As an increasing number of families choose renting over buying a home, their preferences and lifestyle is changing, and FL Star has incorporated those features into the design of Hammock Park apartments.
“Nationwide approximately 35 percent of households rent, according to US census statistics,” said Gary Hains, spokesman for FL Star, developer of Hammock Park apartments. “In the past, renting was considered a transition before buying a home. For a growing part of the population, renting has become a lifestyle choice.”
Almost a third of renters are aged 35 or younger, who choose to forego a mortgage and opt for renting to allow job mobility or the activities provided in the area, according to a survey by the National Multifamily Housing Council. Just under 20 percent are people 65 or older, who have down-sized from a single-family home in favor of maintenance free living.
“The luxuries associated with apartment living are still very much in demand, according to the Council’s survey,” Hains said. “Renters like apartments designed to live like a private home, with washers and dryers in the units. They enjoy resort style amenities such as a well appointed fitness center and swimming pool. But one feature is increasingly important: renters want a bond with their neighbors. Community is top-of-the-mind.”
The unique design of Hammock Park, with the building surrounding an open courtyard, contributes to this sense of community, Hains noted.
“The center courtyard becomes something like the town square, where residents meet their neighbors to enjoy the activities or simply to sit and visit,” Hains said. “But with the addition of the Hammock Park Center nearby, residents will be able to stroll over for an afternoon of shopping or dining. It enhances the overall sense of community living.”
The 20,000 square foot Hammock Park Center will include a variety of retail shops with 5,000 square feet of restaurant space and additional outdoor dining, a convenience for the surrounding neighborhoods as well as Hammock Park residents.
“The development of Hammock Park apartments and Hammock Park Center combines to provide the perfect Florida lifestyle for renters,” Hains said.
FL Star is a conglomerate of real estate entities lead by David E. Torres and Gary Hains. FL Star’s current projects include Sapphire Cove, an intimate community of single-family homes in South Naples; Hammock Park Apartments, a 265-unit community under construction at the corner of Collier Blvd. and Rattlesnake Hammock Road; Vanderbilt Apartments, a new 48-unit apartment community on Vanderbilt Beach Road; Milano Lakes, a 296-unit luxury apartment community; and Hammock Park Center, a new retail shopping center on Collier Boulevard. FL Star is also building a selection of single-family homes in Golden Gate Estates and in Cape Coral. In addition to construction and development activities, the company provides management services for commercial and industrial buildings for real estate owners and condominium associations including maintenance, collection of rents and financial reporting. Projects totaling in excess of 1,500 residential units are in the pipeline for the coming years. For more information visit FL-Star.com.
