graciegirl
08-06-2013, 10:44 AM
I have copied a post made in 2008 made by one of our posters who always seems to know the inside scoop.
I think you will find what he said here very interesting if you hadn't read this before.
#10 (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/152480-post10.html) https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/images/talkofthevillages/buttons/report.gif (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/report.php?p=152480)
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/images/talkofthevillages/statusicon/post_old.gif 08-28-2008, 03:54 PM
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/customavatars/avatar8467_1.gif (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/skip-8467/)Skip (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/skip-8467/) https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/images/talkofthevillages/statusicon/user_offline.gif
Veteran member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 603
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif Re: Question - Evolution of The Villages Plan
I've been here quite a while and keep up with this stuff. Marion County was not friendly to the developer and they stopped expanding in that direction. TRUE. (Couldn't even agree on the naming of the streets.)
The problems with titles and deeds happened in Lake County between Chula Lista Ave. and 27/441 where Village La Reynalda is now. It stood undeveloped for quite some time.
Brownwood Honey House was Gary Morse's name for his roadside vegetable stand back home in Central Lake, Michigan. Gary's mother taught him the value of direct mail marketing. The exact location of this 3rd town square has been moved a few times. It was first called Lake Deaton Square. It is now proposed to be close to Wildwood west of Buena Vista. (Perhaps so Wildwood would annex it.) The marketing of such additional commercial parcels will be very challenging indeed.
Long before Harold Schwartz thought of developing Orange Blossom Gardens (The Villages first name), people like Ben Schleifer and Del Webb had built planned retirement communities (1950-60s) out west and in Florida. (Sun City is perhaps the best known.) Go visit Sun City Center and Top of the World! It's more like Schwartz got the idea from Webb, rather than Webb or Pringle copying Schwartz's idea for the Villages. It's the vast amount of recreation (that we pay for) that is so unique to this huge venture.
You have to remember that Harold didn't start off with "The Big Idea". He wanted cheap living and free golf. That's all. It just grew and grew and grew. Part of the success is having a finger in every piece of the pie: banking, mortgages, closing, re-sales, furniture, cable TV, TV station, radio station, newspaper, internet service, golf courses, golf carts, landscape maintenance, shopping, storage facilities, garbage collection, restaurants, night club, church, deed restrictions, even government! All directed by the developer.
What is different about this developer is that he puts in all the recreation and golf courses FIRST, and then builds houses around it. Most other retirement communities in Florida and elsewhere tell prospective buyers "We have the plans and the permits to start building a nice recreation center and pool for you when 80% of the houses are sold.". Next thing you know, the developer sells the remaining un-built lots to other developers and skips town without keeping his promise.
Sure, the Morse family could continue to expand The Villages further. "Buildout" seems to be a changing number (and date) over the years. Just depends on how greedy/interested the grandchildren are and what they want to do with their lives.
Yes, Mark Morse bought a lot of land in Texas, but he has been quoted as saying "We have no intentions of leaving here and that was hunting land I bought."
Hope this helps. Time will tell.
Skip
I think you will find what he said here very interesting if you hadn't read this before.
#10 (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/152480-post10.html) https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/images/talkofthevillages/buttons/report.gif (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/report.php?p=152480)
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/images/talkofthevillages/statusicon/post_old.gif 08-28-2008, 03:54 PM
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/customavatars/avatar8467_1.gif (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/skip-8467/)Skip (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/members/skip-8467/) https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/images/talkofthevillages/statusicon/user_offline.gif
Veteran member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 603
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/images/icons/icon1.gif Re: Question - Evolution of The Villages Plan
I've been here quite a while and keep up with this stuff. Marion County was not friendly to the developer and they stopped expanding in that direction. TRUE. (Couldn't even agree on the naming of the streets.)
The problems with titles and deeds happened in Lake County between Chula Lista Ave. and 27/441 where Village La Reynalda is now. It stood undeveloped for quite some time.
Brownwood Honey House was Gary Morse's name for his roadside vegetable stand back home in Central Lake, Michigan. Gary's mother taught him the value of direct mail marketing. The exact location of this 3rd town square has been moved a few times. It was first called Lake Deaton Square. It is now proposed to be close to Wildwood west of Buena Vista. (Perhaps so Wildwood would annex it.) The marketing of such additional commercial parcels will be very challenging indeed.
Long before Harold Schwartz thought of developing Orange Blossom Gardens (The Villages first name), people like Ben Schleifer and Del Webb had built planned retirement communities (1950-60s) out west and in Florida. (Sun City is perhaps the best known.) Go visit Sun City Center and Top of the World! It's more like Schwartz got the idea from Webb, rather than Webb or Pringle copying Schwartz's idea for the Villages. It's the vast amount of recreation (that we pay for) that is so unique to this huge venture.
You have to remember that Harold didn't start off with "The Big Idea". He wanted cheap living and free golf. That's all. It just grew and grew and grew. Part of the success is having a finger in every piece of the pie: banking, mortgages, closing, re-sales, furniture, cable TV, TV station, radio station, newspaper, internet service, golf courses, golf carts, landscape maintenance, shopping, storage facilities, garbage collection, restaurants, night club, church, deed restrictions, even government! All directed by the developer.
What is different about this developer is that he puts in all the recreation and golf courses FIRST, and then builds houses around it. Most other retirement communities in Florida and elsewhere tell prospective buyers "We have the plans and the permits to start building a nice recreation center and pool for you when 80% of the houses are sold.". Next thing you know, the developer sells the remaining un-built lots to other developers and skips town without keeping his promise.
Sure, the Morse family could continue to expand The Villages further. "Buildout" seems to be a changing number (and date) over the years. Just depends on how greedy/interested the grandchildren are and what they want to do with their lives.
Yes, Mark Morse bought a lot of land in Texas, but he has been quoted as saying "We have no intentions of leaving here and that was hunting land I bought."
Hope this helps. Time will tell.
Skip