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Wellen Park or West Villages: Everything You Need to Know About SW Florida's Most Ambitious New Development
Posted by Tracy Jones on Friday, May 7th, 2021 at 10:45am.
Wellen Park is a fast growing and popular collection of master-planned communities situated along U.S. Highway 41 only 20 minutes southeast of Venice on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The community includes many amenities and features, as well as a dedicated downtown area providing fun and convenience.
Learn more about this exciting and varied community below.
Wellen Park Community Overview
Wellen Park is located in Sarasota County on the scenic southwest coast of Florida. The large and fast-growing new development is divided into three districts: West Villages, Downtown Wellen, and Playmore.
Downtown Wellen is not scheduled to open until the first half of 2022. Many of the other neighborhoods are in different stages of completion.
West Villages currently consists of the following neighborhoods:
The Playmore District is composed of:
The downtown area of Wellen Park falls within the area defined by Preto Boulevard (west), South Tamiami Trail (north), West Villages Parkway (east), and Playmore Road (south). This district has a large water feature lake at its center and will consist of shopping areas, entertainment, and various community amenities when completed.
Wellen Park History
The land that Wellen Park occupies was once part of a large farm known as Taylor Ranch. In 2002, the land was sold to developers, but plans were put on hold due to economic recession.
Development resumed in 2014, adding more land to the project, as well as partnerships with developers like Mattamy Homes and Vanguard Land. At this point, the development was renamed “West Villages”.
Construction of the various villages continued, and the community was renamed again in 2020, this time to “Wellen Park”, an overarching name intended to capture both the communities already falling within West Villages, and a number of new communities and developments. Part of the justification for the rebranding was to avoid confusion with an existing community in central Florida call "The Villages."
Wellen Park Attractions & Amenities
Each one of Wellen Park’s masterfully planned communities offers its own set of amenities and features.
In addition to the scenic surroundings, immaculate streets and landscaping, and abundant lakes, each community also has its own common facilities for residents. These community areas offer the use of tennis courts, resort-style pools and sunbathing areas, playgrounds for the kids, and extensive community buildings for hosting events.
Residents of Wellen Park also have access to the Sarasota National golf course, the golfing facilities and practice greens for a fee. Residents of Sarasota National also has access to the extensive clubhouse facilities, 6 tennis courts, 4 pickleball courts, a large pool with both a zero entry section and swimming lanes.
The proposed Downtown Wellen development will also provide a range of amazing amenities, services, and entertainment opportunities to residents. This area will include boutique shopping, fine dining, and more. The central lake will have equipment for rent, like kayaks and paddleboards, for enjoying the water, and the boardwalks and decks of the nearby locations will allow visitors and residents to this area to enjoy the beautiful sunsets over the water.
A Beautiful SW Florida Setting
One big reason to live in Wellen Park is that it falls within a particularly beautiful area of southwest Florida.
To the east are vast wilderness areas like the Myakka State Forest and Myakka River State Park. To the west are the pristine white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast, like Caspersen Beach and Manasota Key Beach.
A short distance northwest there is the beautiful city of Venice, Florida, with its historic downtown, beautiful public beaches, and miles of entertainment and shopping district.
Adjacent to Wellen Park is the CoolToday Park - a baseball park and sports complex that hosts regular events and concerts for the community. The location is also the spring training grounds for the Atlanta Braves.
For tertiary learners, there is also the North Port campus of the State College of Florida near the intersection of West Villages Parkway and South Tamiami Trail.
Are you interested in learning more about Wellen Park in beautiful Southwest Florida? Please contact Gulf Shores Realty online or call 941.488.6644 to learn more!