Is TV's getting too big?
 

Just looked at the populations of cities in Fl, the TV's will,IMHO most likely be in the top 10,population wise, in a few years!!!

Ten years is a long time for most of us. A goodly share of us may be living in the Village of Heavenly or in that extreme sauna.

I say about how things are in The Villages;

So far, so good.

There are pluses and minuses to population size.

There will be more crime, probably, and congestion, especially during high season but...

An increased population brings us the businesses we long for and will perhaps attract other perks such as more doctors to choose from, more everything to choose from.

Hear hear, Gracie. Most places where life is good grow. Look at any booming city. They grow because people want to live there. We are in a place that is great to live in. It will grow.

We, personally, LOVE the growth. The upside surely outweighs the down.

- the more the merrier (certainly a huge draw for new retirees)
- more eateries, stores, medical etc to choose from
- (hopefully) wider/new roads and more multi-modals
- more events, recreational, and shows

Saw the new Developer brochure detailing expansion over the next couple years in the south areas - spectacular. Fenney was simply a small beginning.

We moved into Gilchrist 4 years ago, between 466a and 44. Heard about 'the buildout', and assumed we would be on the Southside of TV. In 3-8 years, will be smack in the middle.

Life and TV growth goes on. and on.

The way TV is designed with golf courses, mail, pools, shopping, etc, etc.......most of the daily living is done within a fairly small measure from where one's home is located.

So how big TV gets from that perspective has little if any effect on one's days.

Yes there is more traffic...sometimes waits at restaurants (I say sometimes because it depends if one has to go at peak times........then we have to wait at almost any restaurant worth going to/anywhere).

Probably the biggest issue is traffic.....the age of the drivers.....the impatience of the elderly (always in a hurry to get where they are going).

As was stated above the growth has brought to TV the many entities that would not give us a second look if we were still at 35,000 population.

No matter the size......the lifestyle here is much, MUCH better than where most of us spent our work-a-day years....and of course no winter (except January).

We loved it when we built our home in 2004 with 35,000 population. And we love it no less now at some where above 100,000.......and all the businesses that have located here because of the size.

I would venture a guess that more than 90% feel the same way!!!

I think that the way TV is all spread out, it won't ever be as bad as a large city. Anytime that you're feeling crowded, go on down to Orlando and cruise I-4. That'll put things in perspective for you. :1rotfl:

I think billethkid hit the nail on the head. We seldom travel to Brownwood (maybe a couple times a year), as it is way too far for us to go by golf cart, and I really don't want to travel by car 20-25 minutes through a baker's dozen roundabouts to get there. I think that some of the Southern Villagers probably feel much the same about the North. The one big problem I see is Morse Blvd, only two lanes, and when a person from the South needs to go to the hospital, they don't have a lot of choice on the route. Plus our shopping here in the North is more mature, with Target and other offerings not yet available in the South, so people are driving up here. The traffic on Morse is aggravating right now, and obviously gets worse in season. I really wish the family would consider spending some of their billions on a major upgrade to Morse from 466 to 27/441, but I believe that's a pipe dream. But other than that, I have nothing to complain about here. Nobody I know can name a better place to retire.

I just checked with everyone.............it's 99.4%.

I agree with you. It seems that if there is no growth, it becomes stagnant, which does not attract more of everything that you mentioned. The Villages may no longer have a “homey” feel overall, but in the area in which I live and shop, it does feel that way.

As long as championship golf courses and sports pools are built along with more homes to keep the ratios constant I have no problem with the growth.

The more they build in the south mean the homes further north will be more desirable. Less crowded up there.

I don't think TV can get too big. Most of the people I know stay pretty much close to home, close to the stores they are used to, use the Rec Centers and pools they are used to. I rarely travel south for anything. I am used to where I live and shopping where I shop, and eating out where I eat out now. I am sure the new TVers will do the same, find their comfort zone and live within that.

I should, though, add that I am central to SS/441/LSL so I have a good selection of activities and stores in my zone. I have no need to travel for anything.

What she said.
:-)

Excellent point . I live close to Brownwood and everything I typically use or need is located within about 3 miles of my
home .

It's great to have the Villages amenities and features all around as a barrier to the " real " world . I was in Spanish Springs recently and realized that it was the first visit there in about 2 years .
Just returned from a 2 week trip up North to visit family and friends . It was great , much that I miss . However I was happy to return , especially with every conversation eventually turning to the fact that it would be soon time to get prepared for Winter !

I agree with you Gracie!! That said....check the cities and towns folks where you once lived. Did not change happen in those places?? Why does everyone not want change or why do they complain once they get settled in a place? In our former small midwestern town (that doubled/tripled in size during the 30 yrs we lived there) the newbies came in and that's all they did, is complain. They didn't like (you can fill in the blank) and they most certainly complained when new developments began to crop up. We had a name for them...NIMBIYS!!! (not in my back yard). I LOVE The Villages and all that is has to offer and will be offering. We can't speculate on 10 yrs from now---or 15 or 20. Most of us won't be around in those time frames anyway.........

As we age, which is inevitable, we notice how convenient it is to live within TV and to have the convenience of either using a car or a golf cart to get around. We have friends who live on the beach in a far northern State in a beautiful home, but they are miles from shopping, movie theaters, restaurants (other than eat in the rough places which close in the winter), and most of their neighbors leave for the winter. She remarked that she had to drive an hour to a local movie theater, meet her friends, watch the movie and drive back in the pitch blackness of a Northern night with no street lights. Getting old is so much easier and more comfortable in TV.:)

We are on the younger side so traveling anywhere in TV for golf, food, and grocery is not a big deal. Besides if you wait til after 5 the traffic slows down by 2/3s. Most restaurants by 7 have multiple tables available.

In 15 years we may think differently but for right now, we don’t mind the expansion

The Villages is not a city, so I don't see it making the list.

A person from the South should use the Leesburg Hospital.

Really, what does it matter if TV gets bigger?

A big percentage of residents probably don't venture outside the close proximity to where they live anyway; people that live close to SS, LSL and Brownwood have a tendency to stay close to those areas.

People in Fenney, Desoto, McClure and all the other soon to be southern Villages, will eventually have the same mindset once retail businesses are built up; some will drive their carts to Brownwood but cart traffic from the southern locales will be almost non-existent in LSL and SS.

I don't care if we get 500k people here as long as the Developer keeps the infrastructure up (in the existing Villages), retail businesses, the amenities and most important, the golf courses, on the same pace as the growth of residents.

Another excellent point . During the " busy season " we often read complaints about the grocery stores being crowded because they are ......... at certain hours .
However I learned 7 years ago when I first moved here that if I went for groceries at 7 PM I " owned " the store and seldom did I find them out of any of the specials or things that I needed .
And same thing with the restaurants . Go a bit later and you seldom have to wait and frankly the noise level is much more tolerable .
Aw gee .... now everyone will be doing so . Oh Well .......

I second that, grow until the basic law of economic supply and demand reaches an equilibrium, just keep up the amenities on the same pace as the growth of the residential development. If the Villages developers don't provide the growth, some other developer will. And I would much rather have the growth being managed by the Villages than some other unknown.

Great now you have let the cat out of the bag. Shhhh don’t tell anyone online grocery is the only way to shop. Then the only traffic we will see is UPS and FEDEx :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

The fact of the matter regarding growth well stated above!!

Today's web newspaper has a letter to the editor with a photo of the boardwalk in Sumter, showing disrepair and danger tape at the dock going to the pagoda. Unfortunately, seeing disrepair in a community like ours is usually the first sign that the developer has taken his eyes off the ball, and there could be more to come. I hope this isn't true, but someone "in power" should be pushing hard to avoid this kind of dereliction.

Agree with Gracie. Plus I find as I have aged I have slowed down and stay closer to home for shopplng and relaxing.

My only concern is when is enough enough! How big can the villages get to support the people willing to buy or live here? Or will the bubble bust. I am still young enough and worry about the future.

On the other hand:


The "Developer has acquired 100 or more dilapidated properties in the Historic Side , cleared and redeveloped the lots and built anew. Where have you even seen that happen before? I too wonder about the "Pier" issue. Someone not paying attention? don't know the facts yet.

Growth of TV is inevitable.

Da Family is getting bigger and instead of accepting smaller slices of the existing pie...a larger pie must be baked.

It would be good to hear from the officials about this. . Somewhere I read that they are experiencing challenges in lowering the water levels of Lake Sumter. We have experienced unprecedented rates of rain in the last two years. They cannot repair the walk as long as it's under water.

Anything near any kind of water or wetlands has to undergo extensive permitting and evaluation so it doesn't disturb the ecosystem , and conservation. I know about that firsthand. Not a doubt in my mind the developer is on top of things.

It seems most people are concerned about density, speaking just in terms of Florida, I grew up in St. Petersburg. In the 1960's we could drive north on Hwy 19 and not see a building for 15 miles until we reached Clearwater and then there was a sign that pointed to the left and said, Clearwater Beach. Today St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Largo, Clearwater, Dunedin, New Port Richey, Hudson, Spring Hill is just one large mass. If I was asked this question many years ago while still living in St. Petersburg, I would of said, stop building!

Here in TV urban sprawl doesn't have the boundaries of the Gulf or Tampa Bay, homes here are on the same size lots in the Village of Chatham in the north end as they are in the Village of Fenney in the newest areas. I don't see any negative to growth, only positives in bringing more new possibilities. Yes, traffic in the winter gets to be a burden, but that is going to happen with 100K people or 200K people. I live very near the new Lowes and Aldis and yet when I drove to the Village of Fenney it was 14 miles by car. The size of this place is so huge, that you really never see the growth until you're asked.

Is TV getting too ,,,,,,
 

A person asked about coming here, what to do and other opinions. OK here are some thoughts:
1. We Cruise a lot and have met some great friends on Cruise Ships. A lot of "Cruisers" from Florida have great experiences to share on board about ALL the Senior Communities in Florida, at Lunch, Dinner etc.
2. One couple we met on a ship, got us a really great package, 3 days 2 nights at Del Webb, Orlando. Awesome, indoor swimming pool and a lot of well managed activities and areas of wide interests.
2. We met a couple who live in Harbor Hills and another couple who live in Stonecrest. We now bicycle with them at their locations, wow, no happy hours makes that very nice.
Both of those places are really well managed.
3. In the Villages, you mentioned you wanted to meet folks, so: We do volunteer a lot, some great programs. Tutors for Kids, (Frank and Carolyn), The Enrichment Programs, Camp Villages, and other Individual clubs. Check the Rec news for all of the coverage. Very well managed by Mr. Rohan, Paul Arn and several others. And Thank You Mr. Rohan for the excellent breakfast yesterday! We both like teaching, sharing skills with the Children and also with the Grandparents who want to do interesting programs or Constructive Learning with the younger set, giving back to the community. Many programs will welcome you, some are a bit set and may not, so watch for that and Good Luck.
:coolsmiley:

The locals are having similar discussions about growth taking place in and around Homer, Ak. If I didn’t live in Tv, I might want to live in Homer. I have had a great visit with friends and the weather has been super until today. The ferry to Kodiak has been delayed a day because of gale force winds in the open sea.So, another day in Homer to see more interesting things!

Shall we get a few facts straight on this?
1) the dock is not in disrepair, it is taped off because of the hazards caused by the high water level in Lake Sumter - slippery when wet, alligators, etc.
2) the 2 new pumps have been running nearly around the clock to get the water level down in LS but because of the rain that was experienced it is going down very very slowly. LS has no natural drainage (river, canal, etc.- welcome to Florida, this is how swamps are made here) so we either let it drain naturally or pump it. Both are happening but it still rains. Do you see the sprinklers running day and night on the golf courses? That is the water being pumped for the lakes and retention ponds trying to get the levels down. We will be wishing for rain here in about 4 months as the dry season comes upon us and the lake levels drop again.
3) the lake itself is a part of the common properties of The Villages that are maintained via the Project Wide Fund managed by the PWAC and administered by the Sumter Landing Community Development District. The "developer" doesn't own the lake and is neither responsible nor involved in the operation or maintenance of the lake. Do they care what it looks like? Who is to say, most certainly they care, for now though it is up to mother nature to give us some relief.
4) the community is not in despair and those "in power" have not taken their eye off the ball, the water level issues are being tracked very closely.

TV is tops
 

The Villages is way ahead of whatever retirement place is in second place. :bigbow:

True about shopping and restaurants
 

People are creatures of habit. You go early or late to shop or eat and you find fewer people. Traffic is still very tolerable here compared to most places in Florida. :ho:

Real Questions
 

The real question is not if the Villages are growing too big as we will grow based on demand. The real question is if the infrastructure to support the growth as it happens and are the people managing the infrastructure the "Right people". As an example the Wildwood/Brownwood area has grown significantly while has the Law Enforcement grown at the same pace to protect and serve the community?? The same type of concern can be applied to the roads, the community maintenance, fire support, medical needs, etc. To support the infrastructure required for these and others you MUST have qualified people. As an example to point out one area the Wildwood Police Force has not expanded at the same rate as the community growth. I am not on this service nor to I have a relationship with anyone on the force but can tell just by observation and hearing. Key to meeting the critical path of Infrastructure growth is the right people to manage it.:ho:

Great Post Goldwing . Thanks for taking the time to provide us with factual and useful information . Hope that you continue to do so .