Punta Gorda approves 117 more homes in Seagrass project

Punta Gorda City Council on Aug. 20 unanimously approved final plans for an additional 117 homes in Seagrass – Phase II, a D.R. Horton community near Jones Loop Road.

The first phase was previously approved, and more than 20 homes there have already sold, said Paul Martin, vice president of BF-KL Seagrass LLC, a Kolter Land Partners company and the project’s owner. When both phases are complete, Seagrass will total 224 single-family homes.

Mayor Debi Lux questioned whether expanding before phase one is sold out could pose problems. “You’re building more and yet the first phase isn’t sold out yet. I just wonder if that’s a big concern,” she said.

Martin acknowledged the challenge but said he expects the market to settle, stating that over 50 years, the market has fluctuated, and “the current market will stabilize the prices and make things more affordable.”

Both phases will include amenity centers with pools, now under construction. The entire Seagrass project spans 87 acres off Glasgow Avenue and Indian Springs Cemetery Road. Phase two will be built on 20 acres across five tracts of subdivided land. The developer is responsible for the community’s infrastructure, including roads.

Seagrass sits across from Sea Cove, another D.R. Horton community under construction on Kolter-owned land. Sea Cove will feature 144 twin villas and its own amenity center, with the developer also handling infrastructure.

Approvals for phase one began before Hurricane Ian struck in September 2022, when the housing market was booming. The project’s preapplication was approved in January 2022, followed by preliminary plat approval that September. Final plat approval came in June 2024, though Lux and then-Mayor Lynne Matthews opposed the plan, citing too much residential construction and too little commercial development.

At the Aug. 20 meeting, zoning official Rachel Barry presented phase two details. Lux asked about commercial growth on the south side of Jones Loop Road, pointing out projects already planned for the north side. Barry confirmed that a portion of land south of the road has been set aside for commercial use.

Concerns about a shortage of commercial development, particularly along Burnt Store Road, and an overabundance of new housing units have been common themes in recent city and county public meetings.