Located about two miles east of Interstate 75 on Palmer Boulevard, The Enclave at the Villages of Pinetree is an appealing, deed-restricted community of 275 homes.
Although not gated, it offers privacy and seclusion. There are three distinct subdivisions, each with its own entrance off Palmer Boulevard.
The first section, the Villages at Pinetree Ponderosa, consisting of 104 houses, was built out between 2003 and 2005. At the time it was so popular that buyers had to enter a lottery for homes. The Villages of Pinetree Spruce Pine and Pinetree Marsh Pine soon followed, with 99 and 72 homes, respectively. The entire community was finished in 2008.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Enclave at the Villages of Pinetree
All of the houses were built by Centex, a Dallas-based home-building company that was acquired by Pulte Homes in 2009. Centex has created other communities in the Sarasota area, as well as in Orlando, Tampa and Naples-Fort Myers.
The concrete-block houses are in contemporary Mediterranean style, with barrel-tile roofs; spacious, open floor plans; large windows and high ceilings. There are both one- and two-story homes, and many have attractive views of lakes or preserve areas.
“If you want a larger home — 2,000 square feet plus — and a three-car garage, The Enclave offers one of the best values in Sarasota County,” said Jessika Arman, a Realtor with Michael Saunders & Co. who has lived in The Enclave since 2005 and is vice president of the homeowners association there. Arman has two listings in the community.
She said she likes that, unlike many other planned communities, The Enclave has no community development district fees and that its homeowners association dues, at $153 per quarter, are reasonable.
The homes in each subdivision are arranged in oblong circles around lakes and retention ponds. None of the circles are connected for car traffic, so all the houses are on quiet streets.
Wooden footbridges connect the three sections, however.
“Our HOA president walks through the whole neighborhood every day,” Arman said.
While there is no community pool or clubhouse, many of the residences have private swimming pools. For social functions, facilities can be rented at the Sarasota Farm Bureau office just down the road.
The Enclave is a family-friendly neighborhood.
“Eighty percent of the residents are year-round, giving The Enclave a real, lived-in, community feel,” Arman said.
Many homes have basketball hoops in the driveways. Residents with younger children like that Tatum Ridge Elementary School is just across Palmer Boulevard. The in-zone schools for older children are McIntosh Middle and Sarasota High.
Families also take advantage of the nearby Rosaire’s Riding Academy, which offers after-school riding lessons, pony rides, birthday party and summer day camps.
“At Halloween, people come here from other neighborhoods to join in the fun,” Arman said. “Even the bigger kids have a good time.”
Kathleen and Michael Gada, who moved to the neighborhood four years ago, said they like it for its peacefulness and serenity.
“You have the feeling of a private, quiet neighborhood and the advantage of being conveniently located,” Kathleen Gada said.
“We’re in close proximity to two farmer’s markets — Detwiler’s and Fruitville Grove — several Publix grocery stores, the Fruitville Library and I-75.
“We like to do things in Sarasota and can be downtown in 20 minutes.”
For people who like to walk and bike, the park and large hill created when the celery fields were dredged as a floodwater runoff area is just down the road. A new Audubon center is being built there.
Rothenbach Park on Bee Ridge extension is just a short drive away in the other direction.
The Big Cat Habitat is nearby, close to the westernmost Enclave subdivision. According to Arman, residents had to sign off on notifications that they would hear lions roaring from time to time.
“It can feel like you’re on safari without the cost of going to Africa!” she said, smiling.
In the past 12 months, 21 homes have been sold in The Enclave, ranging from a short sale at $225,000 to $449,900.
“Prices typically are in the mid-$300,000s, with the 3,000-square-foot-plus homes selling in the upper $300,000s to $435,000, depending on location in the neighborhood,” according to Arman.
Four houses are on the market this week, listed from $310,000 to $475,000. Two more are under contract and three have sales pending.
