Why the design of Court Yard Villas
 

I’ve never been able to get an answer from anyone at least from my neighbors. Why did the Villages design CYVs so you have to walk thru your neighbors driveway to get to your courtyard? I’m going to guess the developer could get more villas built per acre had they not designed them that way. Anyone know why?

New Englander you’re on the same page I am with your thought.

Correct, not uncommon for Zero lot line properties elsewhere.
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I had never heard of “zero lot lines.” I just read a little about it and now get the picture. Thank you Robbie.

I recently became aware some fenced Veranda properties in Southern Oaks have the neighbors grass on your side of the fence, and vice versa. Not sure why on that one, guessing maybe drainage or utility easements won't permit the fence on the property line.

While we like the idea of an enclosed back yard, which seems to be very popular, the OP's point of that design issue (plus the small garage, short driveway and awkward entrance) has taken those models off of our buy list.

Those are some of the reasons they started building designer veranda models and they are selling very well.

We love those models, but since we've decided we want to live between 466 & 466A (the closer to LSL the better), we just wish they had started building those sooner. I can certainly see why they are selling so well though.

That's one reason we bought a corner lot and do not have that issue.

You are correct, look from google earth and you will see how close CYV and Patio villa are. My particular villas has 88 units. If they had straight driveways and yard on both sides of house the figure would be cut nearly in half. At least in CYV you have privacy walls. IMO they made the drive ways too curvy and garage’s too small. But the sold so doing something right?

Technically, the courtyard villas in The Villages are not zero lot line built houses. Most courtyard villas are about 10 feet apart and there is a common property line between the houses, about 5 feet from each adjacent house, midway between the houses. This can be seen on your plat, which shows that you own 5 feet of property on both sides of your house. A zero lot line built house means that one house is built on the common property line, so you would have 10 feet of property on one side and zero property on the other side. However, in The Villages, you are restricted by easements that allow your next door neighbor to occupy and use, for certain purposes, the 5 foot strip of land that you own.

I don't know for sure, but I suspect that the architect placed the garages at a 90 degree angle mostly for aesthetics. With small lot frontages, having the garages face the street would not create an attractive curb appeal for the street, and would make it more difficult to have an attractive landscaping design.

My neighbor has their gate padlocked from inside. So I have to ring their doorbell, hope they are home and ask permission to walk on my own land.