If the contractor wanted to eliminate carts during construction then they would call this temporary, not permanent.

Write a letter to District Administration on the VCDD website. Ask for answers and see if they give any. The least they could do is put SOMETHING in the paper!! Oh wait..they took away something we used and enjoyed...nope! That's "negative and doesn't sell those houses!"

I have looked at the GIS map and the photo BK referred to and it looks to me like the subject wall is on or very close to the Sumter/Lake county line. I don't know if this is fact and even if it is I have no idea of the significance.

I find it hard to believe the Developer would be involved in something that has this much negative impact on The Villages' image.

The fact that it is a concrete, although precast, wall and appears permanent doesn't bode well for those who have relied on its existence for so many years.

The VCDD has nothing to do with this, since it is not district property.

They don't have to worry about selling houses, they are going like hot cakes these days.....so why do some leap to being so joyous that it could be some vile plot? It sure sounds strange, but how could it benefit the enormously rich Mr. Morse? What could the reason BE????

Is the BRIDGE CLOSED?

Calm. How many would you think don't own cars that live in the Villages of Orange Blossom Hills and Country Club Hills. I don't know of anyone that doesn't own a car so this is a new thought for me and I feel bad for Artic Fox.

We need to find out who really owns the property that the path leads through and we may find a plausible reason. Even if old Gary was as greedy as some say, how in the heck would this help him make money?

Deep Breaths everyone. Think!

Closing
 

Gracie...love your posts.
I've owned here 25 yrs. I personally know of only three people who do not have a car, but there are many others who have difficulty driving in heavy traffic. This is 441, with three lanes of bad traffic. To get from Orange Blossom Gardens, Silverlake or Country Club Hills, we must either cross the bridge or fight traffic. The path was a nice thing for us and especially those who are no longer as sure of their driving. It is just sad.

Berlin Wall Built (1961): Just past midnight during the night of August 12-13, 1961, East German soldiers and construction workers headed to the border of West and East Berlin. While most Berliners were sleeping, the workers quickly constructed a barrier made of concrete posts and barbed wire along the border.

When Berliners did finally wake, they found themselves stuck on whichever side of the border they had fallen asleep on. For nearly three decades, East Germans would be kept behind this barrier, the Berlin Wall.



While comparing our situation with those who found themselves the "wrong" side of the Berlin Wall is rather disingenuous, the parallels between the construction of each are worthy of our consideration.

And, yes, August 12-13 1961 was a weekend.

Yep, a concrete wall has been built. The developer doesn't want any Villager to shop at any other store outside his Walls.

What about all the folks over here who do NOT own a car...How do they get to their doctor, to Lowes, Walmat Aldi? Anyone care...now you have to drive along the road, which many are already doing and we will certainly do too...

From what I'm hearing from many reliable sources, finding out who owns the property that "The Developer" has blocked cart access to and understanding the history of why this property is not part of TV may be the answer to understanding this sad and frustrating situation.

The developer has blocked access to the new assisted living which has advertised as golf cart accessible to and from TV. According to my sources, and yes, take it how you want and research and talk to people on your own, it is a long standing feud between the Morse family and the family who owns this property.

According to at least four different reliable people I've spoken to, it started years ago when this family who owns the commercial property along 441 going to Lowe's and the property with the commercial real estate between TV and Sonic, wouldn't sell the property to "The Developer." There has been bad blood between them for years including a water rights issue that was solved in court, according to my sources.

If it is true, this wall is a low point in the feud, IMHO.

well said...

Who is "we"?

Personally, I don't own any real property around here except my house.

I also don't own the cart path to LSL but can imagine the outcry if that were permanently blocked without warning.

Maybe the "Villagers" that can should not frequent the businesses that they have been cut off from by this selfish act.

Wow...so we are innocent pawns is a ****ing contest between Morse and the owner of Harbor Chase??

It would be telling to see exactly where the wall sits. That is, is it constructed on land that appears to be a continuation of the border behind the homes on Paradise Dr.? Or is it sited just beyond that line on land outside that boundary? That alone may indicate who is behind the change.

mikeod, the new wall closes the gap between the existing walls that run behind the residences of TV owners. The wall matches the style, color and height of the existing walls. The signs that were put up yesterday advising of the closure were on TV property.

I doubt that anyone but someone associated with The Developer would put the signs on TV property and I doubt that anyone but a representative of TV would put up a wall that matches to a T the existing wall and place it exactly in line with the other walls.

Take a look: wall_zps4150e472.jpg Photo by bkcunningham1 | Photobucket

i don't understand the thinking that those practices would want to wall themselves off from the villages - some villagers must be their patients - no?

That might be a trick as there is NO Lowes at the nd of 466! Least I haven't found one!

Motive and worst case scenario..What is it?
 

O.K. There is no golf cart access to Lowes. Aldi and a doctors office complex and Walmart. Also an assisted living facility? That is the newest thing and possibly linked to that? There is still another Walmart down on 466 that folks can get to, and an Ace Hardware on 466 that is golf cart accessible. Do you think that a good percentage of folks on that side of 441 go to the doctors in that complex or a few? I am trying to figure out just how bad the reality is.

If it was a feud between the Morses and the owners of the property, why did it take this long to block the path if that was the vengeful thing to do. How could it hurt the owners of the property that the Morses didn't like? Do the owners of the property run in and out and visit Orange Blossom? What would be the motive here?

None of this makes sense so far. Maybe the assisted living facility wanted to not have folks running back and forth?

"The signs that were put up yesterday advising of the closure were on TV property."

If signs were put up yesterday advising of the closure at 6 a.m. on Saturday, why would anyone have taken their cart through and be upset at finding themself not being able to get back in? Plenty of warning was given according to the quoted post (signs put up yesterday). Seems to me if someone was foolish enough to have taken their cart through expecting to use the same way after 6 a.m. Saturday, it is their own fault.

Were some people out extremely early on Saturday or stayed out overnight? Well, they had read the signs advising of the closure and chose to ignore the signs.

thanx, wendyquat! champion6 already corrected me!

No way I will boycott Cracker Barrel! Only place I can find decent cornbread!:mmmm:

I'm sure there is something we aren't aware of yet but if I see the missing cowboy statue sitting on that wall I'm going to be upset!:throwtomatoes:

gracie - you posted, 'I am trying to figure out just how bad the reality is.'

the reality is that this closure is a major problem for lots of folks in the three historic neighborhoods. lots of folks do not have a car and use a golf cart only. lots of folks also do grocery shopping at walmart and aldi's because of the lower prices there than at publix and winn dixie. several of my neighbors own a car - but hate to take it out on the highway - they are intimidated there - and really only take it out if they have to go way off campus [mostly to another golf course! ;)]

the loss of this path is a major inconvenience to them. i really fear for them if they have to go out on the highway - and i fear for myself if i am going to be on the highway at the same time as they are!

we live in the village of silver lake - with the lake county ems squad right outside our griffin ave gate - we hear the sirens frequently - and sometimes they have responded to some pretty humdinger accidents @ main/441, avenida central/441, rolling acres/441. adding some of our neighbors in cars into this traffic is something i can really be concerned about!

The access from TV was in place for about 20 years or more - why close it now?

A couple years ago the assisted living property owner had cart traffic people approve on a new path thru his property; maybe a condition for the building permit.

The path (aka "the Ho Chi Minh Trail") is a two way street and used by about 95% Villagers and 5% Stonecrest folk. If the cart crossing 441 at Spruce Creek South is approved, then they will have access to TV via the HCM Trail. I believe Spruce Creek South (and Oakland Hills) used to have direct access but is was closed by TV years ago.

The developer of Spruce Creek South was the original developer of Spruce Creek further north on 441 and later sold it to Del Webb. Corp

Maybe this is an issue concerning Spruce Creek South and TV?

.

Gracie, although everything is speculation at this point and we may never know the truth; take everything you said about the access to and from the area and change it to: O.K. There is no golf cart access to Lowes. Aldi and a doctors office complex and Walmart. Cracker Barrel, Firehouse Subs, Taki's, Hair Masters, Sally's, a video/game store, a pharmacy, a dry cleaners, second hair dresser, Beall's, a couple of three banks, Munroe Regional Medical Center, a nail salon, Sonic Drive-In, an urgent care, an allergy clinic, a urologist, many other specialists in various medical complexes...Also an assisted living facility? That is the newest thing and possibly linked to that? There is still another Walmart down on 441 that folks can get to, and an Ace Hardware off of 441 near Winn Dixie that is golf cart accessible. Do you think that a good percentage of folks on that side of 466 go to the doctors in that complex or a few? I am trying to figure out just how bad the reality is."

I am trying to show you how far it would be to drive the distance you suggest to get to these businesses if the closure was affecting someone else.

EDIT: This shouldn't be an argument or a disagreement between residents of The Villages. It should be of concern to residents of TV and whomever put up a wall. At this point, I'd just like to find out who did this so I can get a petition signed and present it to the proper channels for a discussion on reopening this area for carts.

ill bet the residents on that street are joyous to get rid of all that traffic. think about how you would like all those golf carts all day long.

The residents on what street?

Thanks. That answers my question. I couldn't tell from the other picture.

I know someone at the Villages Sun and they were told NOT to mention this wall in the papers or in the media.(as of Sat night. With all the outrage, this may have changed this morning). This speaks volumes to me. This has Morse written all over it otherwise they would mention it.

Gracie, we know you "love the Developer" but the guy hit an all time low here on this one. Walling up a golf cart path because he's in a feud with the owner of a business on the other side and not giving a damn about the people it effects is rotten to the core.

paradise dr

All the people denying that this is a problem will be screaming the loudest when they are sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on their way to Lowe's. This path wasn't just used by residents of the historic side, but by residents as far away as south of 466 to get to the shopping areas on 441 by golf cart. Now convert each of these golf carts into cars and what do you have? Grid-lock.

I heard it on the grapvine.................Oh that's part of a song!

To my fellow villagers on the historic side.....if this sudden construction has left you without a means to do necessary shopping or to get to a doctors appointment, please pm me and I will gladly give you a ride until you have sufficient time to make alternate arrangements.

This isn't a grapevine. This is a reporter from The Sun.

You are the best.

you can drive around to the area along 27...we and many others are doing in now

Why? What possible motive?
It's been asked and answered numerous times already, but I'll try it in simpler terms. The developer makes money off of business inside TV. It's been pointed out ad nauseum that he has a right to get a percentage of the sales at Publix, Sweet Bay, and all the other businesses within TV.
He does not make anything off of the businesses outside TV.
Is this his reason? Who knows, but you'd have to have your head in the sand not to understand that he would benefit from this wall.

Just to clarify, Schwarz, are you using the westernmost gated exit from the historic side to 441, then driving along the grass, turning in by the Urgent Care entrance? Or, once on that grass verge, is there a quicker way into the car park?

I'm sure whoever put up the wall will be quick to alert the police to carts going along that verge if doing so is illegal, so it would be nice to be able to duck into that commercial area as quickly as possible.

I hate to sound like a conspiracist, but one has to fight fire with fire.

And, while on the subject of legal rights, there must surely be an Amendment giving a man the right to visit the hardware store? Bearing arms is one thing, but buying tools...

the only thing that comes to mind to me is...paranoia

If it's all paranoia, why was little or no notice given? Why wasn't it in the Daily Sun?
I understand that people who live south of 466a couldn't give a crap what happens to people north of 466, but let a wall cut them off from places they frequent. They'd be screaming bloody murder.