Developer's new EastPort playground video
 

The Developer may have started to adjust to the new reality after the recent Drone Wars. They appear to be augmenting their usual 5-minute long video every few months with some interspersed 1-minute updates like this new one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1poKUQYv-o

If so, this is a good sign of adjustment on their part. IMHO, they should also have a 30 year old family member running their social media and enable comments on their videos so their marketing team can better engage with viewers (potential residents) who are of a younger (GenX) generation and more digitally savvy.

Dam, that place looks more like a city than a town square. I’m sure that will be appealing for some folks, but I’m glad we’re where we are in the bubble and not there.

You are correct. It is not a town square like the others. It is the new and exciting design.

Good stuff for the working families.

But putting sports bars across from high school entrances and play grounds in the middle of the Eastport commercial areas is a curious choice.

That area with the minvan size golf carts full of children is looking less and less like a retirement community.

Took the trolly (actually bus, left from Sawgrass) tour of Eastport with my sister who's visiting for a week and is thinking about moving here. Blew my mind when the tour guide, who's a Village realtor, say that Eastport will be larger than Spanish Springs, Sumter Landing and Brownwood combined. Yikes!

No worries many in SS area shelter in place rarely travel more than 15 minutes from their home, usually the oldest population in TV. LSL slightly younger population willing to travel north to SS and south to Brownwood.

South of 44 and beyond far younger, find traveling to SS, LSL, Brownwood, Eastport, Ocala, Gainesville and Orlando not a problem. Eventually they also will age in place in 20-25 years, similar to today’s SS. In 20-25 years SS will become younger due to dirt naps

It’s precisely why we moved to TV/Eastport area. Last I checked, SS just started an overhaul from being OLD. LSL can’t be far behind. Not a lot of draw there either. Much of the business there is a niche market, financial advisors, and the like. Not a major draw to most Villagers. Brownwood has a nice mix of businesses.
Eastport will be a huge draw, like one not. I have a feeling the resale housing prices here will be the strongest, for this reason.
Its a bit of a time warp, north to south, it’s easy to see the progression of TV. The squares, housing and TV life keeps getting upgraded. Not to mention the average Villager age, again, north to south.
All areas or TV has pluses and minuses. But those factors change with time.

100% agree!

I worked the voting polls last year, one in Laurel Manor and one in Everglades. Several hundred voters at each. I characterized Laurel Manor as "canes, walkers, wheelchairs". I characterized Everglades as "gym bags, bicycle shorts". Very different populations!

The school, Victory Sports bar, splash pad, and mini-van sized golf carts full of kids are in Middleton, which is the family village. Though it's located within The Villages footprint, Middleton has separate amenities for the families who live there because it is not part of TV. We ventured out to have dinner with friends at Victory and found it was full of teams and their parents in town for a national basketball tournament at the high school. It was fun to talk to them.

Seems like great choices to me. Sports bars are where school aged teams go after games, tournaments, etc. My kids played hockey from the time they were 6 years old. The teams always ended up at sports bars for lunch or dinner when traveling. The parents would have some beers and the kids would sit together at a big table. The fact they were loud didn't change the vibe of the place. Heck Hooters was a favorite. The waitresses would use the jersey number for the tabs, making it easy to split for each family.

Also, lots of Villagers want places to keep the grandkids happy when visiting. At first I agreed with you, but after thinking about it, I think it makes sense.

That's a great description! :)

Makes me wish I were 65 again.....looks like it will be a great place to live.

Larger in terms of just acreage, likely, as it's 250 acres with hotel, large phallic lake, and added recreation - notably the outdoor fields and courts.

I think the commercial retail will be comparable to the other squares.

Why does TV need another playground? We already have one at Lake Sumter Landing! One should be enough.

The one church in TV, located in the Hysterical Area, is all we have ever needed.

I really doubt if they want to read all the nasty comments like the ones posted on ND and in TV Facebook groups by disgruntled Villagers. There are also many locals who hate TV and are constantly posting negative comments in their attempt to convince Villagers to move or dissuade new people from moving here. It's pretty easy to determine who fits into those two groups when reading through the comments. While we find it pretty entertaining, I doubt if TV wants to pay someone to do that.

They really just phoned-in those playgrounds. They are all the same small, unimaginative structure. Usually TV does things up big. We brought our small grandchildren to a Middleton playground and after 10 minutes they asked if there was another one. So we took them to one shaped like an airplane- after 5 minutes they asked if it was lunch time.

It has been my experience that the developer keeps all areas relatively the same. Not certain what you are expecting in Eastport, but I won't be surprised by the usual things. Bank(you know which one), FMK, FMK, FMK, financial, villages golf carts, villages logo store, and fill in with small boutiques.

Hahahaha, exactly. Don't forget a Sales Center.

Y'all
Don't forget, Eastport Town Square is going to be the Center of the Villages.

You have been in TV a long time, moving to different TV area. But seems very disappointed. Has it ever crossed your mind to move to a different community, one with better restaurant quality, and a mall?

We have zero ties to TV, when it no longer fits our lifestyle, our list is long on where to choose next move.

North of 44, yes everything looks the same. It's why we came south. New ideas, new designs, not the same old same old. We love it down here. Eastport will be great.

I concur. All these folks constantly degrading the south and pimping the north areas reminds me of those that are always insisting Huntington Beach is just as desirable as Newport Beach. Keep on insisting - Maybe HB works for you, but everyone knows NB is where it is at.

A person states the obvious things found in every square and this makes them miserable? That's a stretch! I actually think the developer is wise in keeping things relatively the same in each area. It keeps the property values pretty much even across the board. I made a killing when I sold my previous CYV.

I had to move ONCE because the previous neighborhood had far too many rentals. I lived in that home for nearly 19 years. It was not enjoyable for me to be forced to leave my lovely home. It took us months to find a new home. The one we selected is PERFECT for us. Hopefully, our forever home.

Yes, Spanish Springs (my favorite square) is getting refurbished. I love change! It provides me with something new to enjoy. Same ol' same ol' for years makes a person lose interest. I am looking forward to East Port. Most likely, we will stay in the Eastport Hotel for a week or so. Take the time to enjoy the new area but happily return to home sweet home.

BTW: I am a trained chef and enjoy cooking at home. Yet, I chose a home close to many good restaurants. Most located outside of the bubble. And, I haven't stepped in a mall in ten years. But, thanks for your concern.

I am not one to favor one area over another. If I see flaws, I state them. If I notice nearly everything is identical in each and every village, what's wrong with stating the obvious? If I enjoy certain things, I will post about them. That's me! Like it or not.