Homebuilders serving up pickleball in new areas
Step aside, tennis. The pickleball mania is here and it’s propelling homebuilders to rethink what amenities to include in new Central Florida neighborhoods.
Jacksonville-based Dream Finders Homes is the latest developer to announce plans to feature pickleball courts in an upcoming project, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.
When its 57-lot subdivision opens on 305 acres in Windermere in early 2026, residents will have a place to play the fast-growing sport.
The company says it has started pre-construction sales for the community called The Palms at Windermere. Within the upscale subdivision that will boast homes as big as 5,000 square feet, “there will be pickleball courts,” Gerry Boeneman, a division president with Dream Finders Homes told GrowthSpotter.
Developing pickleball courts as part of a community is something Dream Finders Homes has never done before. Today, it’s a no-brainer, Boeneman said.
“With the popularity (of the sport) it’s springing up everywhere,” he said. “It seems to be more popular than tennis. You can even watch the professional pickleball tours on TV now.”
Pickleball is quickly becoming a standard addition to new subdivisions. D.R. Horton added pickleball to its amenity center in Serenoa, and Lennar is building courts in Wellness Ridge and Pine Glen.
Pulte is incorporating the amenity into its new Del Webb active adult communities in Sunbridge, Minneola, and at Horizon West.
Even home builders that have not yet added courts are considering it for future projects.
One example is Dallas-based Landsea Homes, which has recently expanded its footprint into Florida.
“We will definitely be looking into it (pickleball) as a potential amenity in the future,” said Michelle Byrge, the company’s vice president of corporate marketing. “We listen to our homebuyers’ wants and needs, and are always looking for ways to enhance the overall quality of living at our communities by providing unique amenities.”
Recently, Wheelock Communities unveiled that pickleball would be a part of its sprawling Waterlin master-planned community in Osceola County. Located on 6,000 acres of what was formerly Green Island Ranch, the community has entitlements for over 17,000 homes and a future marina on Lake Tohopekaliga.
The neighborhood center will include
a community pool and cabana, a dog park, a playground, picnic pavilions, a large lawn area, and pickleball courts.
The pickleball craze also has compelled several government jurisdictions to invest tax dollars into new courts. Winter Springs is building what would become the largest pickleball complex in Seminole County with 14 courts for tournament play.
To read more about early stage development in Central Florida, go to GrowthSpotter.com