Palencia Homes for Sale, St. Johns County, FL

Palencia was master-planned by the Hines Company starting in 2002 on roughly 1,450 acres east of I-95, and today is home to more than 2,600 residences ranging from condominiums and townhomes to single-family estates, alongside retail, office space, and live/work units centered on the Palencia Village Center. The community sits along the western shore of the Intracoastal Waterway, and many home sites back onto lakes, preserve woodland, the golf course, or marsh — which is part of why Palencia has held its value as one of St. Johns County’s more established gated communities rather than one of the newer, still-under-construction master plans further west.

The centerpiece of Palencia is the Palencia Club, a private club built around a 7,071-yard, par-72 golf course — an Arthur Hills Signature Design — routed through centuries-old maritime oak trees with views opening onto the Intracoastal Waterway. The course has six sets of tees, a 400-yard double-sided driving range, and roughly 10,000 square feet of putting surface, and it has been recognized as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. The 33,000-square-foot, three-story clubhouse houses three separate dining venues, from casual to fine dining, plus a full calendar of member events (Wine Club, Food Truck Friday, Taco Tuesday). Golf and social memberships are available separately — membership is not required to live in Palencia, but it’s a major reason many buyers choose the community.

Palencia’s fee structure is genuinely more complex than most St. Johns County communities, and it’s worth understanding before you make an offer. Palencia sits within two Community Development Districts (CDDs) — the Marshall Creek CDD (about 1,472 lots, established with Palencia’s first development phase) and the Sweetwater Creek CDD (about 736 lots, added when the second phase began). Each CDD issues bonds to fund infrastructure and owns a portion of the shared amenities: Marshall Creek CDD owns the main Amenity Center, tennis courts, and the Tolomato Boardwalk, while Sweetwater Creek CDD owns the Fitness Center. An interlocal agreement lets residents of both districts use all the amenities regardless of which CDD their lot falls under, with costs split roughly two-thirds/one-third between the districts. CDD assessments appear as a line item on the annual property tax bill and pay down the infrastructure bonds over time.

On top of the CDD assessment, homeowners also pay dues to a Property Owners Association (POA). Most single-family lots fall under either the main Palencia POA (managed by FirstService Residential) or the Palencia North POA (managed by Leland Management), and there are roughly 14 separate associations and sub-associations across the community — because Palencia includes condos, townhomes, live/work units, and commercial parcels in addition to single-family homes, each with its own governance needs. POA dues fund architectural review and community-standards enforcement, and in some sub-associations, additional local amenities like a private pool. Because the fee structure varies by street and sub-section, the CDD and POA assessment on any specific Palencia address should always be confirmed before you write an offer — I pull this for every Palencia listing I show a client.

• Amenity Center (625 Palencia Club Drive): family pool with waterslide and splash pad, separate adult pool, gathering room, and aerobics room
• Tennis Center: ten clay courts plus two hard junior/pickleball courts, with tournaments and league play
• Fitness Center: full gym, lap pool, four dedicated pickleball courts, functional fitness and group fitness rooms
• Tolomato Boardwalk: an almost one-mile walkway along the Intracoastal Waterway to a fishing pier
• Numerous pocket parks and playgrounds spread throughout the North and South Loop and Las Calinas sections

Palencia Village Center, inside the community on US-1, is anchored by a Publix and a run of local shops and restaurants along Market Street, so a grocery run doesn’t require leaving the neighborhood. The Palencia Club itself adds three more dining options within the gates. For a wider selection, the Nocatee Town Center retail and dining hub sits just north of Palencia, and the St. Augustine Premium Outlets and historic downtown St. Augustine restaurant scene are a short drive south on US-1.

Palencia is zoned within the St. Johns County School District. Palencia Elementary sits inside the community itself; middle schoolers are zoned to Pacetti Bay Middle School; and since the 2022–23 rezoning, high schoolers are zoned to Allen D. Nease High School, which also serves Nocatee, Ponte Vedra, Kensington, and Las Calinas. As with anywhere in a fast-growing county, school boundaries can shift as new schools open — always confirm current zoning for a specific address with the district before buying.

Palencia sits just east of I-95 with an on-ramp roughly 10 minutes from most of the community, making it one of the more centrally located gated communities between Jacksonville and St. Augustine. Historic downtown St. Augustine is roughly a 20-minute drive south; downtown Jacksonville and the Southside business district run about 30–35 minutes north; and Jacksonville International Airport is a little under 40 minutes away. Nocatee Town Center is about 10 minutes north, and the beaches at Vilano and Ponte Vedra are both roughly 20–25 minutes east.