Community Details at a Glance
The Homes
Builder
Lennar - Everything's Included
Plans
4-5 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,382-3,223 sq ft - move-up scale only
Position
Russell Road corridor, beside Anabelle Island
Status
Actively selling
Costs & Fees
HOA
Confirm the current amount and inclusions in writing
CDD
Confirm status per lot via the TRIM notice - the neighbor communities split on this
Entry pricing
From $382,480 - the corridor's move-up floor
Amenities
In-community
Confirm the amenity plan - positioned as a homes-first community
Nearby
Lake Asbury boat ramps reach Black Creek and the St. Johns
Park
Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park minutes away
Access
Russell Road to the First Coast Expressway
Location
Setting
Russell Road growth corridor, Lake Asbury feeder
Neighbors
Anabelle Island next door; Asbury Creek coming
ZIP
32043, Green Cove Springs
The Homes: Move-Up Scale
Three practical tiers: the core (2,382-2,700 sq ft, four bedrooms) at the move-up floor; the middle (2,700-3,000) where five bedrooms arrive; and the top plans to 3,223 square feet - the corridor's largest new product and its scarcest. Everything's Included keeps the finish package in the base price across all of them.
The standard production protocol applies: pre-drywall and final inspections on builds, pre-closing on quick move-ins, warranty terms documented at closing.
More on Living at Russell Retreat
The depth without the wall of text. Open what matters to you.
The upgrade-in-place pattern
The boat-ramp lifestyle, upsized
The KB adjacency
The corridor in motion
What to Check Before You Sign
Before you sign a Lennar contract at Russell Retreat, run this list.
- HOA amount and inclusions in writing
- CDD status per lot from the TRIM notice
- The KB Executive sheet from next door - same week, same requirements
- Incentives normalized to monthly dollars - buydowns matter most at this price
- The amenity plan confirmed - what exists and what funds it
- School zoning verified with the district
- Pre-drywall and final inspections scheduled independently
- The phasing map against your lot
Russell Retreat reads the corridor correctly: thousands of entry homes sold in three years means thousands of households that will outgrow them without wanting to leave the schools - and almost nobody else is building their next house. The move-up lane has structural demand and almost no new competition above 3,000 square feet. The buyer's work is the same two documents as everywhere on Russell Road, plus one advantage unique to this address: KB's Executive series sells the same band from the next gate over, and two sales offices competing for one contract is the cheapest negotiation in the corridor.
Our advice: quote both the same week, verify both fee stacks, and if you are stretching, stretch to the top plans - the 3,200-foot tier is the product this corridor will be short of for a decade.
Russell Retreat vs. Comparable Communities
The honest way to place Russell Retreat is against the move-up money's alternatives.
| Community | How it compares to Russell Retreat |
|---|---|
| Anabelle Island | The next-door neighbor - KB's Executive series overlaps this band directly, with natural gas and a CDD. The defining adjacency; quote both. |
| Holstein Crossing | Lennar's own entry community on Sandridge - the ladder's lower rung, from the same builder. |
| Bradley Creek | The sold-out 60-ft-lot boutique - nearly-new resale with wider lots at overlapping money. |
| Royal Pointe | The established benchmark - resale to 4,000 sq ft with ~$200/yr fees and 2006-era capex. The fee-versus-systems trade. |
| Magnolia West | The amenity community - pools and slides with resale stock at overlapping prices. |
Russell Retreat's case: the corridor's only dedicated move-up new construction, in the 7/10 chain, with structural upgrade demand behind it. The case against: unverified fees, homes-first amenities, and a next-door rival selling the same band.
The Honest Trade-offs
Pros
- The corridor's only dedicated move-up new construction.
- Plans to 3,223 sq ft - the local scarcity.
- Two 7/10 schools - upgrade without changing feeders.
- Everything's Included at family scale.
- KB adjacency creates real negotiation leverage.
- Boat-ramp lifestyle with driveways that fit the boat.
Cons
- HOA and CDD need written verification.
- Homes-first positioning - confirm the amenity plan.
- A step above the corridor's entry communities.
- No resale history yet.
- Corridor construction years ahead.
- Builder competition until sellout.
