The master-planned community of Ave Maria just marked a major milestone. It closed the month of May with record home sales.  More than three dozen new homes sold in Ave Maria in May, setting a new record for the community. Not only was May a banner month for home sales, but it was also a steep increase from a year ago. As of the end of May, Ave Maria was already reporting a 35-percent increase in new home sales over the same time period last year. That’s up from the 23-percent increase in new home sales announced through late April of this year. The development attributes the strong sales to families and active adults. Ave Maria not only offers a number of detached homes in family-friendly neighborhoods, but also an age-restricted active adult community. Buyers have their choice of dozens of different floor plans, including condos, coach homes, attached villas and single-family homes. The recently sold homes in Ave Maria came from such well-known homebuilders as Pulte, Lennar, Del Webb Naples and CC Homes. Builders in the community are offering a range of home designs and price points, starting in the high $100,000s. There are also some homes in Ave Maria priced in the $500,000s. The Ave Maria community promises its residents access to plenty of amenities reflective of an active lifestyle. This includes a water park, sports fields, and amphitheater and a fitness center. The development also offers tennis and bocce courts, trails for outdoor recreation, a dog park and a Town Center. That’s where you will find a supermarket, plus there’s also a gas station in its commercial center. Described as a self-sustaining town, you’ll additionally find opportunities for dining, shopping, parks and recreation at Ave Maria. Eventually, plans call for up to 11,000 residences and well more than one-million square feet of office, retail and business park space in Ave Maria.