Approved and pre-construction in Lecanto, FL
The Hills of Lecanto
38 townhomes on under five acres, with Townsley Construction named as the builder
A small infill community in Lecanto, on Florida's Nature Coast, that revived an expired planned unit development. The county approved the plan in 2026, Townsley Construction is the builder named on the approved master plan, and site work plans are under county review now. No pricing has been released and nothing is for sale yet.
- Area
- Lecanto, FL
- Homes
- 38 approved
- Site
- About 5 ac
- Approved
- 2026
At a glance
The Hills of Lecanto fast facts
Here is what is on the public record today and what has not been released. Anything marked not yet released, join the interest list and it goes out the day it drops.
- Area
- Lecanto, FL
- County
- Unincorporated Citrus County
- Site
- About 5 acres
- Approved plan
- 38 attached townhomes
- Density
- About 8 units per acre
- Board vote
- Approved, February 2026
- Prior zoning
- An expired PUD, now revived
- Named in the record
- Townsley Construction
- Community district
- None established
- Site work
- Plans under county review
- Sales launch
- Not announcedGet notified
- Floor plans
- Not publishedGet notified
- Pricing
- Not yet releasedGet notified
- Model home opening
- Not yet announcedGet notified
Details on this page are compiled from public entitlement records and are targets, not commitments. Pricing, floor plans, home counts, and timing have not been released by the builder and are subject to change without notice.
Where it is
On North Pine Cone Avenue in Lecanto, unincorporated Citrus County. The parcel address is in the county record; individual home addresses have not been assigned.
Thirty-eight homes. That is the entire supply.
On a project this small there is no second phase and no years of releases to wait for. Whatever is offered is offered once. Add your name, email and phone and you will hear before it is advertised.
Why this one is worth watching
A builder is already named in the file
Most of the communities we track early have no builder attached yet, just an approval and a plan. The Hills of Lecanto is different. The county's approved master plan for this community names Townsley Construction as the builder, and the plan is approved and moving through site work now.
Pair a named builder with the size of this project and the math gets interesting. There are only 38 townhomes here, and there is no second phase behind them. On a project this small, with someone already in the file, the distance between quiet and sold out can be measured in weeks rather than years. Whatever gets offered is offered once.
Being clear about what this is and is not: Townsley Construction is named on the county's approved plan for The Hills of Lecanto. Nothing is for sale here yet. There is no builder sales page, no model home and no price sheet, and no sales launch has been announced. We name Townsley because the public record names Townsley, not because anyone is selling. That gap, between a builder being named on an approved plan and homes actually going on sale, is exactly the window this list is built for.
What is coming
A small townhome community on the Nature Coast
The approved plan is 38 attached townhomes on about 5 acres, at a density of roughly 8 units per acre, in a medium density residential land use category. These are attached townhomes, a townhome row product rather than detached houses on their own lots, so it is worth knowing that going in.
One detail is worth understanding because it is a little unusual. There was already a planned unit development on this land, and it had expired. The approval amends and revives that lapsed plan with a new program attached. So this is not virgin entitlement being pushed through from scratch; it is an existing approval brought back to life, which is part of why it has moved as quickly as it has.
What has not been released: floor plans, square footages, elevations, an amenity list, a phasing schedule and a price. On a 38-unit project there may never be much of an amenity list, and we would rather say that plainly than imply a resort is coming.
Site work plans are under county review now. That is the step between an approval and a shovel, and it is the reason this project is worth watching now rather than bookmarking for years out. The day pricing and floor plans land for The Hills of Lecanto, they go out to this list.
The area
Living on Florida's Nature Coast
Lecanto sits in the middle of Citrus County, on the Gulf side of Florida north of Tampa and west of Ocala, in the heart of what the state calls the Nature Coast. Instead of theme parks and six-lane traffic, the draw here is water and woods: spring-fed rivers, one of the largest state forests in Florida, and the Gulf a short drive away. The site itself is on North Pine Cone Avenue, county land with no city over it, so a buyer would pay county taxes with no separate city tax layered on top.
Crystal River, just to the west, is the one place in the country where you can legally swim with manatees, and hundreds of them gather in its warm springs each winter. The Rainbow River near Dunnellon is a gin-clear, spring-fed run popular for paddling and tubing, and the Withlacoochee State Forest, one of the largest in the state, wraps the area in trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. The Gulf is close enough that fishing and scalloping are weekend habits here rather than vacations, and Inverness, the historic county seat with its chain of lakes, sits just to the east.
For day-to-day needs, Ocala is the nearest larger city, with big-box shopping, a growing hospital system and a regional airport, while Tampa and its international airport sit about an hour and a half south. That combination, real country on your doorstep with a city close enough for the things a small town does not have, is what keeps drawing buyers to this county.
Citrus County has also long been one of the more affordable corners of west-central Florida, and Florida has no state income tax, which is often what starts the math for relocating buyers. On recurring costs, one point is worth flagging: attached townhomes always carry a homeowners association, and on a community of only 38 the budget and reserves are small, so a roof or repaving cycle lands harder per household than it would in a big community. Ask for the budget and reserve study, and ask specifically who maintains roofs, exterior walls and the fence, before you sign.
What you need to know
Buying new construction, the smart way
Whoever ends up building the homes at The Hills of Lecanto, the same rule applies: the person at the model's sales desk works for the builder, not for you. They are usually helpful and usually honest, and they still represent the seller's side of the transaction. You are allowed, and smart, to have your own representation, and in almost every case it costs you nothing, because the builder budgets a cooperating commission into the deal whether you bring an agent or not.
The catch is timing. Most builders require your agent to register you on your first visit. Tour or sign in alone and bring an agent later, and the builder can refuse to recognize them, and you lose your representation for that community. Get connected before you tour, have your agent register you, and let them read the contract and the addenda.
On a project this small, with a regional builder rather than a national one, two things change in your favour and one against. In your favour: there is usually more room to talk about finishes, and you can often meet the person actually responsible. Against: there is no second phase, so if you miss it, you miss it.
Subdiview is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any homebuilder, the developer, or Citrus County. No sales launch has been announced for this community; the applicant and the entity named on the approved master plan are identified here because they are the parties of record in the county's published entitlement documents, which is a statement of fact about the public record and not a representation of any relationship, and not a statement that any party is building or selling here. Community names and marks are the property of their respective owners and are used for identification only. Subdiview is operated by a real estate broker licensed in Illinois. We are not your agent, we do not represent you, and we perform no real estate brokerage services in this state. No one at Subdiview is licensed in this state. If you join an interest list, your information is referred to a real estate professional licensed in the state where the property is located, who will contact you directly. We are compensated by that professional's brokerage, not by you. All community details on this page are compiled from public records, are targets rather than commitments, and are subject to change without notice.
Questions and answers
The Hills of Lecanto FAQ
What is The Hills of Lecanto?
The Hills of Lecanto is an approved community of 38 attached townhomes on about 5 acres of unincorporated Citrus County, on North Pine Cone Avenue at Lecanto, on Florida's Nature Coast. The county approved the plan in 2026, and site work plans are under county review now. Nothing has been built and nothing is for sale yet. This page exists so you can hear the moment it opens.
Only 38 homes?
Yes, and that is worth saying plainly rather than dressing it up. This is a small infill project on under five acres, not a master planned community. There will be no golf course, no lagoon and probably no clubhouse. What a project this size usually offers instead is a short build-out, a small association, and a finished neighborhood rather than years of construction traffic. It also means the entire supply is 38 homes with no second phase behind it, so if you want one, being early matters more here than almost anywhere.
Are these houses or townhomes?
Attached townhomes. The approved plan is 38 attached townhome units at a density of about 8 units per acre, in a medium density residential land use category. If you want a detached house on its own lot, this is not that.
Who is building it?
Townsley Construction is the builder named on the county's approved master plan for this community, which is more than we can say for most of what we cover, most of which has no builder attached at all. Be careful about what that means, though: a builder named on an approved plan is not the same as an announcement, a sales launch, or a commitment to build. Nothing is listed for sale under this name anywhere, there is no builder sales page and no model home. We name Townsley because the county's record names Townsley, not because anyone is selling here yet.
Is the approval final, and what happens next?
Yes, the county approved the plan in 2026. What is still ahead is the improvement plan review that is under way now, then permitting and construction. That is the step between an approval and a shovel, which is exactly why this project is worth watching now rather than bookmarking for years out. Treat any sales date you see elsewhere as a target rather than a commitment.
Will there be a CDD or extra assessment?
No community development district has been established over this land, and on a project of about five acres it would be very unusual to see one. That is a real advantage, because a district issues bonds for infrastructure and repays them through an annual assessment on your property tax notice, separate from and on top of HOA dues, often for decades. Expect a homeowners association here instead, because attached townhomes always have one. Ask what it maintains, and specifically who is responsible for roofs, exterior walls and the fence, and ask for the budget and reserve study before you sign.
What is it like to live in Lecanto and Citrus County?
This is Florida's Nature Coast, and it trades theme parks and traffic for spring-fed rivers, state forest and a slower pace. Lecanto sits in the middle of Citrus County, between Crystal River and Inverness. Crystal River, a short drive west, is the one place in the country where you can legally swim with manatees, and hundreds of them gather in its warm springs each winter. The Rainbow River near Dunnellon is a gin-clear, spring-fed run popular for paddling and tubing, and the Withlacoochee State Forest, one of the largest in Florida, wraps the area in trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. Ocala is the nearest larger city for shopping, medical care and the airport, with Tampa about an hour and a half south. Citrus County has also long been one of the more affordable corners of west-central Florida, which is a big part of why it keeps drawing buyers.
Does it cost anything to join the interest list?
No. Joining is free, it does not obligate you to anything, and it does not create any brokerage relationship. When homes get close to release, a real estate professional licensed in Florida will reach out and can make sure you are properly represented before you ever walk into a builder's sales office, which is the single most valuable thing a buyer can line up in advance.
Be first in line
Get on the The Hills of Lecanto interest list
Thirty-eight townhomes, approved and moving, with site plans already in review and Townsley Construction already named as the builder. Small projects like this rarely get advertised properly. They get sold to whoever was paying attention.
Joining costs nothing, creates no brokerage relationship, and does not obligate you to anything. When you are ready, a real estate professional licensed in Florida will reach out and can register you as represented before your first visit to a sales office.