Chestnut Creek in Venice glows with charm, serenity and great natural beauty.
Situated on 250 acres north of Center Road, just east of Jacaranda Boulevard, it has 20 lakes, several preserves and luxuriant greenery throughout.
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The community was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s with meandering roads and many cul de sacs to limit traffic and ensure quiet and tranquility, even though it has 667 home sites in seven sections.
The entrance is a long, divided boulevard with lush foliage and trees on the median and big and overarching oaks to either side.
Two of the subdivisions branch off to the right and left. The thoroughfare eventually reaches a road encircling a large, scenic lake. There is an island in the middle, whose mature palm trees form a rookery. Smaller side roads, like the spokes of a wheel, lead into the other five subdivisions.
The walkway around the lake has benches at various points. The area with the best view of the rookery is a favorite congregating spot for people out walking their dogs or just walking. They chat and enjoy watching the alligators sunning themselves and the flocks of migratory birds, herons and egrets.
“You drive in the evening just past dusk and the birds are all sitting in the trees, and they’re white and glow. The island looks like it’s all decorated with white angels,” said Donna Cubit-Swoyer, who has lived in the Patio subdivision since 2000.
Each deed-restricted neighborhood has a different look and lifestyle appeal. The Manors, The Estates, The Woods and The Lakes include 330 single-family homes in Florida ranch-style architecture. Most of them are three-bedroom, two-bath residences with affordable prices popular with first-time owners and retirees.
The other three subdivisions are all maintenance-free. The Isles, where most of the homes back up to six lakes, was voted “Best Small Community in Southwest Florida” by the West Florida Chapter of Community Associations Institute in 2006.
The Patios consists of 118 charming homes with a distinct European flavor. Half of the white-washed stucco houses have red barrel-tile roofs, the other half has white tile.
“They’re Mediterranean and very attractive,” Cubit-Swoyer said.
The Villas is an age-restricted neighborhood — 55 and older residents — composed of two sections. Pendleton has 60 units with more open lots, while Bayport Circle’s 58 units are nestled more into the flourishing vegetation.
The three maintenance-free subdivisions all have their own clubhouses, heated swimming pools and tennis courts, as well as separate homeowners’ associations with reasonable fees to take care of lawns and landscaping. Dues for the master association of Chestnut Creek are $300 a year.
All of the sections in the community are pet-friendly.
Mike Debitetto, a Realtor with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, has lived in The Estates section of Chestnut Creek for the past five years.
“What attracted us was the location,” he said. “If you look at a map, it’s central to everything.
“There are so many ways to get to where you need to go. Interstate 75 is quickly accessible north and south via River Road or Jacaranda. So is Route 41. Even Venice Island and the beaches are only a few minutes away,” Debitetto said.
Other nearby amenities includes shopping, restaurants, a number of golf courses, the YMCA and medical facilities.
Debitetto loves the natural environment.
“All the walking trails and sidewalks are canopied, so in the summer, when it’s hot, you can walk in the shade and enjoy the surroundings,” he said.
“We have gators, ducks, eagles, osprey, raccoons and bobcat,” he said. “Twice, I’ve seen a panther. We even had a wild boar once — he was a big boy. We called the authorities, and they caged him and took him away.”
With an affordable range of price points, Chestnut Creek has an eclectic mix of residents.
“We have families with toddlers and teenagers, mid-lifers like me — people in their early 50s who are still working — and retirees in their 60s and older,” Debitetto said.
In 2012, 27 sales were made in the community, ranging from $102,500 to $284,900. According to Zillow, 10 homes are on the market in four of the seven subdivisions, priced from $189,900 to $274,900.
“You see people riding their bikes, walking — everybody has a friendly hello,” Debitetto said.
“When people find out that someone in the neighborhood has hardships, everybody pitches in to help — dropping off food, mowing the lawn.
“We have a good sense of community.”
