Nocatee & E-Town - Head of Parc Group Talks Popular Communities in Northeast Florida

E-Town, Nocatee, Pablo Creek Reserve — these are all popular neighborhoods in Northeast Florida. Have you ever wondered why?

The Parc Group, led by President and CEO Rick Ray, is the award-winning developer behind these communities. The Parc Group has been a developer in Northeast Florida for over thirty years. They started Nocatee in the late ’90s, broke ground on the community in 2005, and since then have focused on large, master-planned communities. We met with Rick Ray to chat about these communities.

In all of the Parc Group’s communities, there is an emphasis on preserving green space. Rick Ray says the motivation behind these green spaces is to preserve and protect the areas that are already environmentally sensitive. He states that from the beginning, the brand for Nocatee included environmental protection and sensitivity. For example, The Nocatee Preserve is 3.5 miles along the Intracoastal Waterway that the Parc Group protected in their community.

In 2008, Nocatee was just getting started, but so was a recession in the housing market. Rick Ray kept the faith and continued to invest in Nocatee. The Parc Group broke ground on Nocatee in 2005. The very first neighborhood arrived in late 2006. “We were in major investment mode at the time. It was probably a $100 million dollar project just for the first phase.” With the recession, nearly all new home sales came to a halt. With no new home sales, there were no new residents. But, for the Parc Group, this was a long-term commitment. “When you’re doing a community of this size it takes decades to start it. All you have is your reputation and your credibility.” They recognized that if they didn’t have the credibility to sell their vision in the first phase, they wouldn’t have the credibility to sell in the second, third, or even fourth phases of the community.

E-town is a similar community to Nocatee but is much more focused on being technologically and electronically savvy. How does the Parc Group keep up with the rapidly changing technology in the community of E-town? Ray states that the Parc Group sought out builders that shared the vision of E-town, asking about their thoughts, ideas, and concepts for technology. One of the builders the Parc Group selected for E-town is the only builder in the area with a net-zero home option.

Rick Ray lives in Nocatee. He notes that “when I drive through this community I want to feel the brand in everything from the landscaping, to the amenities, to the parks. Ninety-eight percent of the people surveyed said they would recommend Nocatee to their family and friends. The number one reason why they’re here is because of the Nocatee lifestyle.”

Thank you to Rick Ray and the Parc Group. We’ll be sure to watch their next ventures in the Jacksonville area as the housing demand continues to grow. If you have any questions about E-Town, Nocatee, Pablo Creek Reserve, or any other community in Northeast Florida, please feel free to reach out to our team at 904-465-9139.