Dela Mesa
 

I have been a resident for 12 years in The Villages and love it here.
I recently heard of Dela Mesa, a private Villa neighborhood with a private pool and park.
True or just a rumor?

It's De La Mesa.

Home

It is true, the pool and a nice park-like area is private for the residents. Owners are assessed an additional maintenance fee for the costs. There is usually a waiting list of people seeking to buy in that area. It was built at the time the Developer was experimenting with all sorts of different ideas.

Is that the only “private” village??

It’s not a private village, but yes, it does have a private park/pool. It’s on our bike riding route, as a cut through to avoid traffic, when my wife and I ride our bikes to Spanish Springs for an ice cream at Kilwins.

There is one "Private" village that I know of, and that is Hickory Head Hammock. It is near Spanish Springs at the intersection of Avenida Central and Alonzo Ave (which runs past the Sharon). It is surrounded by the Hacienda Hills golf course and has it's own private gate which is not operable by our regular gate passes. I believe it was the original "Owners Compound". Every once in awhile they will list a home in that village/compound as being for sale with an open house and anyone can get in to view the home and area. In fact a few years ago, they had an open house showing of a home that was once owned by the Morse family.

I know a buddy who lives in the private compound De La Mesa which is a condo like system with extra monthly fees. He loves it. I personally would have no need to pay more monthly fees for a 'private' pool which you still share with neighbours like we do in normal villages.

Where is the village of de la Mesa located? I would love to take a walk around it.

721 Delgado Ave, The Villages, FL 32159

If there is usually a waiting list to buy there, it seems like there is a high demand for this type of village. If that is the case, does anyone know why there aren’t more of them?

From one who works in The Villages, there are numerous Villa and other very small villages that have pools and other amenities. As like any other village there is no such thing as a private Villa or village. All pools, parks and villages are open to all Villager’s.

Not true. This is from the De La Mesa website:

"De La Mesa is a community of 139 courtyard villas located in the Villages, Florida. We have our own private pool and park that only De La Mesa residents and their guests can use."

I owned a courtyard villa in De La Mesa. There are 2 entrances north and south. My entrance was off Rio Grande between Morse and Delmar. Yes it is restricted to the owners only and not open to other villagers. The monthly payment is about $65 extra monthly. Even if you are a friend of someone that lives there you can't use the pool. Out of town guests staying with a relative can. It is closely monitored. Not sure there is a waiting list all the time. I sold in 2021. I will clarify only guests that are staying with a resident can use the pool. A couple cannot have a relative that lives in the villages use it or any friends. It is a strict policy that is adhered to by the owners. The owners are very alert to strangers and will question them. There is a sign on the gate that is very explicit.

Houses too small can I buy two and put in a private pathway between them?

It’s in two sections, with one entrance off Rio Grand and the other off Panama. There is also a narrow golf cart path between Rio Grand and Panama that runs parallel to De La Mesa. There is a cut through in between the two sections for golf carts, bikers, and walkers, but a car can’t go through. Looks like any other Village of Villas except for the private park/pool in the middle.