[Goldwingnut]

Originally Posted by TommyT

Things today are NOT the same since Gary Morse left us. He built ALL the connections, GC paths, rec centers, etc... before the first home was constructed. You knew what was there before you purchased.
Today, the family is ONLY interested in building and selling homes.

The Villages is not what is used to be and I for one see the downfall beginning...

What we are seeing in the amenity-home gap is the result of a) the disconnected construction process, b) the Wildwood Springs acquisition, and c) the increase in green-space and amenities being included in the newer areas.

A & B are directly related. When Wildwood Springs was acquired it was already established as a CDD and development plans had been through the initial process of approvals. They were able to start construction work almost immediately. This was unlike the Cresswind property that appears to have been the next logical step that still needed to have a development plan and CDD formation approved. Because Wildwood Springs was disconnected from the rest of The Villages there was no natural progression and sharing of the amenity resources that had occurred in the past that made things seem seamless and already in place. Instead all new amenities had to be built at the same time as homes were being built which makes things appear backwards from the previous trends in The Villages. Basically they've been playing catch up for the last 3 years. With the Low Lands course and Water Lilly rec centers they appear to be back on track.

Wildwood Springs is now knows as the villages of Fenney and DeSoto. Cresswind is the areas south of Brownwood and adjacent to Lake Okahumpka that is currently under construction.

C is a contributing factor to the time it has taken to catch up with the amenity construction, there is more green-spaces/park like areas and the amenities are much larger and more elaborate that before and anywhere else in The Villages. Maintaining the natural areas that they have also has required longer roads to connect the more spread out areas.

Again, they've been playing catch up for a while now but they appear to be back ahead of the game now.

I completely disagree with your comment about the "family"'s interest. If you look at the approach they have been using the last few years you see a big shift towards both being more environmentally friendly and preserving of the natural areas you will see that this has come at a great cost of time, effort, and the number of homes being built. Hogeye Sink could have easily been backfilled and Hogeye creek been established in its place and many dozens of new homes built in its place. Instead this natural area as well as others have been preserved. This all comes at a cost. It also creates a more desirable community long term, they are actually investing in their and our futures with this greener approach to building. It's a different mindset than in the past and more in line with the values of those now and in the future retiring. This isn't the beginning of the end of The Villages, it is the beginning of a new era of The Villages.