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Villages News online July 28, 2019
Lofts at Brownwood bringing apartments with amenities to The Villages

The Lofts at Brownwood, which for the first time will offer apartment living with full use of amenities in The Villages, has begun taking shape a stone’s throw from Paddock Square.

The Lofts at Brownwood will include 265 age-restricted apartment-style units. The residents of the apartments will have their own private resort-style pool, clubhouse and fitness center. They also will have a dog park. In addition, 100 percent of residents of the Lofts at Brownwood will have Villages amenities built into their rental fee.

As the apartment buildings rise, many are wondering what the future holds for apartment life in The Villages.

Condominiums and apartments will be allowed in the new Villages of Southern Oaks, a sprawling development that will stretch from U.S. 301 east nearly to County Road 470 on both sides of the Florida Turnpike.

Apartments and condominiums would squeeze more money out of the acreage it is located on and provide a steady income for The Villages.

However, some residents who bought homes, pay amenity fees and pay property taxes are not happy about the idea of apartments in The Villages.


Villages Sun June 25, 2018
Development Of The Lofts Begins Today At Brownwood

The Villages moves forward today with site work on the Lofts at Brownwood, 265 age-restricted apartment-style living units at the southeast corner of Powell Road and County Road 44A at Brownwood. It’s a project developers say is driven by resident input and feedback. To learn more, check out The Lofts at Brownwood | The Villages.

It will include 275,000 square feet of residential space; 12,954 square feet of garage bays; a pool; a pavilion; a clubhouse with a game room, fitness center and space for friends to gather; a dog park; and a mail center.

And residents not only will have full access to The Villages’ amenities through a monthly amenity fee, but also complete golf cart access to all recreational and commercial services in the community. The developer provides more information at The Lofts at Brownwood | The Villages.

Because of the scope of the project, the Developer recently secured development approval from the Wildwood City Commission to permanently close Brownwood Boulevard beginning today from Shady Nook Run to County Road 44A.

As construction progresses, the Developer also anticipates closing Shady Nook Run east of Brownwood Boulevard.

This project will add a considerable economic impact to the area. Using the current Census multiplier of 1.8 people per home in The Villages, the leased units at the Lofts could become home to about 477 Villagers.

Also: New demographic data paints a revealing portrait of the growth of the community in terms of age and sex. While it remains the oldest population in the country, residents in The Villages metropolitan statistical area aged at only a 3.5 percent rate from 2013 to 2017, according to Census Bureau data released Thursday. The median age last year for both sexes was 67.4, but 67 for males and 67.7 for females. The largest numeric change occurred within the age bracket of Villagers at least 65 or older at 17,299 new residents. Within that category, the 70 to 74 age bracket grew by 5,893 residents for a 35.8 percent gain and the 75 to 79 bracket grew by 5,107 residents for a 49.9 percent gain. However, the biggest five-year percentage increase occurred in the 80 to 84 age bracket, with 2,703 new residents for a 50.6 percent gain. By the way, women remain the majority demographic at 37,025 females to 34,249 males of all residents age 65 or older.

Also: Once again, The Villages maintained its status as Florida’s most stable real estate market, according to CoreLogic’s latest “Home Price Insights” report. For perspective, CoreLogic, a real estate data and analytics firm, supports a key national economic indicator — the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index. And CoreLogic classified The Villages metropolitan statistical area in April as the only MSA in the state where home prices are neither overvalued nor undervalued. In fact, its research staff considers all other Florida MSAs as overvalued — a classification inherited from the 2008 national recession that severely devalued most Florida MSAs, except in The Villages. Meanwhile, home values in The Villages continue on a steady climb, according to CoreLogic. Year-over-year home values increased in April by 4.3 percent.

Also: Wildwood city planners are reviewing development plans for the 303 acres that will connect the existing Meggison Road on the north side of State Road 44 with zoned growth north of Warm Springs Avenue (formerly County Road 468) and on the east side of Florida’s Turnpike. Recent action by the Wildwood City Commission approved the 303 acres for a variety of residential and commercial uses.

Also: The Developer’s infrastructure work on the 303 acres south of Brownwood would enhance the announced development of the proposed Central Florida Health expansion on 41 acres due south of the town center. Central Florida Health, the nonprofit parent of The Villages Regional Hospital and Leesburg Regional Medical Center, envisions the development of an emergency department on that 41-acre site. Officials at the hospital group recently told the Daily Sun the project is in the planning and development stage.

Also: That Central Florida Health emergency department would complement The Villages current development of the Center for Advanced Healthcare and the Brownwood Hotel & Spa, about a quarter-mile to the west and north of SR 44. Planned as a bedless hospital, the Center for Advanced Healthcare would provide an extensive menu of multispecialty medical practices capable of doing many of the inpatient services done at a traditional hospital, which would give patients the choice to recuperate in the adjoining resort-style hotel, at a rehabilitation facility or at home.