Village Green, an attractive Bradenton neighborhood near Palma Sola Bay, lives up to its name both in appearance and character.
Village Green, Bradenton. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 5-19-2015.
The subdivision, which extends south from Manatee Avenue to 20th Avenue West, and is bounded by 63rd Street in the east and 75th Street in the west, was developed between 1970 and 1983 around a 42-acre executive golf course.
Norfolk pines, jacarandas, palms and live oaks shade the ranch-style homes and villas. Well-landscaped lawns with clumps of trees, shrubbery and flowerbeds reflect how much residents care for their properties. The non-mandatory Village Green Homeowners Association (VGHA) looks after the common areas (fees are only $68 a year).
“It’s a beautiful community to drive through,” says Denise Langlois, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker. “People have kept it up so well. There is real pride of ownership.”
Langlois, who is an unabashed fan — “My mother and all my friends live there,” she admits — has made Village Green her specialty for nearly 25 years. In the boom times from 2004 to 2006, she had as many as 19 listings at one time. Currently, she represents two condos and three homes, and has one pending sale of a family residence.
This house at 6902 18th Ave. W. in Village Green, Bradenton, is listed at $219,900 through Denise Langlois of Coldwell Banker. Built in 1978, it has two bedrooms, a den and two baths in 1,512 square feet. The kitchen has been updated. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 5-19-2015.
Altogether, there are 1,001 properties in Village Green — 576 homes, ranging in size from 1,400 to 2,200 square feet, and 426 villa-style condominiums. The condos are divided into 12 separate management sections. Each has its own association with its own rules. One allows small pets, including dogs; another permits declawed cats. Many have community swimming pools and their own “happy hour” get-togethers once a week.
Residents include retirees and some working people; snowbirds tend to own the condos. “There is a real sense of community. You see a lot of older people walking,” says Langlois. “And younger people with families are coming in, too.”
Much of the appeal of Village Green is related to its affordability (prices for both condos and houses are mostly between $150,000 and $300,000) the sense of community and the amenities.
“It’s a perfect location — close to shopping, golfing and the beaches,” says Langlois.
Restaurants, banking, hospitals and downtown Bradenton are all within easy driving distance. Anna Maria Island and the Gulf beaches are only three miles away.
The biggest change at Village Green is the redevelopment of the golf course in the midst of the community. It had lain fallow for a decade and become an eyesore, offering a view of weeds to homeowners living on the edges of the former fairways. Sightings of coyotes made many of Village Green’s residents unhappy, as well.
That is changing, however. LAGOinvest, an international housing development company with communities in Thailand, Hong Kong and Germany, is poised to open Mirabella, a new subdivision within Village Green.
The company derives its name from the two initials of the last names of its co-founders, Florian Lanz and Marshall Gobuty. They initially bought the golf course in 2004 and got the go-ahead for development from the city two years later, but the market collapse scuttled the project until recently.
Now the infrastructure is in place, and two model homes are nearly complete. When built out, Mirabella will have 160 villas arranged along a main road, with a central roundabout and five branch streets ending in cul-de-sacs. Many of the 1,525-square-foot, two-bedroom residences will have pleasing backyard views of ponds.
Marketed as an “active-adult lifestyle” community, Mirabella will include a clubhouse, a fitness center, swimming pool, a dog park and an onsite activities director. Although pricing is not yet available, a website, www.mirabellaFlorida.com, offers a preview of the villas — exterior looks and ground plans — information about energy efficiency, and a list of community amenities.
In the meantime, Village Green resales have been steady. In the past 12 months, the transaction list includes 15 condos, from $118,000 to $245,000, and 37 homes, from $95,000 to $320,000.
Currently, nine villas are on the market, priced from $139,000 to $264,000, and three houses are offered from $219,000 to $299,900.
“I can’t say enough good things about Village Green — I love it. To me there is nothing else like it in the area,” says Langlois.
