Lakewood Ranch? Palmer Ranch? Some Other Ranch? (Tampa, St. Petersburg: best neighborhood, sales)

[FL2FL]

Hello!

Can anyone sum up the major differences between Lakewood Ranch, Palmer Ranch, and any other local neighborhoods that we might not be aware of? What would help someone figure out which area(s) to focus on when choosing a community to live in?

We are now empty-nesters and we're looking for a fresh start to begin the next phase of our lives. Living in a neighborhood that would allow us to meet people and develop new friendships would be a bonus. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

[Trying941]

YouTube has several excellent videos that discuss what you are asking about.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3RquXwt_L8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K1JHSv_ZT4

There are many more.

[FL2FL]

Originally Posted by Trying941

YouTube has several excellent videos that discuss what you are asking about.

Those YouTube videos are made by real estate agents. I was hoping for more personal comparison thoughts from "regular people" that are familiar with the area.

[shallots]

Originally Posted by FL2FL

Hello!

Can anyone sum up the major differences between Lakewood Ranch, Palmer Ranch, and any other local neighborhoods that we might not be aware of? What would help someone figure out which area(s) to focus on when choosing a community to live in?

We are now empty-nesters and we're looking for a fresh start to begin the next phase of our lives. Living in a neighborhood that would allow us to meet people and develop new friendships would be a bonus. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

These links may be helpful (if you haven't already seen them):

Palmer Ranch communities map:

https://www.palmerranch.net/Community

Lakewood Ranch communities map:

https://lakewoodranch.com/around-the...ommunity-maps/

We visited both of the developments but not all the communities. Both have a variety of communities encompassing different sizes of single family homes, attached homes, 2-story and 1-story homes, apartment rentals, etc. There are a couple of 55-and-older communities in Lakewood Ranch. I don't know if Palmer has any. I looked at Del Webb and liked it but my husband wanted a larger lot and frankly he didn't want to be only near seniors. I can vouch for Del Webb because we had previously had a vacation home in one in another state. They are well-run and have lots of activities, clubs and events.

We chose in Lakewood Ranch because of proximity to upscale restaurants, shopping - and being closer to Tampa and Tampa General Hospital for ongoing treatments for my husband. Our home is close to the freeway and we like going up to downtown St. Petersburg regularly.

As far as meeting people - both are similar - people are very friendly everywhere here, and there are plenty of folks just like you to share the next chapter of your lives with.

Probably more than anything, your budget will narrow down your target communities.

[FL2FL]

Originally Posted by shallots

These links may be helpful (if you haven't already seen them):

Palmer Ranch communities map:

https://www.palmerranch.net/Community

Lakewood Ranch communities map:

https://lakewoodranch.com/around-the...ommunity-maps/

We visited both of the developments but not all the communities. Both have a variety of communities encompassing different sizes of single family homes, attached homes, 2-story and 1-story homes, apartment rentals, etc. There are a couple of 55-and-older communities in Lakewood Ranch. I don't know if Palmer has any. I looked at Del Webb and liked it but my husband wanted a larger lot and frankly he didn't want to be only near seniors. I can vouch for Del Webb because we had previously had a vacation home in one in another state. They are well-run and have lots of activities, clubs and events.

We chose in Lakewood Ranch because of proximity to upscale restaurants, shopping - and being closer to Tampa and Tampa General Hospital for ongoing treatments for my husband. Our home is close to the freeway and we like going up to downtown St. Petersburg regularly.

As far as meeting people - both are similar - people are very friendly everywhere here, and there are plenty of folks just like you to share the next chapter of your lives with.

Probably more than anything, your budget will narrow down your target communities.

Thanks so much, I appreciate the time you took to write this up.

[Trying941]

Originally Posted by FL2FL

Hello!

Can anyone sum up the major differences between Lakewood Ranch, Palmer Ranch, and any other local neighborhoods that we might not be aware of? What would help someone figure out which area(s) to focus on when choosing a community to live in?

We are now empty-nesters and we're looking for a fresh start to begin the next phase of our lives. Living in a neighborhood that would allow us to meet people and develop new friendships would be a bonus. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

If you are looking for a fresh start with others that are also looking for a fresh start, you are most likely to find that in a new community. New communities are easy to find in LWR, harder but possible at Palmer Ranch, and scattered around Sarasota, Venice and south, as well around Tampa. Skye Ranch is particularly hot right now, as is Neal's Windward in LWR.

Don't know and not asking your age, but it does matter. Some communities are centered around 55 plus, but most are not.

Palmer Ranch is closer to the beach than LWR and it is easier to go south. LWR is closer to Tampa and north.

Hope that is more helpful.

[shallots]

Originally Posted by FL2FL

Thanks so much, I appreciate the time you took to write this up.

Sure! Let me know if you have any questions.

[beach43ofus]

There is no mention here of Wellen Park, a new master planned community futher South & East of downtown Venice. There's a massive new retail & recreation area now under construction, and a new Braves baseball Spring Training facility where they have concerts, farmers markets, car shows, flea markets, ect....when no baseball.

Wellen Park is much closer to the beach than Lakewood Ranch, but not as close tothe beach as Palmer Ranch. Palmer Ranch is mostly built out now though, so you missed out on that by ~10 years.

Drive down to the Wellen Park welcome center and check out the master plan of the entire area first. They have a "discovery center" retail spot that is easily accessed and open to all. From that area, take a 15-minute drive to Manasota Beach to see how close it is to a nice beach that is seldom over-crowded. More sharks teeth here than in Venice too for the kids to find!

[Sunshine Rules]

Lakewood Ranch is a 33,000 acre master-planned community consisting of villages (neighborhoods), with housing ranging from condos priced under $200,000 to custom, million dollar estates. LWR has business parks, retail shopping centers, a medical center, 3 golf courses, an athletic center (fitness, aquatics & lighted tennis courts), community parks, lakes, nature preserves and over 150 miles of sidewalks & trails.

Many of the events and festivals that Lakewood Ranch hosts are centered around the arts, such as Music on Main, Evening Under the Stars, Suncoast Wine Festival and Art at the Ranch.

The Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch is a multi-purpose facility that has 22 full-sized, mixed use fields for soccer, lacrosse and other amateur sports. It will also host professional sporting tournaments, events and clinics.

Lakewood Ranch and it's various neighborhoods are clean, well maintained and the community areas are landscaped and meticulously kept. Some of the neighborhoods are gated, others are not. All have deed restrictions, including those pertaining to the maintenance of the exterior of homes & landscaping requirements.

Lakewood Ranch has consistently been voted as the "Best Neighborhood" by Sarasota Magazine.

As to the potential negatives:

Lakewood Ranch does have a community development district, and the CDD fee is added each year to the homeowners' tax bills in most (not all) of the LWR neighborhoods. A Community Development District or CDD is a special tax district that has been established to create a community with a higher level of amenities within an area/district and to maintain them to a level or standard of a specific developer had established. There are 2 portions to the CDD fee. One to pay off the bond portion over a period of time, typically 20 or 30 years and a second portion to cover the operation and/or to maintain facilities and systems such road improvements, management of wetlands areas, water and sewers, common areas and parks & recreational areas. North of State Rd 70 in Lakewood Ranch these districts are called stewardship districts instead of CDD, but they work the same as the CDD fees.

Some people consider these annual CDD fees to be a negative. Others consider them a small price to pay for having a well maintained, well run and manicured community.




If you prefer to be closer to the beaches, Palmer Ranch in south Sarasota is a better option. Palmer Ranch consists of condos, townhomes and residential neighborhoods, many gated. Building started in the early 1990's and new construction continues to this day. Most of the new construction is centered around the southern portion of Palmer Ranch, in the Nokomis area.

Some of the older, gated neighborhoods such as Village Walk, Turtle Rock, The Palisades, Mira Lago feature low maintenance single family homes, villas & townhomes with lots of community amenities. Older, gated residential neighborhoods such as Marbella and Huntington Pointe are known for their landscaping, protected wetlands and wildlife preserves. One thing of note for buyers looking into the older homes in the Palmer Ranch area is regarding plumbing. Due to a certain soil condition found in the Palmer Ranch area, a quantity of these older homes have had to deal with pin hole pipe leaks over the years. So be sure to inquire whether an older home has dealt with leaks or actually replumbed the property if the information is not disclosed up front by the sellers.

While Palmer Ranch does have some designated commercial areas, for the most part Palmer Ranch is residential. You won't see shopping centers, restaurants & business parks within the Ranch.

Several of the older condo communities located within Palmer Ranch were actually built as apartments that were converted to condos around 1999 - 2000. Two of those have dealt with significant repair issues to windows and stucco because of faulty work by the developers who converted the apartments. One of those condo communities did up front special assessments to repair the buildings, another choose to spread their special assessments out over a number of years by tacking them on to the monthly condo fees.

As to Community Development Districts, most of the older portions of Palmer Ranch are CDD free. Some newer communities do have CDDs and associated fees, others do not.

Palmer Ranch has both private and public golf courses but lacks other sports related fields or amenities. For bikers and hikers, the very popular Legacy Trail does run thru Palmer Ranch.




As someone else mentioned, Wellen Park in the south Venice / North Port area is another planned master community that is newer than either Palmer Ranch or Lakewood Ranch. Most of Wellen Park is located within the city limits of North Port. There has been a dispute going on for a couple of years now regarding the fact that much of Wellen Park is within North Port city limits and a number of developers and residents are seeking to be de-annexed from North Port and become part of the Sarasota county taxing district instead. In various articles printed in the local paper, residents claimed to be unhappy with the level of services they receive for their property taxes. Not sure exactly where the 2 sides stand at this point in time regarding the lawsuits.




If buyers are considering new construction in any of these 3 master planned communities, most builders are restricting sales each month to a handful, with most buyers having to bid via the builder's "auction" for either the lots on which to build your home or for spec homes already under construction by the builders. I know of a couple of builders who are not auctioning off homes, but those communities are located outside these 3 master planned options.

[FL2FL]

Originally Posted by Trying941

Hope that is more helpful.

It is. Thanks very much.