Longmeadow in North River Ranch: Flexible Homebuilding

In this episode of Jim Sells the Suncoast, Jim speaks with Lauren Hardison from Cardel Homes about the Longmeadow development in North River Ranch—an exciting new master-planned community in Parrish, Florida. With convenient access to major airports, beaches, and shopping, North River Ranch offers a lifestyle similar to Lakewood Ranch but with lower fees and plenty of room to grow.

Key Highlights

• Community & Location
  • Prime Suncoast Access: Only 35–40 minutes from Tampa or Sarasota airports, and a short drive to sandy Gulf Coast beaches.
  • Master-Planned Convenience: North River Ranch features multiple neighborhoods, a planned village center, and nearby Publix plaza. The area is quickly becoming one of the Suncoast’s most popular spots for new construction.
  • Lower Fees: HOA dues are just $111/year, and the CDD/stewardship fee is based on lot size, keeping monthly costs manageable compared to other master-planned communities.
• Flexible Floor Plans & Design
  • Five Single-Family Models: Ranging from 2,000 to 2,800+ sq. ft., all include tile roofs and paver driveways for stylish curb appeal.
  • Gas Community: Rare in many new developments, Longmeadow offers natural gas for cooking and heating—highly sought after by Northeast transplants and avid home chefs.
  • Full Design Center: Cardel’s 2,400 sq. ft. design center lets buyers customize floors, countertops, finishes, and more, without preset package limitations.
• Amenities & Lifestyle
  • Shared Amenities: Enjoy multiple pool centers within North River Ranch, including the upcoming Camp Creek with waterslides, pickleball courts, and game rooms.
  • Outdoor Recreation: Walking trails, a dog park, and green spaces encourage an active, family-friendly environment—perfect for picnics, nature walks, or simply unwinding.
  • Nearby Growth: Ongoing improvements to Moxon Wallow Road and upcoming schools, shopping, restaurants, and even a hospital ensure the area will keep booming.
• Build Timeline & Warranties
  • Construction: Expect about 8–10 months from contract to completion, with options to pick a home site, customize structural features, and select design elements.
  • Warranty Coverage: Includes a 10-year structural warranty, 2-year systems warranty, and a 1-year walkthrough to ensure peace of mind after you move in.
• Current Incentives
  • Preferred Lender Benefits: Up to $20,000 in design center credits plus an additional $10,000 toward closing costs or rate buy-down when using Cardel’s preferred lenders (or paying cash).
  • Inventory Homes Available: For buyers needing a quicker move-in, Cardel has select homes ready or nearing completion in both Riverfield and Longmeadow.

What’s Next?

Interested in exploring the possibilities at Longmeadow or learning more about North River Ranch? Reach out to Jim at jim.ahearn@gmail.com or visit Jim Sells the Suncoast for expert guidance on making your move t

A Personal Note from Jim:

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Whether you're local or tuning in from afar, I’ll bring the Suncoast to you with virtual tours and expert advice. Let’s chat about your dream home and I'll connect you with all the right people to make it happen.

Ready to move to paradise? Drop me a line – I can’t wait to help! 🌴🏡

Transcript

Jim: 0:53

Hey, good afternoon. And today I'm really excited to have Lauren Hardison join me. She is with Cardell Homes, has been there since 2013, worked in North River Ranch area through Riverfield and Longmeadow. So welcome.

Lauren: 1:06

Thank you, Jim.

Jim: 1:07

Good to see you. So I wanted to talk a little bit. really focus on Long Meadow, but they're up in that North River Ranch area, which if our listeners aren't aware, it is an up and coming area in kind of the parish slash Ellington area with great access. It is only about. 35, 40 minutes from Tampa Airport, about the same from Sarasota Airport, close to the beaches, close to Lakewood Ranch North River Ranch really becoming very similar to Lakewood Ranch on the north side. Tell me a little bit about Longmeadow and I know they just got their model set up. So what's going on up in that area?

Lauren: 1:45

Yeah. Yeah, we originally started, like you mentioned in Riverfield and we're excited to be in Longmeadow. We had our grand opening of our brand new model there a couple of weeks ago. So I've got, a lot of exciting things going on in Longmeadow with the new Camp Creek amenity that they're going to be opening. So that's very exciting. North River Ranch is. You know got all of these wonderful amenities that you know The buyers that live in any neighborhood within north river ranch have access to so Camp creek is going to be their newest one. They're going to have you know, a pool and water slides game room Gathering area for everybody. Pickleball courts. I mean you name it. It's it seems like it's coming

Jim: 2:25

Yeah, we'll definitely have to get into that I know north river ranch that master plan community where you have several subdivisions And the amenities going in there as well as the growth going on across Moxon Wallow and what they're doing with expanding the road and all the different places coming in.

Lauren: 2:41

Yeah. It's really going to be wonderful. So We have about 57 lots in Longmeadow. Have great views for everybody and lots of options to choose from

Jim: 2:51

All right. Let's talk about that. I'm assuming it's all single family homes going into Longmeadow, correct?

Lauren: 2:56

Yes, so we have single family product going into Long Meadow. I also have that in Riverfield, but we've got five floor plans that we're offering. We have these new 3. 0 versions of these plans, which took our previous plans and made some nice updates and upgrades to those. the cool thing about Long Meadow is tile roof and paver driveway are going to come included. And then it's also going to be a gas section. So if people are interested in having a gas community on Longmeadow is going to be a great spot for that.

Jim: 3:24

Oh, that's going to be huge. I know when my wife and I were looking for our house, she wanted a gas community and being able to have that gas cooktop was a big draw.

Lauren: 3:33

Yes. A lot of people have been wanting that for quite a while.

Jim: 3:36

Fantastic. So what size houses do you have for the floor plan?

Lauren: 3:40

So we start from about 2000 square feet at our smallest single family up over 2, 800 square feet at my largest.

Jim: 3:47

Okay, and what's a ballpark price to go into the small to the large?

Lauren: 3:52

Yeah when they're looking in Longmeadow base prices start just under 500. My largest floor plan starts at about 620 base.

Jim: 4:00

Okay.

Lauren: 4:01

Yeah.

Jim: 4:02

And you already said that they're going to have the paper driveways, the tile roof. So the what options are available?

Lauren: 4:09

That's, what's really nice about Cardell. They do get to go to a full design center and have that experience. There's no kind of preset packages. They have, full reign of being able to select all of their features within their home. So our design centers, 2, 400 square feet, we have an expert designer on site. So after contact, they get to meet with her and go through everything. What's really awesome is not only do we have a lot of upgrade options, but Cardale also offers a lot of included features as well. So things like standard countertop colors, there's not just two or three, we have 10 so buyers don't necessarily have to upgrade every little thing to get what they want.

Jim: 4:48

When I've talked to some of the other developments going in, it's more of a stock home going in an inventory home where you have some personalization you can do, but not a whole lot of customization. So this is a nice upgrade on that for that price.

Lauren: 5:01

Yes.

Jim: 5:03

Is there going to be a HOA or CDD fees in Longmeadow?

Lauren: 5:08

Yes. Longmeadow the HOA is only 111 per year. Not per month, per year. A lot of people worry, Oh, can, these fees increase over time? And I say, yeah, but even if it goes up to two, 300, it's per year, it's not per month. So I think it makes it very manageable for a lot of people.

Jim: 5:27

Yeah, that's very good.

Lauren: 5:28

To

Jim: 5:28

have that HOA.

Lauren: 5:31

Yes.

Jim: 5:32

a month.

Lauren: 5:33

Yeah. And then they do have CDDs or stewardship fees in Long Meadows specifically for the lot sizes that we offer.

Jim: 5:39

Okay, that's not bad.

Lauren: 5:41

Yeah,

Jim: 5:42

we talked a little bit about how large development you said you had about 57 lots available. So that's what's still remaining. Have any of those already been purchased or that's where we are now?

Lauren: 5:52

That's where we are currently. Yeah, so we've got the 57 lots and we have 11 released initially. So there's 11 that are currently available. And like I said our one model to see over in Longmeadow. And then we still have a model that's available to see in Riverfield as well.

Jim: 6:06

Okay. And they could build either one in Longmeadow.

Lauren: 6:08

Correct.

Jim: 6:10

Nice.

Lauren: 6:11

Yeah.

Jim: 6:12

So what is the construction timeline for a home that's being chosen?

Lauren: 6:17

Yeah. So on average buyers can expect about an eight to 10 month build time from the time they signed contract.

Jim: 6:24

Okay. And then nothing's going on until they actually signed a contract and it's going to be a full buildup from the lot they want with the house they want.

Lauren: 6:32

Yeah, so they have two different options. they can select to, pick their home site, pick their floor plan. I would go over structural options with them. Things like if they want to do a line extension or add optional windows here and there. And then, beyond that, they get to go to design and pick those options. Otherwise we do have some inventory homes available in my river community.

Jim: 6:52

That's nice if somebody has to move quickly, but it is nice to have that from the ground up where you're controlling and picking everything.

Lauren: 6:59

Yeah. And sometimes people say, that's the whole point of building and buying to get what you want.

Jim: 7:04

Yeah. What about pools? Are pools an option to be built or added on at the time of build?

Lauren: 7:09

So we are currently discussing the option of adding pools. it is something that we are open to doing in Longmeadow.

Jim: 7:16

How is Cardell handling warranties and post sale support for the homeowners? What is involved in that and what are they covering?

Lauren: 7:24

Yeah we have a wonderful warranty program They're definitely going to get the 10 year structural warranty. We have a two year systems warranty and we also do a one year walkthrough warranty with them.

Jim: 7:34

Okay. Does Cardell have anything that's integrated vertically, meaning any preferred lender, any kind of special deals that are being offered at this time?

Lauren: 7:43

Yes. So we have wonderful preferred lenders. My top preferred lender they do a lot of different buy down programs that they offer. Fires are really rate conscious and they're looking to get that lower. They can certainly do that and they can use incentives towards that. So if they use a preferred lender or cash, We do offer them wonderful incentives. Our lenders are also not owned by Cardell. They're just lenders that we prefer working with because they have wonderful programs and rates. And we know that, their process will go smoothly for the buyers and they'll be treated well. Yeah, my incentives for Longmeadow specifically we're doing right now up to 20, 000 towards design and then 10, 000 towards closing costs or rate buy down for them.

Jim: 8:24

Okay. So how does the development fit into the local community in the future growth plans? I know Cardell, you said, just came into the area. So what are we seeing up there in that North River Ranch area?

Lauren: 8:37

We're excited to be in there because like you mentioned earlier, North River Ranch is really wonderful with what they're bringing in a master plan community, the future village center that's coming the public's plaza that recently opened earlier this year. So Cardo is excited to get in here and have single family homes for buyers that are looking to be in a community that offers a ton of amenities. Lots of walkability, bikeability. I think that's the whole point of North River Ranch. We will also be offering villas coming up soon in Crescent Creek, which is an area just across from Long Meadow.

Jim: 9:09

Okay. I know the county is doing a lot with the expansion of the roads and has a lot of that going on to accommodate the future growth. So tell me a little bit about the environmental and green areas around there. I know that, it was built out approximately how big are the lots. And then we talked a little bit about the amenities going in there with the different clubs and what they have available.

Lauren: 9:31

Yeah. So there, that's, what's great is they've got a lot of green spaces and there's avid fit pod trails that they have throughout. They have a six mile trail system. So you can really, a lot of nature, along your walks. It's really wonderful things that they've offered. There's a massive dog park as well, lots of green spaces for events and if kids want to throw a ball, they've got plenty of space to do that.

Jim: 9:58

Are there any restrictions or guidelines homeowners should be aware of either rental restrictions or pet policies?

Lauren: 10:06

So as far as restrictions go, it is an HOA community. So they want to make sure that things are kept, a certain level of niceness and care, in terms of renters I think there is a minimum rental term.

Jim: 10:19

Sure. And that's fairly common for what we're seeing around the whole area right now

Lauren: 10:24

time

Jim: 10:25

Can you share any success stories or testimonies from current residents that you've worked with what they like and what's memorable about what's going on?

Lauren: 10:35

Yeah. So I've had a lot of buyers coming from, the Northeast specifically trying to come and enjoy some of this warm Florida weather. I don't blame them. they really enjoy having the community to where they have access to all the different amenities. The nice thing about Riverfield it is a gated section within the community. There is the Riverfield Veranda. So there's a pool already there, but they know that if that pool is busy or they want to go venture to, another pool, they have a pool at Brightwood and the future one coming at Camp Creek at Long Meadow. So there's just so much to do. The location itself of parish, I think is Very convenient. You are roughly, a half hour in either direction from enjoying amenities elsewhere. So it is centralized right to, if I want to go down to Lakewood ranch or Sarasota, or if I want to pop up to Tampa or St. Pete, they're right in the middle of everything. So it makes it very convenient if they have a job in Tampa or have a job, South where they like to visit those areas, they get the best of everything.

Jim: 11:36

Yeah, I think one of my favorite. Things about that whole area is just how close you are to actually everything. But then when you're done doing everything, you can get away and get home and you feel like you're a little bit removed.

Lauren: 11:49

Yes, and I've had a lot of people tell me too, while Lakewood Ranch is beautiful. Sometimes the fees I think in different parts of Lakewood Ranch might be too much for some people and that's okay. And I think North River Ranch is going to be on a smaller scale than Lakewood Ranch. And I think it's going to be a little bit more accessible.

Jim: 12:08

I know that on the South side you have Welland Park. So doing the same thing down in the Venice area so that you're close enough. You can enjoy the amenities in the restaurants and the other draws that are in the area. And I think we're seeing some of that growth. Publix Plaza went in with everything going down Moxon Wallow and coming up 301. We're going to have everything that you need or want. within a relatively close distance.

Lauren: 12:32

Right there. And then the future village center that's coming to North River Ranch there's going to be a brand new hospital coming. They'll have shopping and restaurants coming there So it really will be very convenient for people to live there.

Jim: 12:45

Yep. I know there's a couple of schools slated to go in and they've already got some of the land placed out for that. So I think one of the nice things is we're seeing some of this forethought when we're looking at placing schools and placing shopping centers and developing the road so that they can handle the traffic that's going to eventually grow to that point instead of doing it.

Lauren: 13:03

And that's what tends to happen, right? So I think it's nice for people to see that this is a very well thought out development.

Jim: 13:11

Yeah, absolutely. So anything else you'd care to let our listeners know about what's going on up in Longmeadow

Lauren: 13:17

Yeah. I, like I said I've been with Cardell for a very long time, 11 and a half years now. And they're just a wonderful home builder. It's a family owned and operated company. They've been building homes for over 50 years. If you want a builder who you can have that flexibility to be able to personalize your own home with. Definitely come see me. We have, I still have about 10 lots and two inventory homes left in Riverfield. I've got the 11 lots released right now in Longmeadow, and then we'll be offering villas in Crescent Creek and North River Ranch early in the new year. So there's lots for people to choose from.

Jim: 13:52

Fantastic. Lauren, thank you so much for joining me here today.

Lauren: 13:56

Thanks, Jim.