Thompson Thrift Plans Orlando-Area Luxury Community

Rendering of Canter. Image courtesy of Thompson Thrift Residential 

Thompson Thrift Residential, the subsidiary of multifamily developer Thompson Thrift, will develop Canter, a luxury multifamily community in Ocala, Fla., within the Orlando metropolitan area. Thompson Thrift’s Watermark 2022 Multifamily Development Fund IV LP, provided the equity capital for 320-unit, Class A development. Construction will start this month, with first move-ins anticipated to take place in the summer of 2023.

Bearing an address at 4945 SW 49^th Place, Canter will sprawl across a 23-acre parcel. The community will feature two-story garden-style structures offering direct-unit access. Included will be one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments averaging about 1,100 square feet. Features and finishes of apartments will include smooth glass cooktops, side-by-side refrigerators, quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances and full-size, in-unit washers and dryers. Dog spas will be among common-area amenities.

Left searching

In a statement, a Thompson Thrift Residential official noted that Ocala’s population growth has greatly outstripped supply of new housing in the last several years. That has forced a number of Ocala residents to begin hunting for rental apartments outside the borders of the city. The official noted company hierarchy is avidly looking forward to bringing the city a luxury apartment community close to where Ocalans work.

The location of Canter will put its residents within a 10-minute commute to downtown Ocala. It will also enable them to live across the street from West Marion Community Hospital. This 186-bed hospital has won multiple awards for its orthopedic, cardiac and neurological services. Moreover, the apartment community will be located less than 1 mile from 60^th Avenue, providing direct access to Ocala International Airport.

Fittingly given Ocala’s status as a “Horse Capital of the World,” providing 44,000 equestrian-related jobs, it will be close to the $600-plus million World Equestrian Center. One day ago, Ocala was identified as one of the markets being eyed by EDEN Living for build-to-rent developments.