New Florida ‘Agrihood’ Development Bets on Organic Farming to Lure Homebuyers

A new masterplanned community in Northeast Florida will offer multiple organic farms to attract buyers who are more interested in fresh vegetables than the state's famed beaches.

Saratoga Springs, a new development from Freehold Communities, will eventually have about 4,500 homes within multiple communities on 2,400 acres of land.

Located in Green Cove Springs, outside of Jacksonville, the "agrihood" will contain numerous working farms, bringing sustainable agriculture, farm-to-table dining, farmers' markets, and all things farm-related to the community.

Agrihoods, which mix subdivision developments with agriculture, most often appear in communities with large, undeveloped tracts of land or existing agricultural zoning.

This combination of agricultural land and neighborhood must then be developed to include housing while still incorporating an agricultural component of the community, according to Freehold Communities.

The first phase of the Saratoga Springs agrihood—a 55-plus community called Sagebrooke—began sales in August 2026.

The gated senior community is built by Ryan Homes, with eight single-family home designs ranging from 1,488 to 2,729 square feet.

The active adult community will contain the usual amenities—such as a resort-style pool and pickleball, tennis, bocce courts and a putting green—but also boasts a private working farm and vineyard, a farm share from harvested crops, and a farm store.

Here, the signature crop will be a muscadine vineyard featuring Florida’s native grape, which thrives in the heat and humidity.

Home prices in the development range from $349,990 to $556,990. A spokesperson for Freehold wouldn't reveal the number of sales thus far but says that "it's exciting to see the level of demand."

Meet the farm director

Carmen Eldridge, 40, cofounder with her husband, Tripp, of Convivial Foodscapes, is heading up the farm aspect of Saratoga Springs. The couple led farm planning on two other Freehold agrihoods—Arden, in Palm Beach County; and Carnes Crossroads in Goose Creek, SC.

The pair navigate the process for creating functional agrihoods—everything from vetting land purchases, to business planning and budgets, to irrigation needs, to farm design and infrastructure construction, as well as distribution models for getting the produce into the wider community.

"It's a movement that is catching on," she says of agrihoods.

According to an Urban Land Institute study, agrihoods are a growing trend, available in at least 27 states. Key agrihood features include conservation space, protected farmland, farm stands and markets, and edible landscaping.

"People are drawn to the idea of living closer to where their food comes from," says Eldridge. "They like the wide open green spaces, and are into healthy eating and longevity."

"It's more appealing to live near an organic farm than a golf course," she adds, noting that a lot of parents want their children to know that "a carrot comes out of the ground, not from a bag in the grocery store."

The Saratoga Springs farms will be cultivated by professional farmers—not the residents. But residents will be able to pick or bring home farm produce round the clock, a perk included in the HOA fees. (They will not have private plots or gardens.)

Eldridge tells Realtor.com that her agrihood consultancy has been in brisk demand as sustainable farms become the latest trend in the masterplanned community world. But she asserts that farms go far beyond typical amenities such a pool, fitness center, or pickleball courts.

"A farm is social infrastructure, it's not just an amenity," she says. "It creates repeated, meaningful touch points between neighbors. A farm actively builds a community identity in a way that other amenities can’t replicate. That’s why it’s catching more attention now."

She counts Freehold as among the leaders in the agrihood trend.

"Some developers want to put in a community garden to check the box, like, got the dog park, got the pool, got the community garden, check," she says. "But they go all-in and do it really well."

Becoming an agrihood consultant

Eldridge says farming is in her blood, as her maternal immigrant grandparents had been farmers in Spain.

"At the time, everyone was a farmer," she says. "There were no grocery stores. You farmed or you died."

She grew up with plenty of fresh produce from her family's backyard gardens.

"I didn't think much of it at the time," she says. "I was just told to go out back and pick some green beans for dinner."

When she informed her grandparents that she was going to study organic crop production in college, they weren't too pleased.

"They said, 'We moved here so you didn't have to be a farmer!'"

After graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in Political Science, focusing on Agriculture Policy and Organic and Sustainable Crop Production, Eldridge served as a Sustainable Agriculture Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, then founded a teaching farm at the University of North Florida.

Eventually, she and husband, Tripp, worked to set up the farms at Freehold's Arden agrihood, where they served as farm directors for five years; then they designed and built the farm at Carnes Crossroads.

The pair, who jokingly refer to themselves as "landless farmers," formed Convivial Foodscapes in 2020, and soon afterward came aboard the Saratoga Springs project.

Agrihoods, and the employment of local farmers to work the land, have been somewhat of an unexpected and steady income source for those in the notoriously difficult farming industry.

Farmers from the vicinity are also invited into the private community to sell produce and goods, offering a larger customer base for those who work the land on tight margins.

"Our farmer population is aging," she says, noting that agrihoods offer "a job for farmers with a living wage and health benefits."

Eldridge, who uses only organic farming techniques, takes great joy in people's reactions to fresh produce.

"I love when people's faces light up when they learn what a real tomato actually tastes like," she says. "I live for those moments."

But what most excites Eldrige about the concept of agrihoods and their growing popularity is the social aspects.

Farms offer diverse ways for communities to connect through food—picking produce, volunteering, helping to farm, attending workshops, hosting farm-to-table meals, or mingling at special events tied to fresh food or signature crops.

Eldridge, who often attends model home showings at Saratoga Springs, says that the buyer pool is very broad—everyone from young families to downsizing retirees—but they often have one thing in common: they are foodies at heart.

"There is something universally appealing about food," she says. "We all like to eat and we all have a food story."

"It really does bring people together."