-story townhouses with bedrooms upstairs and a garage below.
Jim and Jamey Hirschman, Realtors with Dwell Real Estate, have sold seven homes in Greenbrook over the past two years. They moved to the community’s Rivers subdivision last November and love it there.
“You can get a good-sized house for your money,” Jim Hirschman said. “There are a lot of families here because we’re in that $200,000 to $400,000 price range, so a couple with two kids doesn’t have to spend $600,000 to get a 2,500-square-foot home with three bedrooms and a den.”
Residents include some retirees, but most of Greenbrook’s — between 60 and 70 percent, according to Hirschman — are families with stay-at-home moms or two working parents.
“You see Range Rovers, Corvettes and Escalades driving through the neighborhood, and a lot of minivans,” he says. “When I come home at 6 at night, there are a lot of parents out, pushing a stroller, with the family dog tagging along.”
This house at 6545 Field Sparrow Glen in the Fields section of Greenbrook Village is listed for sale at $ 275,000 through the Serena Group at Keller Williams Realty-Manatee. It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths in 1,990 square feet. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 5-21-2013.
It helps that lots are amenities nearby. “Convenience is a big part of family life,” Hirschman said.
A Walgreens pharmacy sits at the entrance to the neighborhood on the corner of Lorraine Road and State Road 70. The nearest grocery store is less than five minutes away on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. The hospital, movies and restaurant and shops at Town Center are a seven-minute drive. The polo grounds are just off Lorraine Road, south of University Parkway.
For the athletically minded, the YMCA and playing fields are close by. Several golf courses are in the area, and the Lakewood Ranch Athletic Center has fitness areas, aquatics, lighted tennis courts and summer programs for children.
Greenbrook has plenty of schools in the vicinity, including Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary, R. Dan Nolan Middle School and Lakewood Ranch High School.
Adventure Park at Greenbrook Village in Lakewood Ranch. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 5-22-2013.
The pavilions and playground in the parks are social hubs.
“All the moms congregate there — it’s a good place to mingle and gives you that homey, community feeling, because you’re able to meet your neighbors at a central place,” Hirschman said. “If you want a family-friendly neighborhood with a great Florida lifestyle, this is it!”
Greenbrook had its share of foreclosures and short sales when the housing bubble burst, and there are still a number of bank-owned properties and pre-foreclosures in the subdivisions.
But there are also signs of recovery.
“Two years ago, you could buy villas from $65,000 to $80,000. Now they’re all over $100,000,” Hirschman said.
Since last May, 138 homes have sold in Greenbrook, ranging in price from a bank-owned, three-bedroom house at $115,000 to a five-bedroom, four-bath home at $599,000.
Currently, 19 houses are on the market, listing from $189,999 to $659,000; five sales are pending. Seven condos and two-story townhouses — several of them short sales — are listed from $72,760 to $99,900.
