Metro Development Group has broken ground on the lagoon that's meant to anchor Diamond Springs, its master-planned community off Normandy Boulevard near Cecil Airport on Jacksonville's Westside. The 17-acre amenity site centers on a 4-acre lagoon, the first one in Duval County, and construction is expected to wrap up in late 2027 (via News4JAX).
The plan is a beach-style setup: swimming, kayaking and paddleboarding in the lagoon itself, plus a swim-up bar. Around it, Metro is planning a floating obstacle course, a kids' splash pad, volleyball, bumper carts, food trucks and space for community events. The developer also plans to sell day passes, so people who don't live in Diamond Springs will be able to use it.
"You really do feel like you're in a resort," Lisa Gibbings of Metro Development Group told the station.
One detail still being worked out is where the water comes from. Gibbings said every lagoon is different and that some of Metro's lagoons in the Tampa Bay area hold upwards of 33 million gallons. The source for Diamond Springs could be well water, water bought from the city, or a mix of both.
The lagoon is going in after the houses started. Metro held a grand opening for Diamond Springs in October 2025, when Dream Finders Homes opened the first model homes, and the developer says the first homeowner moved in this February. Some homes are already built and sold, and at least one buyer told News4JAX the lagoon was a big part of the decision.
At full build-out, Metro says Diamond Springs will have about 2,700 single-family homes and townhomes, built by DRB Homes, D.R. Horton, Dream Finders Homes and Lennar. The developer's materials list a gated entry, trails, a dog park, cart paths and community internet service, and say most homes back up to preserve or water. D.R. Horton's community page lists single-family plans from about 1,459 square feet and says its section is scheduled to open for sales in early 2027.
Tampa-based Metro has been building lagoon communities around Tampa Bay for several years. Diamond Springs is its first in Jacksonville.
Why it matters for Contractors
A 2,700-home community with four production builders is a long-running source of work on the Westside, and the lagoon adds a different kind of job to the mix. A 17-acre amenity site with a lagoon, pavilion, splash pad and food-and-beverage space means sitework, concrete, plumbing, electrical and finish work between now and late 2027, all of it running through Metro and the contractors it hires.
For small shops, the steadier opportunity is the homes. Each of the four builders runs its own trade base, so if you frame, trim, paint, pour flatwork or install fences, it's worth getting on their vendor lists for the Jacksonville division. Once owners settle in, a neighborhood this size also becomes a market for screen enclosures, patios, pergolas and other add-ons the builders don't include.
And keep an eye on the water question. How Metro sources the lagoon, from wells, city water or both, could come up before city or water management officials, and that's where details about timelines and the work involved tend to surface first.