Beachwalk celebrated a milestone late July when developer John Kinsey emptied the last gallon of water into the new community's 14-acre crystal-clear lagoon.
The freshwater lake contains 37 million gallons of water and will serve as the anchor for Beachwalk. Plans call for nearly 800 homes to be built in the community, one mile east of Interstate 95, close to U.S. 1, and on the main east-west highway to Ponte Vedra Beach.
“Some said it wouldn’t happen,” said Kinsey of the largest man-made lagoon in the country. “I think today, with the filling of the lagoon, we have silenced the doubters. There’s nothing else like it in Northeast Florida.”
The lagoon, which will feature a 3,000-square-foot swim-up bar, is surrounded by a 100-foot white-sand man-made beach. The homes will follow a Caribbean-inspired architecture.
The neighborhood is part of the New Twin Creeks Planned Unit Development, a designated 3,000-acre Development of Regional Impact on both sides of County Road 210 across U.S. 1 from the western border of Nocatee. Kinsey’s group has owned the site for 13 years.
In addition to the lagoon, Beachwalk will feature water slides, a miniature golf course and a 2,500-square-foot splash park for dogs. A planned clubhouse has been styled after one seen at a multi-billion-dollar Caribbean beach and golf resort. Residents will be able to swim, paddle kayaks, or stroll along a boardwalk.
Construction at Beachwalk includes single-family homes and twin villas by homebuilders Americrest Luxury Homes, Lennar and Vintage Estate Homes.
The developer is investing $35 million to widen County Road 210 from two to six lanes and provided two school sites to the St. Johns County School District. Of Beachwalk’s 1,200 acres, 500 are set aside for preserve.
Homes will be priced from the high $300,000s to the $800,000s, the most expensive of them three-story duplex villas along the banks of the lagoon.