Lee BIA names Verandah 'community of the year' for large projects

COURTESY PHOTO Verandah's River House, designed in concert with the architect's Southern traditional vernacular, was created as one of four individual buildings in the River Village instead of a traditional large clubhouse, allowing the trees to be preserved in place. Verandah, the 1,456-acre masterplanned community being developed by Bonita Bay Group along a 1.75-mile stretch of the Orange River in Fort Myers, capped a stellar year of regional and national recognition when it was named the Community of the Year (500+ acres) by the Lee Building Industry Association during the annual Pinnacle Awards program in April, repeating an honor the community also received in 2005.

The Pinnacle Awards program, now in its 18th year, is presented by the LBIA's Sales & Marketing Council and honors success and professionalism in new home sales and marketing. In recognizing Verandah as Community of the Year, judges considered the originality, overall concept and the implementation of sales and marketing plans for 2007; the community's deep ties to the environment and sustainable development; and its unique lifestyle.

COURTESY PHOTO Old Orange, Verandah's first 18-hole championship golf course designed by awardwinning golf course architect Bob Cupp, was inspired by the spectacular oak trees throughout the site. Two months after opening for sales in 2003, Verandah was named Florida's first Green Land Development by the Florida Green Building Coalition and has since emerged as a leading example of sustainable development and green building. In the past year alone, Verandah earned the Council for Sustainable Florida's 2007 Best Practices Award for green building, the Florida Urban Forestry Council's Trees Florida 2007 Award and Project EverGreen's national Because Green Matters Award. It was also recognized as one of Where to Retire magazine's 100 Best Master-Planned Communities.

"We're pleased that Verandah has become a national role model for how a community can be developed in harmony with nature," said Gary Dumas, regional general manager of Bonita Bay Group. "Being selected as Community of the Year by our local building industry association is a great recognition for the work of our entire development team and our homebuilding partners."

Verandah was created by Bonita Bay Group as an environmentally friendly and sustainable community and has earned environmental accolades for its emphasis on green building and preservation, its respect for the land and its comprehensive approach to sustainability. Since being named Florida's first green land development by the Florida Green Building Coalition in April 2003 - two months after sales began - Verandah has received the Council for Sustainable Florida's 2007 Best Practices Award for green building,

the Florida Urban Forestry Council's Trees Florida 2007 Award, Project Ever- Green's Because Green Matters Award, and the Florida Association of Realtors' 2006 Environmental (ENVY) Award.

The 1,456-acre community, located along a 1.75-mile stretch of the Orange River in Fort Myers, has also been named by Where to Retire magazine as one of "America's 100 Best Master-Planned Communities" in 2007 and was the Lee Building Industry Association's 2005 Community of the Year. Whispering Oak, Verandah's second 18-hole championship golf course designed by Jack and Jack Nicklaus II, was named by Golf Inc. magazine as one of the top five new private courses in the country in 2007.

Sales in Verandah during the first quarter of 2008 are up 130 percent compared to the same time frame in 2007.

Each single-family model home at Verandah has been constructed to meet the Florida Green Building Coalition's requirements for green home certification, and residents have the ability to choose construction and feature options that conserve natural resources, improve indoor air quality and reduce energy consumption.

Verandah offers estate, custom and traditional single-family homes, villas and coach homes with home and homesite packages priced from the low $200,000s to more than $1 million. For a limited time, Bonita Bay Group is underwriting buyer incentives that include golf and sports memberships along with HOA master association fees. For additional information, contact the Verandah Sales Center sales center at 866-314-2839. The Verandah Sales Center is located two miles east of I-75 on State Road 80, or visit www.Verandah.com.