A Solar-Powered Town
Babcock Ranch is a Totally Solar-Powered Town
This town is Babcock Ranch, and it is the first Solar-Powered town in the United States. Babcock Ranch is sustainable and located just North of Fort Myers, Florida. The town was built with the intent to be America’s first solar-powered town. Richard and Robin Kinley are the first residents of Babcock Ranch.
After his first visit to the model home in Babcock Ranch, Robin Kinley told ABC News, “It reminded me of the very first time I saw my future wife many years ago… I fell head over heels”.
The Homes
The starting price for homes is around $185,999, but the price can go as high as $750,000. Homeowners pay $140/month with just less than 1 gigabit of the Internet. The Internet is equipped with every home, and then the rest of the cost is for things such as neighborhood maintenance and amenities. The electric and water bills will depend on the usage, just as all other electricity rates do. Every house is equipped with a fiber-optic cable that runs underground. This cable gives residents a high-speed connection to keep up with the tech advancements of the future.
Eventually, the CEO hopes to install a solar battery system intended for inclement weather. The battery power would then make up the difference in energy.
The Community
This community is not just for empty nesters, it is meant to be a multi-generational community. There is a K-6 Charter School built in Babcock Ranch that has students already enrolled, despite people living there yet. The school opened up last August of 2017.
There is a town center that contains a clothing store, coffee shop, restaurant, co-working space, and an ice cream parlor. A health and wellness center is also in the works for Babcock Ranch.
There are about 80 homes that have already been sold in Babcock Ranch, but only 45 have been built thus far. The area can hold around 19,500 homes with a million square feet of retail space. Kitson & Partners estimate that 200-300 homes will be contracted within 2018.
