Construction Update #118 – Is Sawgrass Grove the New Party Central?
 

Here’s a look at the construction happening here in The Villages. Sawgrass Grove has opened and there was even more partying going on in St Catherine. Also included is a look at the Hobby Lobby and Sprouts locations as well as the progress at 7-11 in Magnolia Plaza. Of course I also show the latest progress in the Villages of Richmond and Newell as well as the progress in Eastport and Middleton.

Please enjoy the video and remember to support my sponsors.
https://youtu.be/KmmzEP2HdGc
A list of areas shown is in the YouTube Video description.

That Village of Newell sure is off the beaten path. There must be a good reason why somebody would choose that location.

Yes! We certainly know how to have a good time in St. Catherine. :beer3: And the real crowd hadn't even shown up to Ray's yet. We were still drying off from the rain. :1rotfl:

Perhaps now, but in a year or two the situation will be very different. There are many breadcrumb sections/communities in The Villages, as much as I've traveled throughout The Villages and know it very well, there are still some sections I have to leave a trail of breadcrumbs to find my way out again.

We live in an off the beaten path opus north and we love it. Very quiet, no traffic, no crowds and it leads to long golf cart rides. By car we are not attached to the Villages, only by golf cart path which most cannot find.

Great Video
 

Another great and informative video. Thank you for acknowledging that the new School Campus is being paid for by the developer. So many people whine about the "Greedy Developer", yet fail to recognize their contributions. The hospital and schools construction in most places would come with an enormous new set of taxes to cover the bonds .

Excellent job again. No news on what else will be going in at 301 & Warm
Springs?

3 medical establishments and a Dunkin Doughnuts, that's all I have so far.

The Villages Charter School accepts federal and State government money. The Villages Charter School does not serve a range of Exceptional Student Education (ESE). I am glad the developer is building these schools so that employees and service providers' children will have a great school to attend. I wish they would provide services to the full range of students with exceptionalities as I believe in equal educational opportunity and people with disabilities need to receive an exceptional education and have the opportunity to engage in activities. It is important to realize money used to fund the Charter school is siphoned from counties leaving them less money to educate children who reside in their area. So children who are vulnerable and need services either due to illness or ongoing disability are left in public schools with less funds to care for them. It would be great if The Villages decided not to drain the neighboring counties' funds and be self supporting but they are not. The Villages Charter is receiving funds through Public Charter School Program Grant (CSP) Planning, Program Design and Implementation (2022-
2025) and Title IV, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as
amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) (20 U.S.C. 7221-7221j). It is public information.

Just a heads up. The Village of Newell is in Lake County. I was also told that their bond is starting at 48k

Paradise, found
 

we see your point

Each student’s parents pay school taxes (and those of us without children pay school taxes) and the taxes should follow the student no matter where the student goes to school.

Just a quick fyi,
At a recent townhall meeting for UF Health employees, it was announced the new hospital is “ON HOLD”.
They will however be adding more beds to the free standing er at brownwood.

Is that really true? I’m in process of trying to get a new build in Richmond lottery, if that doesn’t pan out for me because of high demand, then I thought I’d try for Newell, but didn’t know about that high of a bond. Yikes!

This message brought to you by the National Education Association. Their only solution is more money for lower results. Yes, put the money in the parents hands to choose where their children will attend school and watch how quickly the education system improves without Union politics involved.

^ Concur.

I wonder what percentage of the Sumter County school budget comes from The Villages Tax payers, who have no children?

That does not matter. Residents of the county pay taxes for the schools.

FYI - a higher bond could mean there is more common/preserve space per rooftop.

Yes, the bonds continue to go up as costs go up. It is unrealistic to attempt to compare bonds in CDD14 with the bonds north of SR44 or event the Fenney/DeSoto area. There is nearly 8 years difference in the bond issuance dates which means 8 years difference in costs. It's comical to hear people compare the bonds rates in CDD13/14 to those area farther north, there's 20 years difference between CDD14's and CDD5's bonds, cost change, compare the cost of a new 2022 car and a 2002 car.

Even if the bond method wasn't used, the cost of a new house would still contain these increased costs.

As far as the starting rate, it varies, so far what is posted goes form $23k for a villa to about $48K.

Any idea what’s going to happen on the northwest corner of Meggison and Warm Springs and the southeast corner of Meggison and rte 44? We really need some retail around here. It would be nice to have Target, Wal Mart, Belk, Beal’s, Home Depot, Ace, Lowes or any of 100 other retailers that would be golf cart accessible in the area.

Doc, you are dreaming with you list…………..

Maybe people like it because it will be close to the hot spots of Lake Denham and Dabney.

I have heard they are going to plant a lot of trees and make it into a park.

Have to ask how many times a year do you go to Target, Belk, Beal’s Lowes, Home Depot, Ace. Leave out Walmart one May grocery there.

January- November visits for us…. Target, Belk, Beal’s, - Zero visits. HD, Ace - Once, Lowes, - Twice. Having one in my back door just seems like wasted space. I guess not a customer that would keep their business profitable.

On a up note Amazon, guy greets us by our name. Saves time, gas, and price is always less, with app on my phone.

When I lived near Spanish Springs I was in those stores quite often. I'm probably spoiled by having everything a short golf cart ride away. Most people who live in the southern area near me haven't lived anywhere else so they don't know what they're missing.

Don't get me wrong. I like it down here and my wife loves it. I just got used to being able to do and go almost everywhere in my golf cart. Now everything is an excursion.

Golly, I hope not.

Until there is a much greater population density will not get any of that. Look how long before 466A corridor got built up.

Cannot speak for how Florida schools spend money but the union in NYC is a disgrace. They even have a building where teachers who are not trusted to be in front of students sit all day reading newspaper as they are not allowed to be fired.

Union is in it for their members first students way down the list.

NIce attachment, not.

Agreed, "if you build it they will come" is a business plan for failure, the customers have to be there first then the businesses will come. What will drive them to a new store is when it is more convenient to come to the new store than the existing store.

I wonder about the logic of placing a new store directly across from an established one vs. maybe someplace half way between new growth and the existing store.

There seems to be some off that strategy in the Wesley Chapel area.

Correct.

People are being paid, a lot more money than you or I, to make those decisions.:laugh:

People are being paid, a lot more money than you or I, to make those decisions.:laugh:

Well, maybe some of the people here used to be those people in a different life :laugh:

Normally Don, I agree with your perspective on nearly everything else. This is a rare exception. Isn't that "failure" of a business model the exact same on that was used to build The Villages? I consider The Villages fairly successful.

If you mean that they build the houses and people come and buy them, not really, a house is different from a car only in that it is not mobile. Car manufacturers build a lot of "spec" vehicles that are at the lot waiting for you to buy, just like the houses here.
They build inventory and people buy it, just like car manufacturers.

For a restaurant or retail store it is a lot different, if people have to go out of their way to buy something that they "want" there has to be a very compelling reason - uniqueness or price usually. Consider in the case of The Villages, when they build homes, they also build the amenities that people want, and present a finished/polished product - roads, greenery, etc. making it desirable to move to the new areas even when much of the supporting retail is initially less convenient.

If Publix at Magnolia plaza had opened the same time as the first homes in Fenney were being built, they would have shuttered the doors and windows within weeks of opening, instead, they delayed 3 years until there was a sizable supporting population that would recognize the convenience of the new location, driving business to it. It is an undeniable success now.

No! I just bought in Richmond and don’t want all that retail and the traffic that comes with it! All I need to be close to is a grocery store and a pharmacy. Those other stores I visit once or twice a year, if that. The shopping area up near Spanish Springs is crowded and grid-locked at times with traffic. I am not a “shopper” that needs all those stores. I buy most of my clothing online, and Amazon for most household goods, and stock up at Costco quarterly for bulk items.

Yes, but you and I are in the minority. Most love their stores and consumption, the businesses will come. Just prepare yourself mentally for it, you’ll survive the chaos.:cryin2: