Sarasota County
Wellen Park / Venice
A very large new community still being built, next door to Venice, an older Gulf town with a historic downtown and its own beaches.
The shape of it
Two things side by side. Wellen Park is a large master-planned community in south Sarasota County, still very much under construction, with its own downtown built around an 80 acre lake. Venice, just north, is an established Gulf town with a walkable historic downtown and beaches inside the city limits.
Housing
In Wellen Park almost everything is new and sold by a builder, with several communities releasing at once. Venice is the opposite: older stock, a good deal of mid-century construction, plus condos near the beach. Buyers often look at both together, because they sit close to each other and price very differently.
Getting around
US-41 is the spine here and I-75 runs to the east. This is the southern end of the region, so Sarasota is a real drive and Tampa is a long one. What you get in exchange is closer beach access than anywhere inland.
What is changing
Wellen Park is one of the fastest selling communities in the country and nowhere near finished. Expect ongoing construction, phased retail openings downtown, and road work. A Manasota Beach Road expansion is intended to shorten the run to the coast.
Worth knowing
- CoolToday Park Atlanta Braves spring training at the south edge of Wellen Park
- Downtown Wellen Lakeside town centre, retail opening in phases
- Historic Downtown Venice Walkable main street on the island
- Venice Fishing Pier Public pier with a restaurant at the head
- Caspersen Beach The shark tooth beach, south of Venice
- Legacy Trail Paved rail trail running north toward Sarasota
At a glance
- Planned at buildout
- 22,000 to 25,000 homes
- Spring training
- Atlanta Braves, CoolToday Park
- Venice beaches
- Venice Beach, Caspersen, the Fishing Pier
Want the honest version of Wellen Park and Venice, including what we would flag before you commit? Ask us. We answer with specifics.
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