Villagers who fear the growth of “apartment-style” living in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown might have reason to be even more concerned.
A high-level Villages official revealed during a Sumter County Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday that large-scale interest has been expressed in living at The Lofts at Brownwood – the first apartment rental property of its kind owned by the Developer in the mega-retirement community.
Robert Chandler IV, who serves as director of development for The Villages Developer, told the audience at the Lake Miona Recreation Center about the upscale apartment complex, which is scheduled to open sometime next year. The 265 age-restricted rental units are located a stone’s throw from Paddock Square and will be available in one-, two- and three-bedroom options.
Do you think it’s a good idea for apartment dwellers at the Lofts at Brownwood to enjoy full amenity privileges in The Villages? Share your thoughts in a Letter to the Editor at this link: https://www.villages-news.com/submit-letters-editor/
Chandler, who also serves as a Village Center Community Development District supervisor and a representative on the Amenity Authority Committee, said more than 3,000 people already have expressed interest in living in the new apartment units – a venture he referred to as The Villages “dipping its toe into the water” for a rental product.
“That’s something to get excited about,” he said, adding that residents of the complex will pay amenity fees – it will be built into their rent – and have access to all of the same amenities Villagers homeowners enjoy.
Chandler didn’t, however, address the fact that Lofts at Brownwood renters also will have access to their own amenities that will be included on the grounds of the apartment complex, such as a private resort-style pool, clubhouse, fitness center and dog park. Those amenities will be for the renters only and not available to Villages homeowners.
Going forward, the path has been cleared for more condominium and apartment units to be built as the community continues to expand at a breakneck pace in the Villages of Southern Oaks – a fact that has drawn the ire of many residents, including Village of Poinciana homeowner Bill Kincaid, who pulled no punches when addressing the amenity fee issue in a Letter to the Editor written to Villages-News.com.
“Non-property owners should not be allowed to use our ‘amenities,’” he wrote. “By allowing up to 500 residents of The Lofts at Brownwood to do so would no doubt increase the density level that was established when the number of pools, recreation centers and golf courses were built.”
Kincaid added that he saw the new trend in amenity fees as a dangerous sign of things possibly to come.
“If we let the developer get by with this, then the next family section they build will have the same access as the legal RESIDENTS of The Villages,” he wrote.
Terry Prokes, of the Village of Lake Deaton, also raised questions in a recent Letter to the Editor.
“Will the amenity fees for the new condos in Brownwood be set at the same level as the rest of the property owners pay?” Prokes asked. “I heard the Developer is offering 50 percent off amenity fees for the first year. Is this true and if so, is this legal now that the CDD controls amenities fees for the district the property is located in?”
Darla Dorini, of the Village of Fernandina, expressed yet another frustration.
“I have been trying to get information since last year and have not been able to get ANY,” she wrote.