Giant, artificial lagoons allow developers to pitch lots at premium prices. “We’re selling the idea that you are able to vacation right at home.”
By Cecilie Rohwedder
Feb. 16, 2024
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From almost every room of their home in St. Johns, Fla., Neal and Barb Shact see an expanse of turquoise blue water, with tall palm trees and a stretch of white sand off their back patio.
But the ocean is 17 miles away. The shimmering shore is a giant pool that spans 14 acres, contains 37 million gallons of water and courts home buyers.
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The neighborhood is among a growing number of master-planned communities bringing beach living to the suburbs. Houses near these lagoons cost less than those on an actual beach, and some buyers prefer them.
Neal Shact, a 69-year-old retired software engineer, bought their three-bedroom, 2,600-square-foot house in 2020 for $911,000. Now, he says the lagoon helps to entertain their grandchildren, who splash around in it or play on the sandy beach.
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In addition to their HOA fee of $1,234 per quarter, the couple bought a membership in the Beachwalk Club, which costs $5,000 to join and $305 in monthly dues. Members can swim or use kayaks, paddle boards and waterslides.
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For residents, the lagoon serves as a social hub. "When we go to the lagoon or the club, it’s impossible not to meet people,” Shact says.
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Developers are pouring money into enormous lagoon pools, most of them in Florida and Texas. On average, the lagoons are 8 feet deep, with shallower edges for swimming.
The 12-acre lagoon at Lago Mar in Texas. Lagoon Development LLC
All are raising the value of the land around them, says Lesley Deutch, managing principal at John Burns Research and Consulting in Boca Raton, Fla., by making an inland area feel like a resort.
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In 2021, Dawn Curran-Tubb and Brian Wildman bought a four-bedroom, 3,500-square-foot house for $1 million at Epperson, a lagoon community in Wesley Chapel, Fla.
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The pair, who relocated from Huntington Beach, Calif., looked at beaches across Florida but didn’t find the right home at their budget. “A lot of the houses on the beach were old or totally out of my price range,” Curran-Tubb said.
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One drawback of lagoon living, according to the couple, is that it isn’t the real thing. From time to time, the pair makes the 40-minute drive to a real beach.
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Another challenge is day guests. On summer weekends, Wildman says the couple prefers to stay home with their dogs. “It can get extremely crowded,” he says.
The water-based amenities at Epperson include an inflatable, 30-foot water slide and other water toys. Tyler Johnston/Cole Media Productions
Visitors bring in extra revenues for lagoons, which are expensive to build, says Karl Pischke, principal at RCLCO, a real-estate consulting firm in Bethesda, Md. In addition, he says, visitors are potential home buyers.
A splash playground in the amenity village at Lago Mar.Lagoon Development LLC
Lagoons allow developers to sell lots to home builders at premium prices, says Uri Man, chief executive officer of the Lagoon Development Company. Home builders, in turn, can charge more for the houses, he says.
“We’re selling the idea that you are able to vacation right at home,” he says.
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Houses near lagoons sell faster than those in new neighborhoods without one, according to Man. While all communities differ, complicating direct comparisons, he says the company’s neighborhoods usually sell around 200-300 homes per year, while those with lagoons can sell 400, 500 or even 700 homes.
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In 2014, developer Tellus Group opened Windsong Ranch, a community in Prosper, Texas. A 5-acre lagoon was added in 2019. The lagoon, Martin estimates, is adding between 10% and 20% to both home prices and sales pace. Lagoon use is included in the HOA fees, which are in line with the market, he says.
Tellus Group
Joe and Melody Wanzala bought a four-bedroom, 3,400-square-foot house at Windsong Ranch for $910,000 in September 2022 and relocated from the Oakland, Calif., area.
The Chrissy Weathersby Ball Group
The lagoon, Wanzala says, is an added benefit for sons Raila, 8, and Akena, 12, and helps with homesickness. “In California, you’re living near the ocean. It’s so much a part of you,” he says. “The idea of a lagoon with a beach, a mini-Caribbean, seemed to offset that a little bit.”
Photo editor: Marcy Ayres
Produced by Shay D. Cohen
