As a part of a new “Community Spotlight” blog post series I thought it would be important to start with some foundational background information giving the “Big Picture” look at where these communities are actually located. So today we are looking at the master planned community of Wellen Park.
What is Wellen Park?
Wellen Park, formerly known as The West Villages, is a 10,000 acre master planned community located along US 41-Tamiami Trail and River Rd in south Sarasota County, mostly in the city of North Port. It has been one of the fastest growing communities in the US over the last 10 years. Why the name from changed from West Villages may have had something to do with confusion with “The Villages”, the enormous 55+ community near Orlando. Wellen Park is NOT an age restricted community.
Originally part of the Taylor Ranch cattle operation, the land was sold to developers in about 2002 and construction began on several communities there including Gran Paradiso, Islandwalk, and Sarasota National. Sales and construction were brisk until the Great Recession shut things down in 2007-2008. As the economy began recovering in 2010 construction again kicked into high gear and a number of new builders broke ground on projects.
The communities in Wellen Park now include Antigua, Avelina, Grand Palm, Gran Paradiso, Islandwalk, Oasis, Renaissance, Sarasota National, Solstice, Sunstone, The Preserve, Tortuga, and Wisteria. I will highlight some of these communities individually in future posts.
Where is Wellen Park?
Located along US 41 and River Road in south Sarasota county Wellen Park offers good access to Gulf beaches including Manasota Beach about 15-20 minutes drive and Englewood Beach, about 25 minutes. There are many shopping and dining opportunities a few miles south on US 41 in North Port, and a few miles north in South Venice. The historic Venice Downtown area is only a 20 minute drive where there are a multitude of shops and restaurants as well as beach access at Venice Beach or Casperson Beach.
Downtown Wellen Park
Downtown Wellen is the new community hub that is set to open in the next few months. Set around an 80 acre lake, Downtown will feature a 2.8 mile walking and biking trail around the lake, a large “Great Lawn” area for music and other events or just for kids to play. There will also be many shops and restaurants along the lakefront and the area incorporates the existing Marketplace retail center that includes the Publix market as well as a number of other shops and restaurants.
Cool Today Park
One of the highlights of Wellen Park is Cool Today Park, home to the Atlanta Braves spring training facility. It is a short golf cart of bike ride from most of Wellen Park. There is also a weekly farmers market at the park as well as variety of special events throughout the year including a 4th of July fireworks show. Check out my post about Spring Training Baseball here: Spring Training Baseball
Other things to know about Wellen Park
Access from I-75 is via River Road at mile marker 193. Construction to expand River Road to 4 lanes (currently 2) is underway and on a fast track to completion. Currently the traffic volume is heavy due to the number of homes in the area as well as the number of construction vehicles working on building all the new homes. This should be alleviated soon when the road project is completed. Air transportation to the area is through either Sarasota Bradenton Airport (SRQ) about 45 minutes north, or Punta Gorda Airport (PGD) about 45 minutes south. Alternatively Tampa (TPA) or Fort Myers (RSW) are a bit farther away but have more flights from more locations.
Wellen Park CDD Fees
As a part of the original development agreement the West Villages Improvement District (WVID) was created to finance the construction of the infrastructure like roads, sewers and the water supply systems. As a result, each homeowner is assessed a CDD Fee annually on their tax bill. This amount can vary from community to community and also by different home types (SFR, Villa, Condominium etc). The range for this fee can be as little as $200 per year or as much as $2300 per year. You can see my post about CDD Fees here: About CDD Fees
Conclusion
Wellen Park is a great area to live in and there are lots of different communities to choose from- some communities feature active resort lifestyles while some others have more more modest amenities. Of course the HOA fees can vary quite a bit. Look for my future “Community Spotlight” posts where I will share all of those facts and figures!
Let me know if you have any questions on any specific community!
Call or text 941-544-6829