Real estate developers are building luxury 'naturehoods' and 'agrihoods' with multi-million dollar homes focused on sustainability check one out

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

• Developers are building planned communities focused on the outdoors as wealthy buyers flee major cities.
• Nature is now considered a luxury amenity — along with solar panels, archery, and hiking paths.

Realtor.com ranked Salt Lake City this May as the #1 housing market positioned for growth in 2022, followed by Boise City, Idaho and Spokane, Washington.

Darwin Fan/Getty Images

Source: Realtor.com

Real estate developers are capitalizing on wealthy homebuyers flocking to mountainous regions like these for a taste of the great outdoors.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

The exodus from major US cities that jumpstarted during the pandemic has led nature-loving homebuyers to pay extra for environmentally-focused living spaces, as the Wall Street Journal reported in June.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

Source: Wall Street Journal

Some of these new developments have gone as far to advertise themselves as "naturehoods" and "agrihoods," per the report.

Deer Valley Resort outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.      Zia Hansen / EyeEm via Getty Images

Source: Wall Street Journal

Benloch Ranch, a new "sustainable community" being built in Utah 25 minutes from the Deer Valley Ski Resort and one hour from Salt Lake City, is a prime example.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

The 2,550-acre community, which describes itself as Utah's "newest adventure living destination," has pre-sold 154 lots — generating over $300 million in revenue.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

Benloch Ranch's popularity is thanks to one of the hottest amenities in luxury real estate right now: "fresh air," Jamie Mackay, the community's lead developer, told Insider.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

But beyond fresh air, Benloch Ranch's amenity list far surpasses your typical fitness center and pool.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

On-site, there will be community gardens, a skeet shooting range and archery, a skating pond, "glamping" facilities, yurt camping, 20 miles of trails, and horseback riding.

Steel Creek      Brett Ziegler/Beartooth

The master planned community offers ten different models of homes. The largest option, the "Icon" is a 4-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom with a base price of $2.8 million.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

Take a look inside the "Icon" model, starting here in the living room.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

The homes allow buyers to "simultaneously delight in modern comforts and gaze upon the vistas of the American frontier," the Benloch Ranch website says.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

Those who could afford to flee heavily populated areas during the pandemic realized "that they're asleep at the wheel out in the city" and ended up preferring the mountain town lifestyle, Mackay told Insider.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

He said Benloch Ranch's buyers are split equally between younger families and retired couples, and noted that there are more primary home buyers than those purchasing second homes.

Benloch Ranch (Helix) $2,145,000 4 Bed / 4 Bath, 3454 Sq Ft.      Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

The "Helix" model, priced slightly over $2 million, is a four-bedroom, four-bathroom with 3454 square feet of space.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

The community's architecture and interior design embodies a "mountain modern lifestyle," a press release for Benloch Ranch says.

Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

Every home is required to have solar panels, according to Mackay.

Kanyon $1,795,000 3 Bed / 4 Bath, 2347 Sq Ft.      Courtesy of Benloch Ranch

Benloch ranch's other sustainability initiatives include seeding native plant species and reducing stormwater runoff and conserving water used throughout the community.

Courtesy of Beloch Ranch

Mackay told Insider he strategically planned the location of each building so they wouldn't obscure each other's views.

Courtest of Benloch Ranch

Source: Realtor

"The outdoor amenities that are provided in mountain towns supersede wealth," Mackay told Insider. "There's no comparison. You can't compare health and happiness to wealth."

Benloch Ranch's "Aspen" model lists a $2.75 million base price.      Courtesy of Beloch Ranch