Developers and Ozark city officials broke ground on the Marabella planned unit development on Thursday, Aug. 20, starting a 229-acre project east of James River Church. The buildout is expected to add almost 800 housing units in Ozark, with the first phase of single-family homes targeted for this winter.
Mayor Don Currence said the project will offer “a variety of housing options for residents and for families of all ages, size, stage and walks of life, whether it’s apartment, traditional single-family home, townhouses (or) patio homes.”
Marabella planned unit development groundbreaking
Director of Development Mark Trigg said the project will run for four to five years and is being built as a life cycle community. He said, “What I mean by that is a very wide diversity in housing, so everything from multifamily, to entry-level type homes, to bigger estate-size homes.”
The project spans 18 phases and includes 536 single-family residential lots, one phase of townhomes, one phase of multifamily housing with a maximum height of three stories, and 10 commercial lots. Marabella also includes about 48 acres of green space, which is more than 20% of its total footprint.
Farmer Branch and Blue Stem
The development sits between Farmer Branch and Blue Stem roads and includes about four miles of integrated walking trails, a 6,000-square-foot pool, pickleball courts and other shared recreational spaces. A trail on the south border of the neighborhood will be open to the public and will eventually connect to the Chadwick Flyer trail.
Kristen Haseltine, the CEO of Show Me Christian County, called the project “years in the making,” and said it has drawn support from Show Me Christian County, the Ozark Chamber of Commerce and elected officials. In November, the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously in favor of a series of bills related to the project, clearing the way for Thursday’s groundbreaking.
Marabella LLC is registered to Steve and Connie Faria of the Springfield area, and the pair develop lakefront properties in the Branson area through Faria Resorts. The winter start on single-family homes gives the project its first visible step beyond grading, while the larger question is how quickly the rest of the 18 phases follows.
