Nine Homebuilders Announced for Rancho Sienna Community

    AUSTIN, TX, May 06, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- AMERICAN NEWLAND COMMUNITIES LP (Newland) and its joint venture partner, NORTH AMERICA SEKISUI HOUSE, LLC (NASH) have announced a team of nine homebuilders for Rancho Sienna, the newest community in Austin to be developed by Newland Communities, Newland's development business.

A grand opening for the community is planned for fall 2014, with eleven model homes and base pricing from the $200,000s to the $500,000s. Model home construction will commence this spring.

A 550-acre community located near Ronald Reagan Boulevard and S.H. 29 in Williamson County, Rancho Sienna has a master plan that depicts 1,455 homes and more than 115 acres of trails and parks. The community's major recreational amenity, The Sienna House, is under construction and planned to open in late summer.

The acreage for Rancho Sienna was purchased last summer bya joint venture between NEWLAND and NASH, the US business unit and full subsidiary of SEKISUI HOUSE, LTD., Japan's largest homebuilder and leading diversified developer. Newland Communities is the master developer of the Rancho Sienna community, along with more than 30 assets the NASH-Newland joint venture manages together in 11 states across the United States.

The inaugural Rancho Sienna homebuilder team consists of Chesmar Homes, Centerra Homes, D. R. Horton, Emerald Homes, Milestone Community Builders, Ryland Homes, Sitterle Homes, Partners In Building and Wes Peoples Homes.

These homebuilders will open a total of 11 fully furnished model homes this fall in the new Rancho Sienna model home village, offering one-stop shopping for homebuyers. The model home village is located to offer stunning views of the new Sienna Trail Park and The Sienna House, which will also serve as a community information center.

The new model homes at Rancho Sienna will display a variety of product styles and price points, including traditional single-family homes for everyone from first-time buyers to move-up homeowners. Specialty products including low-maintenance homes also will be offered.

Newland Communities is working closely with its homebuilding team to develop architecture that reflects the architectural traditions of the Texas Hill Country.

"Rancho Sienna offers a beautiful setting for new homes, with its dramatic topography, mature trees and rugged rock outcroppings," said Bill Meyer, Senior Vice President and Division Manager for the Austin division of Newland Communities. "We're celebrating this beautiful environment with our amenities and open spaces, and also through creating new homes and streetscapes that strongly reflect the traditional architectural styles of the Texas Hill Country."

Some of the styles to be offered by Rancho Sienna builders are inspired by the Texas Hill Country, including contemporary and traditional iterations with front porches and native stone. Additional designs are inspired by Craftsman, Spanish Colonial and Tudor Revival styles.

Newland's vision for the community is strongly encouraging homebuilders to create generously sized front porches that foster social connections. "Our vision is that architecture and neighborly front-porch living will create a distinct sense of community at Rancho Sienna," Meyer said.

The same architectural vision will be evident in the Texas Hill Country vernacular of The Sienna House, a one-of-a-kind amenity that will provide indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, a resort-style pool complex, fitness center, and play areas, all overlooking natural space and long-distance views.

Located in the highly regarded Liberty Hill Independent School District, Rancho Sienna also includes a potential elementary school site in its master plan.

The NASH-Newland joint venture has numerous other active communities in Texas including the 1,550-acre Teravista community in Round Rock, the 700-acre Falcon Pointe development in Pflugerville, and four other master-planned communities in the Houston area.

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