Lennar leads way on master plan in High Desert

The development beckons potential buyers up the Cajon Pass into the high desert across the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, with asking prices starting in the mid-$400,000s.

Lennar, Watt Capital Developers, Woodside Homes, Richmond American Homes and K. Hovnanian Homes expect to break ground this fall on the first 646 homes of the Silverwood master-planned community in Hesperia, the San Bernardino Sun reported.

When completed, the 9,336-acre development will contain 15,663 homes in the Mojave River Valley, with nearly 5,000 acres of parks and open space, and 700,000 square feet of shops, restaurants or offices, plus a school and public safety facilities.

Sales are expected to begin this spring, according to DMB Development, Schlegel Land and Beaumont Partners, the development group behind Silverwood.

Affordability will be key to luring potential homeowners over the pass to 3,200 feet, its developers say. Pricing for the first single-family homes will range from the mid-$400,000s to the $700,000s, according to John Ohanian, general manager of Silverwood for DMB.

“Some people can’t afford Ontario anymore,” Ohanian told the Sun, referring to the soaring cost of homes in what were once affordable stretches of the Inland Empire.

In August, typical new homes in San Bernardino County sold for $618,000, and cost $646,500 across Southern California, according to CoreLogic.

All homes, including existing residences, sold in the county for $510,000, and cost $760,000 in the six-county region.

The bulk of the initial Silverwood homes will be built on lots from 5,000 to 7,000 square feet, the traditional size for SoCal.The initial phase will offer some luxury offerings on land up to 18,000 square feet, or 0.4 acres.

Homeowners fees will run $157 a month, which include high-speed internet.

The developers aim to sell 300 homes to be sold next year, 500 in 2026 and then 700 a year thereafter, Ohanian told the Sun.

Lennar, based in Miami Beach, plans to build 183 homes up to 2,760 square feet. Watt Capital, based in Santa Monica, plans to build 79 homes up to 3,539 square feet. Woodside Homes, based in Salt Lake City, aims to build 153 homes up to 2805 square feet.

Richmond American Homes, based in Denver, plans to build 74 homes up to 2,409 square feet. K. Hovnanian Homes, based in New Jersey, aims to build 157 luxury homes on the largest lots, between 12,000 and 18,000 square feet.

— Dana Bartholomew