Nationally-ranked Top 100 Home Builder, ICI Homes, headed by Northeast Florida division president Don Wilford, is overseeing construction of homes in the first phase of Tamaya, the unique, 2,400-home Mediterranean-style community announced last month for the area between the beaches and Downtown Jacksonville at Beach and Kernan boulevards.

Construction of a model park – where eight model homes will be on display – is underway, and the opening of a model park and vision center is planned for spring 2014.

Wilford, along with a team of professional plan developers and designers, is responsible for creating the new designs and selecting the mix of home plans that will be available in the 780-acre, all-encompassing community, where a model entrance is already under construction along Beach Boulevard, on the largest undeveloped tract of land east of Downtown Jacksonville.

In addition to 2,400 homes, Tamaya will include more than 500,000 square feet of commercial/retail space and a $10 million amenity center with a 10,000-square-foot clubhouse behind a grand gatehouse and entrance featuring a cascading water element.

Inside, the people-friendly, walkable community designed with Jacksonville sensibilities in mind will feature homes – 169 residences in Bella Nina, the first phase – ranging in size from 1,900 to 3,500 square feet and priced from $300,000s to the $600,000s. Sixteen customizable single-family homes will be offered in various architectural styles, including Tuscan, Mediterranean and Spanish designs.

“We are creating a rare, refreshing community with an easy elegance and a real sense of connection for our residents.  We’ll eventually offer a home for every lifestyle – from low-maintenance townhomes to million-dollar estate homes, and everything in between,” said Wilford, who joined ICI Homes in 1995, where he built a reputation as one of the state’s celebrated builders. “One of our focuses is to create an in-town lifestyle that combines style with convenience – capitalizing on a location near I-295, uniquely situated about halfway between the beach and Downtown Jacksonville. It’s something Jacksonville has been wanting on this scale for a while.”