Junipers

Junipers is a gated master-planned 55+ community by Lennar in the Rancho Peñasquitos neighborhood of San Diego, built on the site of a former golf course immediately west of Interstate 15 at Carmel Mountain Road. Sales opened in early 2024 and the community is still actively building, with 455 for-sale homes (plus 81 affordable senior apartments on a separate parcel at the southern end of the site). The for-sale portion is organized into three distinct collections. Lilac is the entry point — attached bungalow-style and duplex homes with shared motor courts, single-level living, and first-floor owner suites, starting from the mid $800,000s. Sycamore is a step up with attached homes that feel more like single-family residences, with private driveways and modest outdoor space, typically priced in the low-to-mid $1 millions. Woodlands is the flagship — detached single-family homes ranging roughly 1,738 to 2,528 square feet that tend to sell in the $1.2M to $1.4M range. Across all three collections, floor plans run from about 1,119 to 2,528 square feet with two to four bedrooms and two to three-and-a-half baths, and every design places the owner's suite on the first floor. Every home is built under Lennar's Everything's Included® program, meaning Ring video doorbells, Honeywell smart thermostats, Shaker-style cabinets, quartz countertops, stainless-steel appliances, solar panels, and energy-efficient features come standard rather than as upcharge options. The community is gated and amenities are largely built out: a recreation center anchors social life with a clubhouse, gathering room, fitness room, outdoor pool, outdoor BBQ areas, fire pit, bocce ball courts, pickleball courts, a dog park, and a trail system winding through the neighborhood. The HOA runs a flat $399/month covering common-area maintenance and management. A real selling point here — rare for new construction in San Diego — is the low base tax rate (approximately 1.13%) with no Mello-Roos, just a small special assessment of about $45. Location is the other story. Junipers sits in an established, well-regarded Rancho Peñasquitos pocket across from Carmel Mountain Ranch and 4S Ranch, with Black Mountain Regional Park nearby, multiple golf courses within a short drive, and easy I-15 access to the rest of San Diego County. Downtown San Diego, the coast, and North County beaches are all within reasonable reach, and everyday shopping, dining, and medical services are minutes away.