http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/man-made-lagoon-planned-for-st-johns-county-will-be-largest-in-state-ceo-says/502261424 (http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/man-made-lagoon-planned-for-st-johns-county-will-be-largest-in-state-ceo-says/502261424)
QuoteA crystal-clear, 14-acre lagoon will soon be built in the Twin Creeks development in St. Johns County.
Uri Man, the CEO of Crystal lagoons in the U.S., says this lagoon will be the largest in Florida and will bring a beach-like area to those who would have been landlocked in their community.
Man says this lagoon will set Twin Creeks apart from other housing developments in the area — and will serve as a catch basin for rain too.
St. Johns County resident Patty Conklin says she's seen the area grow and thinks the lagoon will bring more people to the area.
"I think if they can bring something huge like that, it would bring more tourists," Conklin said.
Man says the lagoons usually have a depth of 8-10 feet and give people the chance to swim and take part in water sports.
The groundbreaking will be March 23. Developers told Action News Jax they will be there to give out more details and pictures of what's to come.
Ponte Vedra Beach? Vilano? Anastasia Island? Along the river? Nope on CR 210...
Developers are going wild in STJC
Doesn't look like a very environmentally friendly thing to do. Where are they going to get the millions of gallons to fill this thing and keep it full as it constantly evaporates?
I suppose they are calling retention ponds lagoons these days.
But yes not environmentally friendly in the least. Imagine the impact on the hydrology of the area?
The following was taken from an article in St. John's business journal when it was first announced last year.
According to Crystal Lagoons, their lagoons use 30 times less water than a typical 18-hole golf course and 50 percent less water than a park of the same size. Crystal Lagoons can use almost any type of water: fresh, salt, brackish, well water and more since its technology uses disinfection pulses that allow using up to 100 times less chemicals than swimming pools and also uses an ultrasonic filtration system that allows using up to 50 times less energy than conventional filtration systems.
I'd like to see their utility bill after a few months of operation to check on how the film is holding up.
If I had invented "anti-evaporation" film that really worked, I wouldn't be contracting to build one pond at a time around the world; I'd be licensing my patent to companies everywhere...
I'm surprised this actually materialized with the real thing only 15 miles away.
Quote from: thelakelander on March 14, 2017, 09:40:44 PM
I'm surprised this actually materialized with the real thing only 15 miles away.
Yeah, but all the good restaurants in Riverside/Avondale are only 15 miles from the chains at the town center, and we know where more people go to eat.
Do they all get easements to allow their use of the pond in perpetuity? If it is in fact swimmable, the potential safety problems seem like a liability issue. What if "Crystal Lagoons" is shut down by the EPA or is sued out of existence? I guess at least you'd have a nice sized skate park in your backyard.
Anybody find the max depth anywhere? I have looked in a few articles and can't find it. This would be great for scuba training if it's deeper than 20 feet.
I saw another article this morning that said 8-10' max is typical.
Quote from: remc86007 on March 14, 2017, 09:16:16 PM
I'd like to see their utility bill after a few months of operation to check on how the film is holding up.
If I had invented "anti-evaporation" film that really worked, I wouldn't be contracting to build one pond at a time around the world; I'd be licensing my patent to companies everywhere...
I'd like to know the maintenance costs over a twenty or thirty year period. How long until this thing ends up looking like a swamp?
Same people that built this one over 10 years ago: https://goo.gl/maps/UB1cTa6agxo
They aren't going into uncharted territory so that's good. They have one under construction in Miami now.
They are also building one of these in Pasco near Wesley Chapel/New Tampa.
I wonder if they line these things. They're basically giant swimming pools. It does seem like a serious investment/gamble for a developer, it has to be mega $$$.
Folks, just read up on the lagoons here:
http://www.crystal-lagoons.com/
They built something like this in Pasco County near Tampa. I don't know anything about the technology, but apparently that giant pool requires less water total than a golf course takes for a single year. If that's true, its environmental impact would be less than some of the thing we build without blinking an eye.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/construction-of-giant-crystal-lagoon-swimming-pool-in-wesley-chapel-to/2272966
That is some incredible freaking technology.
Are they any mechanical differences from these lagoons and the largest pool (saltwater) in the world in Chile? Why are they called lagoons and not pools?
https://www.google.com/search?q=largest+pool+in+chile&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjkusPw3NnSAhXB4CYKHZ3ID-EQsAQIIg&biw=919&bih=611
It's the same company that built the one in Chile (which is no longer the largest)
That actually sounds quite interesting and if the environmental impact bit is true then I'd rather have this than another Golf course.
Can we get some of this crazy technology in the Riverside Park Duck Poop Pond?
I don't buy the water anti-evaporation thing. The pulsing filtration sounds plausible, but I imagine makes the water uninhabitable for all wildlife.
Quote from: remc86007 on March 16, 2017, 09:14:45 AM
I don't buy the water anti-evaporation thing. The pulsing filtration sounds plausible, but I imagine makes the water uninhabitable for all wildlife.
No, it's literally a giant pool. No fish. No nothing.
^ Exactly.
I am curious to see the "mechanical room" side of the system, but I don't think it will be all that involved.
first look at the lagoon.
(http://staugustine.com/sites/default/files/styles/slideshow__640x360/public/images/1747314_web1_sar_new_03222017_walk-2.jpg?itok=pr86_hho)
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2017-03-24/beachwalk-crystal-lagoon-centerpiece-gets-closer-reality (http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2017-03-24/beachwalk-crystal-lagoon-centerpiece-gets-closer-reality)
QuoteAn upscale neighborhood anchored by what is essentially a 14-acre swimming pool is no longer just a proposal with artists' renderings.
The new community in northern St. Johns County has a name (Beachwalk) and, more importantly, a real expectation that people will be living there before the year is out.
"This isn't just a concept. This is what we're building," developer John Kinsey said.
Kinsey and others associated with the development were in town Thursday for the official groundbreaking ceremony for Beachwalk. However, there's been plenty of work done already.
The enormous Crystal Lagoon has been dug out and is taking shape. It could have water in it as soon as July, and people could be living around it by the fall.
The project is being done by Art Falcone's Encore Capital Management and Kinsey's Twin Creeks Development.
Bringing the man-made lagoon into the project was something Kinsey and Falcone talked about years ago. And it's just part of the unique character of the community.
Kinsey said the architecture, landscaping and amenities will be different from any other community in the area, offering a beach vibe with palm trees rather than live oaks and sandy beaches around the lagoon.
"It's a departure from what you see everywhere you go," he said. "When we started working on the whole idea of Beachwalk two years ago, Art and I came to the conclusion pretty quickly that this area didn't need more of what is being built and sold in every other community."
There is certainly a huge amount of building activity in the area with no signs of that letting up. Beachwalk is off County Road 210 between Interstate 95 and U.S. 1.
It's close to many new neighborhoods and other established ones that are still growing, including the largest ongoing development, Nocatee.
At more than 1,000 acres, Beachwalk will contain about 900 homes and a 175,000-square-foot retail village that will provide waterfront dining and shopping.
Houses will start in the $300,000s and go up from there with several options.
That's typical of what's in the area now. But while most communities have some kind of amenities center, nobody has anything like the lagoon. And that's the point.
"There's only so many different ways you can sell the same style of house, the same lifestyle, the same landscaping. You look the same as everybody else," Kinsey said.
Uri Man, CEO of Crystal Lagoons U.S. Corp., said the lagoon in Beachwalk is the 15th contracted project his company has in the United States.
He said the lagoons are growing in popularity for exactly the reason Kinsey wanted one here: They set communities apart from the competition.
"The big benefit for the real estate community is, in addition to being environmentally sustainable, in addition to the fact that it creates this dramatic lifestyle, is the translation into economics," Man said. "Which is much stronger sales pricing, much stronger sales velocity."
Man pointed to the community of Epperson, north of Tampa, which is a Crystal Lagoon community. He said builder DR Horton has seen a huge boost in pricing due to demand for homes near the lagoon, which at 7.5 acres is much smaller than the one here.
"The Crystal Lagoon is so dramatic and so different," he said. "Here, you can see this project will become the No. 1 community certainly in St. Johns County."
Neil Eisner of Americrest Luxury Homes said he decided to become a partner in the development because of the Crystal Lagoon and because he thinks Beachwalk is in the perfect location.
He also said it's a good complement to the other parts of what was first approved as the Twin Creeks Development of Regional Impact on the south side of C.R. 210: Creekside at Twin Creeks (591 homesites) and Beacon Lake (almost 1,500 homes).
Americrest, with headquarters in Boca Raton, will build about 500 homes in Beachwalk.
"In our circle, St. Johns County is probably the new jewel that's ready to just now literally take off," Eisner said. "This area will become a centralized destination. With what we're proposing to do with the villages, with the entertainment district, with stores, this will become a complete destination.
"That's one of the reasons why it appeals from a home-building point of view, why I would want to participate here."
Lennar is also building in Beachwalk as well as in Creekside, which is already selling homes.
Matt Figlesthaler, director of sales and marketing for Lennar's Jacksonville division, said his company is offering exclusive products to Beachwalk buyers with homes ranging from 2,000 square feet to more than 4,000 square feet.
"We expect the lagoon and amenities associated with Beachwalk to be something no community in the area can offer or compare to," Figlesthaler said in an email to The Record. "I hear almost every day from someone new the excitement out there for this community and people wanting more information from us as they await our brand new product release."
Must admit that I'm surprised it's actually happening.
When projects like this get the green light best believe a market crash is imminent
I'm surprised too, Jim. But definitely curious to see how it turns out!
Quote from: JaGoaT on March 27, 2017, 10:23:55 PM
When projects like this get the green light best believe a market crash is imminent
True dat.
Quote from: JaGoaT on March 27, 2017, 10:23:55 PM
When projects like this get the green light best believe a market crash is imminent
It's only a remotely managed lake upon which the collateral value of 900 mortgages will be based...what could go wrong??
Could be a sweet triathlon venue.