Large nature preserves are becoming the focus and focal point of a growing number of high-end home communities, The Wall Street Journal reports.
One example is the Sea Summit at Marblehead, developed by Taylor Morrison Homes in San Clemente, Calif. The development features Spanish-style, seaside homes that sell for up to $3 million.
“Nature preserves are also replacing the amenity that used to serve as the hub for many luxury developments: the sprawling golf course,” the article says. Golf courses’ became popular in the 1990s because, as senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute Ed McMahon explains, “developers could charge 10% to 25% more over a non-golf development.”
“But with golf losing popularity, that trend has reversed: As of January, there were 15,372 golf courses in the U.S., down over 4 percent from 2005, according to the National Golf Foundation,” The Wall Street Journal reports.
