South Lake Denham
 

First off, thanks for all the info on other post.
We are looking at fenced villas and veranda. The southern most part has a full neighborhood with fully fenced yards.

My question is, it's all by itself, no pools, restaurants, golf, or anything.

Does anyone know if they plan to put anymore amenities down there. It seems by golf cart, it's 20 minutes to eastport and 30 minutes to Brownwood?

The Developer is now focused on construction in the Eastport area. It will most likely be several years before he returns to that area.

Fenced in homes are being built in Eastport. The exact same models as Dabney and Lake Denham. The difference? Much more golfing and amenities are well under way in the Eastport area. Take a drive and compare the two areas.

Note: Fenced in Courtyard Villas are available as preowned slightly north of 44. You may find a bargain in that area along with far more golfing and amenities. The homes have much smaller bonds and lower taxes. The location is between Brownwood, Lake Sumter, and Sawgrass Grove. Easy access to Eastport by golf cart.

The older homes are pretty much the same floor plans as new. Preowned have larger back yards with smaller garages. You can add a pool, large mansard, or increase lanai size. Many yards are low maintenance. New models opposite: larger garages smaller yards. It appears most have grass lawns. Expanding in the back is not possible for the majority.

The Dabney pool is the adult pool for Lake Denham and Dabney. Other than that the golf being put in the Eastport area will be the closest. We have Sawgrass 10 minute cart ride for some entertainment and food.

It seems other things will eventually go in south of 470 but that may be a couple years off. Also a bridge over the turnpike at 470 is likely. But if you want 5 minute cart ride to a square you are probably better off buying a resale near a square, new house near Eastport, or the new section of Richmond, which is close to Brownwood, (not sure if they are building courtyard villas and verandas there).

The best part about being that far south is you’re only 45 minutes from Orlando. I live by sawgrass and wish I lived in Dabney.( yes, I could sell and move, I’m aware) my guess is that area will be developed but who knows when.

You might check out the latest Don Wiley (gold wingnut) video on YouTube. They are already starting to build the infrastructure for more neighborhoods south of 470! It is astounding how fast they build. For now, Dunham seems remote but as time goes on it will have more and more things available.

I live in Lake Denham. From the Lake Denham gate off 470, there's restaurants and grocery stores 3 miles east on 470 at Lake Harris Square. Eastport will be 4 miles west. Sawgrass is 6 miles.

There's an adult pool at the Dabney postal station and a family pool at Franklin recreation center which is next to the Lake Denham postal station. There's Mickeylee pitch and putt there.

In the future, there should be retail and possibly a hospital across the road on 470. They are building lot of golf courses on the other side of the turnpike.

It takes me less than 30 minutes to get to Costco in Clermont.

The new part of Richmond will be designers and verandas. These homes will all sell out within hours, just like the northern part of Richmond did in the fall of 2022.

One good thought, squares are very important during lifestyle, and about first year. Then with each year you dwindle down to maybe once a quarter, then it’s because family is in. Even after 17 years our kids won’t go to the square.

We golf everywhere, traveling up to an hour to play even though we had 5 courses within 5 minutes. Courses south are in much better shape at this time.

We eat out maybe once a week, and it’s outside of TV. Kroger is our delivery to front door, no need to drive anywhere…You have better restaurants within minutes or go to Clermont for everything. Then again Disney Springs is 40 minutes.

Pools we built this last house to add a pool, not a fan of public pools, loud music, and everyone’s conversation.

One really needs to stay at least a few days to get what works.

No matter What works for anyone……May not work for you

Yep
 

Saw the map a couple weeks back in county minutes. It’s all designer / veranda.

The housing market is changing. It will be interesting to watch what happens.

It is changing, but I agree that the new Richmond will go superfast. Already people waiting. I'd suggest getting in with a VLS agent quickly and letting them know what you want.

The list for Richmond East has been accumulating before dirt started moving. VLS agents have multiple names on multiple lots and spec even though no idea what model is built.

Then again everyone is also in line with the VLS agents buying investment properties

People in Dabney are mostly younger retirees, many in their 50s, who are “forward-thinking”. I have several good friends who live in Newell/Lake Denham/Dabney, and they all love where they purchased, and I enjoy hanging out in those villages (so beautiful there!). They can get to Clermont (Costco, shopping, restaurants, etc) quicker than it takes to get up to Spanish Springs.

I remember reading posts here and watching you tube videos many years before I moved to TV when Fenney was being built. Read and watched so many Villagers who thought people were “crazy” that bought in Fenney. Now, Fenney is a much-sought -after village, and arguably one of the most scenic and picturesque villages. Those folks were looking forward to the future, when Fenney would be attached by golf cart trails to the rest of the community. And now with McNeil Drive and the cart paths open to Sawgrass, and Eastport coming on line within the next year, Fenney, becomes more and more desirable. Dabney/Lake Denham will be a great location as development both in and the near the “bubble” continues. Those folks are young and are patient.

I suspect most will be bought by investors. That is the part I am wanting to watch. In the past, I flipped several Villages homes. Now, it seems EVERYONE wants in on the game. It was not like this in the past. IMO, too much competition is not a good thing. I'd rather watch from the sidelines.

I suspect you may be correct - investors will probably be the bulk of those who snatch up Richmond East.

We have bought homes for family use, and one investment in TV, when inventory was high. We never flipped, used them for parents and one 10 year long term tenant.

What isn’t fair, is VLS agents bought homes for investment in Richmond, with 20 plus names of people who wanted to live here. We were number 30 and up on some properties.
When you have multiple agents buying homes for each other, instead of potential residents it creates multiple VRBOs with daily rentals, that full timers have to deal with.

We have 3 family members, that are hoping to get a home in Richmond east to have parent close. Prediction is not one will be #1-5 on any house. But a multitude of agent buys.

Would like to see a no investment property again to give those who want to reside in that village a fair advantage.

Then if there homes left VLS people can have at it.

I agree! We never rented any properties we bought. Like you, we lived in them. Slowly, I would make upgrades doing the majority of the work myself. If opportunity knocked, we had no attachment to the home and would quickly accept a great offer. Only once did we list a home on MLS. All others were sold as independent deals.

Now, it seems rentals are increasing. Or, homes sit empty for a year then are placed on VLS or MLS. I would prefer buyers who want to live in a home.

The housing market is changing everywhere in the USA. However, the Villages is unique. Instead of having few homes on the market, we have a large inventory that is GROWING every day. It is obvious some of this inventory is investors wanting to cash in. I have nothing against making a profit on your home. It is the AMOUNT of homes some investors purchase. There should be a limit.

Investors/Villages Real Estate Agents

I've not really seen very many examples where the developer added something after the fact, with the exception of a restaurant at Okahumpka rec center (still in progress), Edna's in Marsh Bend and the disc golf course in the same area plus the putt & play golf in Fenney.

Connectivity
 

I gather you are talking about transportation via golf cart to amenities? Bridges have been put in after the fact too, which helps access to amenities elsewhere? We will wait and see if they place a golf cart bridge across the soon to be enlarged state interchange at 470 and the Florida turnpike. The project would be MASSIVE. There haven’t been any permits filed yet for such a project though.

The most likely possibility are tunnels under 470 that go to new amenities in other villages not yet announced.

Residents from dabney need to start their trip to brownwood or lake Sumter hours before they want to get there. I live near the homestead rec center and it takes me over 40 minutes to get to brownwood or over 40 mins to get to colony strip mall, and you are much further away from homestead rec center.
All new development is heading down over Bexley bridge for many years to come

I was thinking that spot at Chandler and 470 would be a good strip of land to put the retaining wall down to a tunnel under 470. It's directly across the road from the land owned by the Villages south of 470. When they expand to 4 lanes would be a good time to do it.


I live in Lake Denham and it takes me 30 minutes by cart to get to Brownwood. You may need to find a better route because if it take you 40 minutes from Homestead (which I pass along my way) you are doing something wrong.

There's lots of possibilities for the future of that area.

Given they completely relocated 470 in Sumter County, it will be interesting to see what happens in lake County.

I also wouldn't be surprised to see the Turnpike interchange moved a little south. That design phase is a year away.

Maybe even something like this?

Golf path route from center of Lake Denham to Brownwood is 10 miles. You would need to AVERAGE 20 mph to make it in 30 mins. That means going about 25 mph, or so, on straight aways and/or taking turns and tunnels really hard. I make it in 28 mins from my house in St. Catherine (7.2 miles) not going over 22-23 mph. An average of 20 mph would get me there in 21.5 mins so I'm actually only averaging 15-16 mph. If you were to average the same it should take 38-39 mins. From Lake Denham Postal Center (which is actually in Newell) it's 9.1 miles which at 15-16 mph would be 36 mins.

Math aside, that’s not been my experience. I live south of the postal station. My cart is new, governor set to 20. It’s never gone over 22 and then only on straight away with slight decline. It takes me 30 minutes to Brownwood. Matter of fact it doesn’t take much longer than by car.

Only caveat is it’s 30 minutes to the entrance to the parking lot right after the bridge. Add 3 minutes to get into the square area.

I would be surprised. You are talking about big bucks! Land acquisition, signage, court time etc. That endeavor would not be a cheap one. In the end though, emanate domain would go to the state. I would think it much quicker to just stick with current plans to widen and stick with current easement legalities.

Exactly how many dual bridge situations a half mile apart do you see on the turnpike or anywhere for that matter? Zero

Any existing bridge that can't accommodate eight (8), 12-foot travel lanes (four in each direction) with 12-foot shoulders and a 26-foot median with a barrier wall under it (128 ft total) - is coming down.

New bridge structures, new ramp tolling sites (e.g. interchanges), and right-of-way acquisition are identified in the planning.

I drive the same cart path all the time and agree with frayedends’ time calculations - Richmond to Sawgrass is 18 minutes for me / Richmond to Homestead is 23 minutes. A few more minutes to Lake Denham. Denham to Brownwood is an easy and consistent 30 minute cart ride.

466A is still being built out with retail and houses just north are about 13 yrs old or more. Wildwood is barely building out 44. Unless Leesburg or Sumterville picks up slack and quickly decides to build, build, build... count on MANY years before there will be significant retail shopping other than your average T V Publix plazas like at Everglades. Clermont or Lady Lake. Take your pick. Lady Lake via golf cart... make a day of it.

Map
 

The current project doesn’t show additional easement off of the standard 75 feet on each side and the ramps. Once the lanes are built, there will be an additional 75 feet from each side of the road claimed for easement and maintenance. The state owned intersection is shown on the county map page 34. Right now, there are zero indications the state is doing anything extra, let alone moving the exits and entrances. It all seems fairly clear, they are just widening at this point with no additional plans except for a longer bridge. They own 100,102,104 and 900. That would be quite a distance to span with a golf cart bridge?

Agree But
 

I don’t think they could or will have a turnpike crossing like a bridge, but there could be a tunnel bridge mix. It could be the first of its kind. The Villages are known for many firsts. I’m more aggravated about the increase in noise potential. Walls must be demanded even though we all know this will be a large expense.