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The answer is both — and it's not a trick.
Wellen Park is a master-planned community that sits within the city limits of North Port, while most of it carries Venice mailing addresses. Write Venice on the envelope and it arrives; look up the city government and you'll find North Port.
Confusing? Only until you know the history.
Where Is Wellen Park, Exactly?
Wellen Park grew out of the area formerly called the West Villages, on Florida's Gulf Coast.
When the community was master-planned, the land fell inside North Port's city limits. The postal service draws its own map, though — and most of Wellen Park falls under Venice addresses.
So both answers are correct. It just depends on which question you're actually asking.
Your city is North Port. Your mailing address, in most of the community, says Venice.
For buyers, the practical takeaway is simple: don't let the two names scare you off. Wellen Park is one place — a short drive from the shark-tooth beaches, restaurants, and old-Florida charm that made Venice famous.
What Wellen Park Actually Is
Wellen Park is one of the region's most ambitious master-planned communities.
Upon completion, it will consist of nearly 20,000 homes and 50,000 residents — about two-thirds of North Port's current population. It's often compared to other master-planned communities such as Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota County, The Villages near Ocala, or Babcock Ranch in Charlotte County.
What does that scale buy you?
A downtown with shops, restaurants, and sunsets galore. CoolToday Park, the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves. And a location that puts Venice Beach, Caspersen, and Manasota Key within easy reach — visit a different beach every day if you like.
It's the kind of place where the calendar fills itself.
Where Gran Place Sits Inside It
Inside a community of nearly 20,000 planned homes, Gran Place is deliberately small.
Gran Place is Sam Rodgers' neighborhood inside Wellen Park — just 42 homesites in a 63-acre gated community in the new Playmore District, at the southwest corner of Tamiami Trail and West Villages Parkway.
Here's the number that surprises people: of those 63 acres, only 21 are being developed. The balance will remain nature preserves and wildlife habitats.
So you get everything Wellen Park's scale provides — the downtown, CoolToday Park just minutes away — and you come home to a gated enclave where preserve outnumbers pavement.
That combination is rare. And with a limited number of homes remaining, it won't last.
The Homes Sam Rodgers Builds There
Sam Rodgers Homes has been building on Florida's Gulf Coast since 1968 — more than 6,700 homes and counting.
At Gran Place, that experience shows up in three floor plans — the Destin, the Edgewater, and the Fort Walton — ranging from 2,697 to 3,127 square feet, each with a 3-car garage.
The Destin pairs three bedrooms with a den, with options for an in-law suite or a bonus room with its own bath. The Edgewater gives you three bedrooms, three baths, and a bonus room across 2,872 square feet. Homes are priced from the $800s.
And because these are semi-custom homes, the plan is a starting point, not a ceiling. When other builders say no, Sam says Yes.
Curious how these plans compare across every community we build? Browse our homes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wellen Park in Venice or North Port?
Both. Wellen Park sits within the city limits of North Port, while most of the community carries Venice mailing addresses.
What was Wellen Park called before?
Wellen Park grew out of the area formerly called the West Villages — a name you'll still see on older maps and on West Villages Parkway itself.
How big will Wellen Park be?
Upon completion, Wellen Park will consist of nearly 20,000 homes and about 50,000 residents, a scale often compared to Lakewood Ranch or Babcock Ranch.
Which builders are in Wellen Park?
Wellen Park is made up of many neighborhoods. Gran Place is Sam Rodgers Homes' neighborhood inside it — just 42 homesites in the Playmore District, with a limited number of homes remaining.
