North port overtaking sarasota & bradenton (Tampa, University: hotel, new home, buyer)

[JJGittes65]

Here's my bet: Two years from now the stadium will be finished, there will be a glorified Publix strip mall near it, there will be hundreds (at least) more homes in the WV with some younger families, but a lot of northern retiree snowbird types, traffic getting to the beaches will be worse, the Target shopping center and the rest of the strip malls from it up to Venice Ave along the 41 will still look run down, and the Lakewood Ranch experience in WV will be five years off....still. Now, if we have another recession, like the one ten years ago that derailed the builders in the area, all bets are off.....as it won't be as 'good' as I described. I hope I am wrong on everything, but aside from slapping up houses, things tend to happen in slow motion around here.

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Dear Naysayer:

Nearly all major developments get pushed back in time for various reasons. The economy, government, environmental concerns, ect.. Heck, the Braves Stadium was pushed back an entire year!

Venice's population is trending younger. NOT the city of Venice, but rather the mailing address of Venice which I call "New Venice". You should be around the schools in New Venice when they let out. Kids everywhere. A new high school is going in too because Venice High is overcrowded.

Glorified Publix strip mall: You are 100% correct. That's precisely what is going in after the stadium, because there's no other grocery stores near the epicenter of where the growth is, and the nearest Publix is already so packed, you have drive around the parking lot a few times to find a spot (if you don't get into an accident first!). It will be your typical borrrring Publix strip mall, but at least we won't have to go to the calamity Publix strip mall 5 miles to the West anymore. (I don't do Publix anyways...too expensive)

HOWEVER! That is just the start. The next phase includes the "Town Center" which will be patterned after Lakewood Ranch, and Naples Mercado, but will have more to do. I wish I had more specifics than the link I already provided, but it sounds wonderful.

I can't wait to see the new Stadium. I bought my tickets yesterday for the March 24th game....just ~2 months from now!

Old ugly strip centers along 41: they are being torn down, and some updated, but not as fast as we'd all like. Sarasota has its share of those too though, so nothing new there. That old Venice anyways, not New Venice where everything will be...well...new!

Let's re-visit your post 2 years from now, and see if you still feel the same.

[beach43ofus]

Another story about North Port's growth. This story sounds to me like a "here comes the new taxes" prelude. Glad I avoided their "special taxing district". I predict w/in 90 days the announcement will come about a new tax for those lucky residents that live w/in the West Villages boundarys. Many will complain that they didn't know they bought in a "special tax district" and there will be outrage and maybe even protesters.

Once the new tax is unleashed, it will slow sales of new, and existing, homes there a LOT. The key features that area has are lots of wide open virgin land, and lower cost homes. The new tax will kill the Goose that laid the Golden egg. Who wants property taxes, CDD's, HOA, AND a SPTD tax? 4 layers of homeowner taxes. Potential buyers will rent instead, or buy outside the special tax districts area in North Port but not in the West Villages. Government strikes again. With every layer comes waste and abuse. I hope I turn out to be very wrong.

The West Villages Area Continues to Grow and Is Not Slowing Down

[annestrauss]

“You can put lipstick on a pig (North Port) , but it's still a pig …”.

[nphomeowner]

You can polish a turd (Sarasota) but it’s still a turd. lol 😂

[beach43ofus]

These are currently Two very different places socio-economically, so they are tough to compare. The City of Sarasota's upscale, and caters to mostly wealthy Northerners who spend some time here, but not all. North Port is currently mostly Blue Collar residents, or Blue/White collar retirees. The cost of land, and homes, is wide, but narrowing rapidly.

The thing that intrigues me is the City of Sarasota is mostly built out. We can easily see what it is, & it's not going to change much over the next 10 yrs. The only trend I see in SRQ is that since downtown's built out, its gone vertical. The City of North Port, however, is a HUGE blank slate. There's no telling what it will become, because its too early to know for sure.

North Port's current trend is; expanding retail (w/ roads to support it along 41), and annexations across the Myakka River (known as The West Villages). The West Villages is North Port's fastest growing area, & it's much more affluent than the rest of the City.

Look at the real estate transactions in The West Villages and the move-in ready homes. They are not entry level homes. In fact, they cost 2x as much as the traditional North Port residence (pre-annexation). There are a few homes in the West Villages portion of North Port selling for $800,000, but most remain <$450k. Comapre that to the older parts of North Port where homes sell for ~$225k, and you can see a clear trend.

North Port's past is irrelevant to me, and instead I choose to focus on the "now" and "near-term future". I lived in Lakewood Ranch before it was known as Lakewood Ranch, and today, I drive past my old home that used to be in the boondocks, and now, I could walk to WalMart! That is what is hapening in North Port.

Next Spring, when Thousands from SW FLA, & Bravesland (GA, AL, SC, TN, MS) travel to watch the Braves play in their new stadium, that's when North Port will begin to generate more mentions in the national news media than the City of Sarasota. How may mentions does Lakewood Ranch get today vs. the City of Bradenton?

For nayersayers, look to the future, & not the past. Anything negative you say about North Port's past I agree w/ 100%, it WAS a..."fill in the blank disparaging word/s here"...but not now!

Go to the West Villages web site & look at the homes prices & amenity packages, and master plan layout:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Villages,_Florida

https://www.mywestvillages.com/west-villages-map/

It looks a lot like Lakewood Ranch, and Palmer Ranch from years past to me. Palmer Ranch is 60 sq. miles and is nearly built out. Lakewood Ranch is currently 50 sw miles, but is now pushing South & expanding. The West Villages is only 17 square miles now, but the potential for growth is many times that.

Everyone I've met in "New Venice" began their home search in Lakewood Ranch and/or Palmer Ranch, but wound up further South due to perceived value. Most saved $100k+ by moving here, & were willing to forego proximity until this area's retail catches up. Most of The West Villages & New Venice are nearer the beach & Tamiami Trail than Lakewood Ranch.

It's unlikely that these new areas will become as affluent, or attractive, as D'town SRQ, but I it could surpass The City of SRQ as a whole, in desireability & resident satisfaction.

[UTCLWR]

Why is North Port being brought up by the same person so many times? No one knows it even exists, nor does anyone care.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by UTCLWR

Why is North Port being brought up by the same person so many times? No one knows it even exists, nor does anyone care.

Why not ignore my posts then?

The March 24th Braves game sold out in 25 minutes, so there's 7,000 who know it exists

North Port's population is now ~66,000, so there's more people who know it exists

The West Villages is the 4th best selling master planned community in the USA! There's more who know it exists.

by comparison, ~17,000 live in Lakewood Ranch, and ~56,000 live in Sarasota.

Don't believe me? Read this:

https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/art...arasota-growth

[Sunshine Rules]

Originally Posted by beach43ofus

Why not ignore my posts then?

The March 24th Braves game sold out in 25 minutes, so there's 7,000 who know it exists

North Port's population is now ~66,000, so there's more people who know it exists

The West Villages is the 4th best selling master planned community in the USA! There's more who know it exists.

by comparison, ~17,000 live in Lakewood Ranch, and ~56,000 live in Sarasota.

Don't believe me? Read this:

https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/art...arasota-growth

The Braves tickets sold out mainly to hacks that resell tickets at higher prices, a number of residents were complaining about it to the local news media.

And, actually, your stats for Lakewood Ranch are off because many of the data statistics only count the population in the 34202 zip code -- Lakewood Ranch's new growth is in the 34211, 34212 zip codes and is now expanding into north Sarasota county.

[beach43ofus]

Originally Posted by Sunshine Rules

The Braves tickets sold out mainly to hacks that resell tickets at higher prices, a number of residents were complaining about it to the local news media.

And, actually, your stats for Lakewood Ranch are off because many of the data statistics only count the population in the 34202 zip code -- Lakewood Ranch's new growth is in the 34211, 34212 zip codes and is now expanding into north Sarasota county.

Thx for the corrections Sunshine.

Most of the Braves 7,000 tickets were already taken by season ticket holders because they had a jump start so had access to buy before the general public. So, there was never 7,000 available, but the Braves kept that quiet. I know some season ticket holders, and they told me they all bought the max # of tickets for friends, neighbors, & family. Nonethelss, the game's a sellout, every seat will be filled, and it make National news. The words "North Port" and "West Villages" will be mentioned by the media Hundreds of Thousands of times.

I've asked on these forums several times if anyone knew the population or sq miles of Lakewood Ranch, and I never got a reply/answer. I guess its complicated. I got my figure from wikipedia (I tried the Library unsuccessfully), and it says 34202 is included within its population figure. It gives a few zip codes that are included...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood_Ranch,_Florida

North Port is now, and always will be, more populated than Lakewood Ranch by a wide margin due to land mass, and affordability.

The price point and vast swaths of land in North Port and the West Villages which is w/in North Port's City limits, is driving explosive growth & awareness.

I stand by my prediction that North Port will someday be more populated than the city of Bradenton, AND the City of Sarasota combined. I'm not talking 50 years from now either. If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say 20-25 years from now. However, if The West Villages lights the fuse on its special taxing district bomb, that could push it back several years because it would slow the growth there a LOT. People will ditch The West Villages for the areas in North Port that are not part of the West Villages, and it would take time for developers to respond to that.

[MobileMax]

Originally Posted by UTCLWR

Why is North Port being brought up by the same person so many times? No one knows it even exists, nor does anyone care.

O course people care. I don't know what area you live in but the FACT is that Northport is an integral part of the metro area, and the city is one of the largest land mass cities in the Nation. To suggest that no one knows that Northport exists is crazy. If people didn't care it would not be increasing in population! Do you live under a rock? If you don't care, that's fine but everyone in the region isn't wearing blinders in re future growth and attraction. What is a fact is that The City of Sarasota, and/or The City of Bradenton will cease being "the center of the universe" for thousands of the region's citizenry. Figures don't lie....not for long for sure. Besides Northport, there are, and shall be a few more satellite "communities" that will be developed - a few are happening now. Some "real smart" people in Sarasota naysayed the development of LWR as well - years earlier, they also naysayed Palmer Ranch LOL - the same old idiots will naysay planned communities in West Manatee/Cortez, and the massive developments planned for ManateeNorth/northeast/ contiguous to south Hillsborough. Some people like to be blind though.