Calesa Township
Ocala's family-focused master plan — Colen-built homes, the FAST aquatics campus, and miles of trails in the southwest growth corridor.
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Background
A brief history
Calesa Township is one of Ocala's newest large master-planned communities, developed by Colen Built Development — the same family-owned company, with more than seven decades of Ocala homebuilding behind it, that created On Top of the World. The plan calls for roughly 5,000 single-family and multi-family homes on about 1,500 acres in the fast-growing southwest Ocala corridor east of SW 80th Avenue, marketed as a family-focused, all-ages alternative to the area's many 55+ communities.
Unlike the retirement communities that dominate southwest Ocala, Calesa was conceived around families and wellness. Its signature institutions arrived in the early 2020s: the Ina A. Colen Academy, a tuition-free K-8 public charter school authorized by Marion County, broke ground in October 2020, and the Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training (FAST) campus — a major competition and training aquatics complex adjacent to the community — opened in March 2022. An extensive trail system, yoga pavilions, community pools, soccer fields, and basketball courts were built into the master plan from the start.
Because it is a young, still-building community, Calesa is filling in neighborhood by neighborhood, with Colen Built as the exclusive single-family builder and the HOA managed by the developer until the community reaches a high occupancy threshold. It sits minutes from the SR-200 corridor, downtown Ocala, and I-75, in the same southwest growth area as the World Equestrian Center's ripple effects.
The feel
What it's like to live here
Calesa Township is built around an explicitly family-and-wellness identity that stands out in 55+-heavy southwest Ocala: an all-ages master plan with an on-site K-8 charter school, the FAST aquatics campus next door, miles of dirt nature trails and paved fitness paths with yoga pavilions, community pools, soccer fields, and basketball courts. The homes are brand-new Colen Built construction, and the community is designed for active families who want trails, pools, and schools woven into daily life. The feel is fresh, planned, and amenity-forward rather than established or rural.
The honest tradeoffs are those of a young, still-developing community. Because it is actively building out, buyers should expect ongoing construction traffic and amenities that are still being completed, and the master plan is not fully gated — the main entrance is a public roadway, with electronic gates planned at individual neighborhoods rather than a single community gate. As a new master plan, it carries an HOA with dues that fund the trails, common areas, and amenities, and the developer controls the association during build-out. Buyers who want a fully finished, established neighborhood or a large rural lot should look elsewhere; buyers who want new construction, family amenities, and a school-and-trails lifestyle in southwest Ocala will find Calesa a strong fit.
The details
What to expect
Utilities & Infrastructure
As a new master-planned community, Calesa Township is built with modern engineered infrastructure rather than the wells and septic common to older big-lot southwest Ocala subdivisions, but you should still confirm the specifics for any home. Verify in writing whether the home is served by central/community water and sewer or any private system, and ask about who provides the service and the rates. New construction also means stormwater systems, irrigation, and utility hookups are part of the developer's plan, so review what the HOA covers (such as common-area irrigation) versus what you pay directly. Always confirm utility setup and providers for the specific address before closing.
HOA, Gating & Developer Control
Calesa carries an HOA whose dues fund the trail system and common-area landscape maintenance, common-area irrigation, electronic neighborhood entry gates, and community amenities. Per the developer, the community is not fully gated — the main entrance is a public roadway, with electronic gates planned into individual neighborhoods — and the developer (Colen Built) manages the HOA until the community reaches roughly 90% occupancy, after which control transitions to residents. Annual budget reviews can adjust dues as the community develops. Confirm the current HOA fee, what it covers, the gating status of the specific neighborhood, and the developer-control timeline before purchase.
Schools & The Ina A. Colen Academy
Calesa is unusual for a Florida master plan in having an on-site K-8 public charter school, the Ina A. Colen Academy, which broke ground in 2020 and emphasizes project-based learning; it is tuition-free and open to community children, though as a charter it has its own enrollment process and capacity limits separate from zoned attendance. Calesa also falls within the Marion County Public Schools district for traditional zoned schools. Charter enrollment is not guaranteed by buying here, so if the academy is central to your decision, confirm current enrollment availability directly. For zoned public schools, verify the assigned elementary, middle, and high school for the specific address with Marion County Public Schools.
Family & Wellness Amenities
Amenities are Calesa's defining feature: an extensive trail system combining dirt nature hikes and paved fitness paths, yoga pavilions spaced throughout, community pools, soccer fields, and basketball courts, plus the adjacent FAST (Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training) campus that opened in 2022 for swim lessons, training, and aquatic programs. The design leans into an active, outdoors-oriented family lifestyle rather than golf or 55+ social clubs. Because the community is still building out, confirm which amenities are complete and open versus planned for future phases, and ask whether FAST access carries separate membership or program fees apart from HOA dues.
New Construction & Build-Out
Calesa is essentially all new construction, built exclusively by Colen Built across single-family and multi-family product, so buyers get current Florida Building Code, modern wind ratings, and builder warranties. The flip side of a still-developing community is ongoing construction activity, evolving traffic patterns, and amenities or neighborhoods that may not be finished yet. On any new build, an independent inspection at pre-drywall and final is money well spent regardless of builder reputation, and you should confirm the builder/structural warranty terms. Ask about the build-out timeline for the surrounding lots so you know what construction to expect after you move in.
Community
Amenities
- Extensive trail system combining dirt nature trails and paved fitness paths with yoga pavilions throughout
- Adjacent FAST (Florida Aquatics Swimming and Training) campus — competition and training aquatics complex, opened 2022
- On-site Ina A. Colen Academy — tuition-free K-8 public charter school (broke ground 2020)
- Community pools
- Soccer fields and basketball courts
- Electronic neighborhood entry gates (planned/rolling out by neighborhood)
- All-new Colen Built single-family and multi-family homes
- Southwest Ocala location minutes from the SR-200 corridor, downtown Ocala, and I-75
Know Before You Buy
HOA rules worth knowing
- All-ages master-planned community (not age-restricted), developed exclusively by Colen Built
- HOA dues fund the trail system and common-area landscape maintenance, common-area irrigation, electronic neighborhood entry gates, and community amenities — verify the current fee and inclusions with the HOA before purchase
- Not fully gated — the main entrance is a public roadway, with electronic gates planned into individual neighborhoods; confirm the gating status of the specific neighborhood
- Developer (Colen Built) manages the HOA until roughly 90% occupancy, after which control transitions to residents; review governing documents and the developer-control timeline before purchase
Education
School assignments
- Marion County Public Schools
- Ina A. Colen Academy — on-site tuition-free K-8 public charter school (separate enrollment process; not guaranteed by purchase)
- Saddlewood Elementary School (verify zoning)
- Liberty Middle School (verify zoning)
- West Port High School (verify zoning)
School zone assignments change. Verify with Orange County Public Schools before purchase.
Market Commentary
What the market is doing
Calesa Township is a newer, smaller-volume but rising market — the last 12 months of MLS sales show 68 closings, which is solid for a community still building out. The median came in at $450K, with the bottom tenth of sales under $356K and the top tenth above $548K. That sits at the higher end of the Ocala spectrum, which makes sense: this is essentially all new Colen Built construction with a family-amenity package and on-site schools baked in, so you are buying brand-new homes rather than aged resales. The relatively tight spread between the bottom and top tenth reflects how uniform new-construction product tends to be compared to older mixed-vintage neighborhoods. With new construction, I always have buyers compare total monthly cost including HOA dues and confirm exactly which amenities and schools are complete versus still planned. Well-located new homes here have been moving at a steady clip. — Ryan Solberg
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IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers’ personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Based on information submitted to the MLS GRID as of July 1, 2026. All data is obtained from various sources and may not have been verified by broker or MLS GRID. Supplied Open House Information is subject to change without notice. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy. Properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting the information.
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