Drive east on Fruitville Road past McIntosh Road, and, unless you’re looking for it, you’ll probably miss Oak Court. The divided entrance road to this attractive, gated community is canopied by trees and surrounded lush, tropical shrubbery and ground covering.
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Oak Court, Sarasota. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-12-2016.
“We set our houses back from the road, which allowed us to create an attractive entrance so you turn from a seven-lane main artery into a nice, tranquil neighborhood,” says David Merrill, who developed Oak Court from 1996 to 2000.
Now president of AROX Land Development, which takes care of site development for other builders, Merrill teamed up with a local investor and two from Montreal. Until Oak Court, he had created mostly villa communities, including Westwood II, the last section of Sunrise Golf Club and Vivienda II in Bradenton.
Although the property off Fruitville Road originally had been zoned for single-family residences, the previous owner had it rezoned for apartments, but Merrill did not want to build yet another condo community.
“The market was not as vibrant for villas in the mid-'90s,” he recalls.
There also was pushback by people living to the south about the density of the new project, and as the result of a lawsuit, the property went back to its original zoning.
“It was a combination of neighborly concerns and market forces,” says Merrill.
This house at 174 Tall Trees Court in Oak Court, Sarasota, is listed at $279,000 through Martina Coppenrath of Michael Saunders & Co. Built in 1998, it has two bedrooms and two baths in 1,555 square feet. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-12-2016.
Merrill developed Oak Court in two phases of 30 homes each, located on two beautiful lagoons and in a loop around a single road — Tall Trees Court. “The site had lovely, tall oak trees, and one day, as I was driving through I thought, ‘Why not call it that?’ ” he said.
Unlike in many recent developments, where everything gets razed to the ground to put in the infrastructure, Merrill was able to keep much of the natural woods intact. “Regulations require you to store the first inch of rainwater in your aquifer, and typically ground water is so close to the surface that you have to build your homes up at least two feet,” he explains. “Here, the site drops off steeply in back because it is sitting on a ridge, so we could deal with the runoff without a lot of infill and saved most of the trees.”
Initially, there were two models, and properties sold quickly. There are now 62 homes altogether. “Later, we did Villa Rosa and used many of the same floor plans, although the exterior design differed,” Merrill comments.
The architecture is Florida modern throughout with homes having high ceilings and plenty of windows to give the interior an open, airy feeling.
“I drive by the neighborhood once in a while and am still proud of it,” says Merrill.
The family Airedale stands guard, so to speak, in the kitchen of this house at 174 Tall Trees Court that is listed at $279,000. Staff photo / Harold Bubil; 1-12-2016.
Martina Coppenrath, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker, lived in Oak Court from 20 to 2007 had has sold a number of homes there. She loves the neighborhood for its peaceful atmosphere and sense of community. “It’s a quiet, friendly place — very private — a great neighborhood for walking,” she says. “Lots of people are out with their dogs in the evening.”
She also likes the convenient location. The neighborhood is close to Interstate 75 and downtown Sarasota. Shopping and restaurants are close by in either direction via Fruitville Road. There are a number of educational institutions are nearby, including Julie Rohr Academy, Brentwood Elementary and Cardinal Mooney High School, although there are not many families with children in Oak Court.
According to Coppenrath, residents are mostly year-around early retirees and working professionals in their ‘40s and ‘50s, with a handful of snowbirds. Many have lived there for quite some time.
Homeowners association fees of $145 a month pay for upkeep of the community pool, the two large ponds at the northern and southern perimeters, the interior road and lighting.
Because of its great location, sense of privacy and lovely surroundings, homes don’t come on the market often. Currently, there is only one at 174 Tall Tree Court, listed by Coppenrath, a two-bedroom, two-bath 1,555 square foot home priced at $279,000.
