Wellen Park Town Center
Right outside our owners gate.
Wellen Town Center by Benderson Development
Something wonderful is taking shape just beyond our gates. Wellen Town Center, a new shopping and dining destination by Benderson Development, is planned for the corner of US 41 and West Villages Parkway, right next door to Gran Paradiso. I’ve gathered every public update I can find in one place: news coverage, official announcements and city and water-district records. Newest updates are at the top, and I’ll keep adding them as they come.
What we know so far
Benderson Development, the company behind University Town Center in Sarasota, plans a roughly 52-acre mixed-use destination of about 500,000 square feet, with retail, dining, entertainment and services. It’s designed to be walkable and golf-cart friendly (Wellen Park, Nov 24, 2025; Business Observer, Nov 24, 2025; Sarasota Magazine, Dec 15, 2025). In June 2026 the City of North Port approved the first stage of site work: grading, two stormwater lakes, an access road and a roundabout on West Villages Parkway. The water management district permitted the same work (City of North Port PSDP-26-01100 and PSPP-25-04865, June 1, 2026; SWFWMD Permit 43032874.008, June 25, 2026). In August 2026 Benderson said it had broken ground (Benderson release, Aug 18, 2026). The city has not yet approved any buildings: the Town Center’s shops and restaurants need their own separate site plan. No tenants, renderings or opening date have been announced (PSDP-26-01100 development order; Sarasota Magazine; Town Chronicle, May 20, 2026).
Updates
Newest first
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Benderson Expands Florida Footprint with New Acquisitions, New Developments
Benderson’s August 2026 company update lists Wellen Town Center, which it describes as a 500,000-square-foot lifestyle center in Wellen Park, among the Florida projects where it recently broke ground. The release doesn’t name tenants or give an opening date.
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Environmental Resource Permit 43032874.008, “Thomas 167”
The water management district issued the stormwater permit for the 105.93-acre “Thomas 167” site on the north side of US 41, west of West Villages Parkway. It covers clearing and mass grading, a roadway, and two new wet-detention ponds. CCB Associates 47 LLC is a co-permittee. Any building in the proposed mixed-use and residential areas needs a further permit modification. The district’s record lists construction as begun on July 28, 2026.
Permit summary (issued June 25, 2026): stormwater system, roadway and mass grading for future mixed-use and residential development. Source: SWFWMD ERP record, App ID 932803. -
Wellen Park Neighborhoods page and Master Plan Map (June 2026)
Wellen Park’s official community master plan map labels the corner of US 41 and West Villages Parkway “Wellen Town Center by Benderson Development.” Gran Paradiso is labeled next to it. A zoomed version (posted June 11, 2026) labels the same corner, along with nearby landmarks such as Costco, CoolToday Park and the new high school. The developer notes that its maps are illustrative and subject to change.
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PSDP-26-01100: Thomas 167 (Village A) Site Development & Infrastructure Plan (approved)
The City of North Port issued the development order for site preparation and mass grading. It covers two stormwater ponds, an access road (Harborwalk Rd) and a roundabout on West Villages Parkway. The plans were sealed May 14, 2026, by Stantec. The city requires separate future site plans for the southern mixed-use (Town Center) parcel and the northern residential parcel, so no buildings or tenants are approved yet.
Development Order issued June 1, 2026: site preparation, mass grading, two stormwater ponds, an access road and a roundabout. Source: City of North Port PSDP-26-01100. Condition of approval: the northern residential and southern mixed-use parcels need separate site and infrastructure plan approvals. Source: City of North Port PSDP-26-01100. Phasing plan: the approved site work is intended to be built in one phase. Source: City of North Port PSDP-26-01100. Addressing plan sheet (no addresses requested at this time). Source: City of North Port PSDP-26-01100. Area map: the site sits at the northwest corner of US 41 (Tamiami Trail) and West Villages Parkway. Source: City of North Port PSDP-26-01100. -
PSPP-25-04865: Thomas 167 (Village A) Preliminary Subdivision Plat (approved with conditions)
The city approved the preliminary subdivision plat for about 105.9 acres. It creates two stormwater lakes and an internal road with a roundabout, a proposed residential area to the north, and a proposed mixed-use area to the south along US 41. Per the order, the plat confers no construction rights, and both areas need separate future site plans.
Order of approval (June 1, 2026): two stormwater lakes, an internal road with a roundabout, residential area (north) and mixed-use area (south). Source: City of North Port PSPP-25-04865. Conditions: the plat confers no construction rights; the northern and southern (mixed-use) parcels need separate site development plans. Source: City of North Port PSPP-25-04865. -
PCZC-26-01921: Certificate of Zoning Compliance, Thomas 167 mass grading & access road
The city’s zoning-compliance certificate for the Thomas 167 mass grading and access road work, a companion to the site development approval above. It covers site work only, not buildings.
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What’s coming to Wellen Park?
This roundup of Wellen Park growth covers the Phase 2 expansion of Downtown Wellen and, separately, Benderson’s planned 52-acre, roughly 500,000-square-foot commercial district at US 41 and West Villages Parkway. It reports that tenant negotiations were still under way, that construction was likely to begin later in 2026 or early 2027, and that a Wellen Park spokesperson expected land clearing to begin in April.
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Benderson plans 52-acre mixed-use project in Wellen Park
Local coverage of Benderson’s announcement of a 52-acre mixed-use project at Tamiami Trail and West Villages Parkway. Per the company, it’s planned to be walkable and to complement Wellen Park’s existing shops and restaurants.
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Benderson Plans 52-Acre Commercial District in Fast-Growing Wellen Park
A detailed look at the project: about 500,000 square feet of retail, dining, entertainment and services on South Tamiami Trail at West Villages Parkway, with pedestrian- and golf-cart-friendly paths per Benderson. At the time, construction was expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027, and no tenants or renderings had been released.
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Benderson developing 52-acre mixed-use project in Sarasota County
Business news report that Benderson Development plans a 52-acre mixed-use project at South Tamiami Trail and West Villages Parkway in Wellen Park, bringing both retailers and experiences.
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Benderson Announces Plans for Major New Mixed-Use Project in Wellen Park
The official announcement (release dated Nov 21, 2025) of Benderson’s 52-acre development along Tamiami Trail at West Villages Parkway, which the company calls a “first-class regional shopping and dining destination.” It includes comments from Wellen Park President Rick Severance and Benderson Managing Director Shaun Benderson.
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Parcel 0777001351: property record
Public property record for the Town Center site: about 51.85 acres of vacant land (2,258,498 sq ft) in the City of North Port, zoned Village. It shows a sale from Mattamy Thomas Ranch LLC to CCB Associates 47 LLC recorded Nov 17, 2025, for $23,403,800. Sarasota Magazine reported the same price as Benderson’s purchase.
Plans like these evolve, so please confirm details with the official sources linked above, especially anything about timing or tenants. As new updates become public, I’ll share them here. If you have questions about how Wellen Town Center may affect life or home values in Gran Paradiso, I’m always happy to talk.
Eric Johnston