New ONE Carmel community has just 73 homes across 891 acres

Large-scale residential development isn’t exactly easy to pull off on the Monterey Peninsula these days.

That makes the arrival of ONE Carmel particularly notable.

Spread across 891 acres in Carmel Valley, California, the newly launched private residential community will contain just 73 homesites and residences, leaving considerably more land around each home than the typical luxury development.

The homesites alone range from 2.5 acres to more than 12 acres, with views stretching across the surrounding mountains and, from select locations, toward the Pacific Ocean.

Sales have now officially launched, with a limited initial collection of 10 Founders Selection homesites and built residences available starting at $6 million.

The project is the result of an unusually long assembly process.

Under the leadership of Crystal Jiang, the land making up ONE Carmel was brought together over more than a decade, creating what the development describes as one of the last large-scale luxury residential offerings on the Monterey Peninsula.

But the sheer acreage isn’t the only unusual part of the plan.

ONE Carmel incorporates the historic September Ranch, which is being restored and reimagined as a 20-acre equestrian center.

The Ranch will offer indoor and outdoor riding arenas, dressage facilities, private boarding and customized training, along with access to more than 12 miles of riding trails.

Unlike many amenities inside gated residential communities, however, the equestrian center isn’t intended exclusively for homeowners.

September Ranch is also expected to be accessible to the surrounding community.

The homes themselves are being approached somewhat differently from the rows of predetermined floor plans commonly associated with new residential communities.

ONE Carmel is collaborating with local architects as well as internationally known names in architecture on the residences, with designs intended to respond to the landscape through their materials, siting and landscaping.

The substantial homesites also provide room for multigenerational configurations, an increasingly important consideration at this end of the market.

Art is another major component of the development.

Carmel’s long history as an artists’ community has informed plans for what ONE Carmel calls its “Art Residences.” Homeowners will have the option to work with internationally recognized art consultants on personalized collections and curation for their residences.

The concept extends beyond the individual houses.

A dedicated ONE Carmel Center for Arts and Culture is planned as part of the community, with commissioned site-specific works incorporated into the landscape.

Plans also call for public exhibitions, artist residencies, educational and community programming and an open-air amphitheater, turning art into a community-wide component rather than something confined to individual living rooms.

A central clubhouse will handle the more traditional side of private-community life.

The clubhouse is planned as a gathering point for residents, with wellness and lifestyle amenities, concierge services and access to private hiking trails across the property.

Residents will also have the opportunity to join ONE Plus, a separate membership program connecting them with an international network of clubhouses and services in destinations including Palo Alto, London, Tokyo, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The network is expected to emphasize wellness and longevity programming alongside hospitality-style services, extending some of ONE Carmel’s amenities well beyond California.

Still, the land itself is arguably the development’s biggest luxury.

With 73 residences planned across 891 acres, ONE Carmel is being created at a notably low density — particularly for a new community in one of California’s most coveted coastal regions.

The setting against the Santa Lucia Mountains also places residents within the wider Carmel area without attempting to reproduce the denser village atmosphere of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Instead, the emphasis is on acreage, trails, horses, art and privacy.

And September Ranch gives the newly launched development a connection to what was already here, rather than treating the property as an entirely blank canvas.

After more than a decade spent assembling the land, ONE Carmel is now entering its next phase: filling an 891-acre piece of Carmel Valley with only 73 homes.

The first 10 Founders Selection homesites and built residences are currently being offered, with pricing starting at $6 million.