If you live in Everly, Brightmore, or one of the neighborhoods off River Road, you have watched the same view from Grand Lake for two years now: Solis Hall on one side, Villani & Co. and Foxtail Coffee on the other, a single walkable block between them. That block is about to have a neighbor. The 44,000 square feet of Phase II construction along Wellen Park Boulevard is not a minor addition. It is a near doubling of Downtown Wellen's storefront count, and the tenants moving into it are almost all opening between now and the end of summer.
Here is what is actually coming, what is already here, and how the calendar looks between now and the first Friday concert in September.
The block that changes what "walk to dinner" means
Downtown Wellen's original phase opened in early 2023 with a compact core. You could see every restaurant from every other restaurant. Phase II adds two mixed-use, two-story buildings spanning 44,000 square feet, with restaurants and retail on the ground floor and professional offices above, designed by New Orleans-based Trapolin-Peer Architects. The new buildings sit on Wellen Park Boulevard, adjacent to Villani & Co. and Foxtail Coffee, close to Tropia luxury apartments, which means the walkable core stops being a single destination and becomes a two-block stretch.
The tenant list, drawn from reporting by the Town Chronicle and Wellen Park's own announcements, breaks down like this:
Food and drink
- La Maison — a French patisserie and brasserie bakery from Darel and Stephanie Albin, owners of Sassy Tarts Bakery in Englewood, opening summer 2026.
- Agave Bandido — a Mexican-inspired kitchen and tequila-focused cocktail bar, Wellen Park will be its fifth location and fourth in Florida, opening summer 2026.
- Grain & Berry — a health-focused café serving açaí bowls, toasts, vegan flatbreads, juices and smoothies, with more than 30 regional locations.
- Easy Does It Comfort Kitchen — named alongside Agave Bandido, Grain & Berry, Club Pilates and Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming as new Phase II tenants.
Retail and services
- Seaside & Co. — a retail space combining coastal clothing and home décor with a wine bar and lounge, from Keelie Bloom of Seaside Chic Boutique in Venice and Beach Daisy on Sanibel, with a partnership with wine brand DiBacco for its Gather wine bar, opening in May.
- Hudson Square Boutique — a women's resort wear shop founded by Wellen Park resident Danielle MacConel, who opened her first boutique in Hopewell Junction, New York, in 2019, featuring brands like Z SUPPLY and Kut from the Kloth.
- Club Pilates — a Pilates studio focused on steady progress rather than intensity, with workouts designed to build strength and balance.
- Woof Gang Bakery & Grooming, a returning Griffith family hair salon known locally for more than 30 years on the Gulf Coast, run by Englewood locals Christine and James Griffith, opening spring 2026, plus Allstate Fisher Family Insurance and J&B Insurance Partners.
Anchor tenants
- Mattamy Homes — the homebuilder will open its Southwest Florida Division headquarters in Downtown Wellen, along with a design center where buyers can personalize their homes.
- The Wellmar at Wellen Park — a hotel under the Marriott Tribute Portfolio, featuring 120+ rooms and a full-service rooftop bar.
That last one is the sleeper. A rooftop bar overlooking Grand Lake changes the after-dinner options on this side of Venice in a way that nothing built here since CoolToday Park has.
The parts that are not storefronts
Two spaces opening around the downtown expansion matter as much as the restaurants for anyone with a dog, a stroller, or a running habit.
Fetch Dog Park is a two-acre fenced haven with canine agility equipment, open grassy areas, jumping rings, a tunnel-topped mound, benches, and two large shade structures. If you have been driving to the county dog parks in North Port, that trip is about to get shorter.
Station 87 Park is the one your kids will ask for by name. It is a community space inspired by the nearby fire station, with custom firehouse-themed playground equipment, a large open lawn, and a pavilion for community gatherings, with construction on the park and playground just completed and the adjacent firehouse still under construction.
Then there are the trails, which are the quiet story of 2026. Two new routes are extending Wellen Park's shell-path network:
- Oakheart Nature Trail — a winding 3-mile trail featuring shell paths and boardwalks that meander along a 50-acre lake, wetlands, and preserved natural areas near the Everly and Lakespur neighborhoods.
- Buttonwood Trail — a 2.5-mile shell and boardwalk trail through natural scenery near Palmera, with a gated connection directly into the neighborhood, completion expected around February 2026.
Add those to the 80-acre Grand Lake, its three-mile trail, The Landing fishing pier, and paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing already at the center of downtown, and residents inside a two-mile radius will have roughly nine miles of connected walking and cycling by fall.
"This next phase of Downtown Wellen reflects our commitment to creating vibrant, engaging spaces where people can connect and have conversations, whether they're meeting for breakfast, enjoying a fitness class, browsing local shops or simply gathering with neighbors," said Rick Severance, president of Wellen Park.
The calendar between now and the fall
While Phase II fills in around you, the existing summer programming is the reason to actually leave the house this week. Two venues carry most of it: Solis Hall and Downtown Wellen at one end of Wellen Park Boulevard, and CoolToday Park at the other.
At Solis Hall and Downtown Wellen
The Solis Hall Summer Series runs every Monday and Tuesday through July, August, and September, with hands-on workshops, wellness sessions, cultural programming, plus a Friday Jazz Cabaret in an intimate setting at Solis Hall. The majority of the events are free to the public, while the jazz cabaret is a ticketed event with food and beverages for $45 per person with limited spots.
Weekly staples worth putting on repeat:
- Wellen Wednesdays — live music and cornhole tournaments, with tournament draw times beginning promptly at 6:30pm and live music from 6 to 9pm.
- Friday Night Live — band on the Solis Hall stage from 6 to 9pm, no RSVP required.
- Saturday Yoga Flow on the Great Lawn from 9 to 10am, and Monday Zumba between 9 and 10am.
- Wellen Park Night Market — local artists offering home decor, fashion, art, and food, 2nd Thursday of each month from 6 to 9pm in Downtown Wellen Park.
- Dueling Pianos — every 3rd Thursday of the month at Solis Hall from 6pm to 9pm.
- Disco Night in Solis Hall on Friday, August 28, with a disco costume contest, drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and a photo booth.
At CoolToday Park
The Braves' spring training home turns into a free family venue in the summer.
- FCL Braves games — the Florida Complex League Braves return for another season of free summertime baseball, with fan-favorite promotions including Tail Waggin' Tuesday, Family Fun Night, Super Splash Day, and Breakfast & Baseball.
- Trivia Night every Wednesday night at the Superior Pools Tomahawk Tiki Bar and Suncoast DJ Bingo every Thursday.
- Summer Movie Nights at the ballpark, including "Lilo & Stitch" on July 12 at 5pm with tickets $3–$7.
- Dawg Days of Summer on Saturday, August 8, with food, drinks, activities, music and more for the whole family, including the dog.
- Palmer's Fun Run on July 13 at 10am, a one-mile concourse race with costumes, interactive stops and a medal for all finishers, tickets $25.
Looking further out, there is the third annual Wellen Park Wine Festival with samples from over 40 vintners and lite bites from Wellen Park's restaurant partners, the third annual Oktoberfest with German dancers, a live polka band, a stein-hoisting competition, and traditional eats, and in November, the Wellen Park Fine Art Festival on November 21st and 22nd, running Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm with free admission.
What this means if you already live here
Two years ago, a Friday night out from Everly or Renaissance meant a decision: drive to downtown Venice, drive to Wellen for one restaurant, or stay in. By fall, that math changes. A patisserie for the morning walk. A wine bar and lounge inside a boutique. A tequila bar and a Pilates studio inside the same block. A rooftop bar under construction. A two-acre dog park and two new trails feeding directly into the neighborhoods they were designed for.
None of this is speculative. Every business named above is under signed lease. The buildings are up. The parade of ribbon cuttings that started with Seaside & Co. in May continues through summer.
If you have been thinking about what your Wellen Park home is worth now that the downtown block is doubling and the Marriott is coming, that is a different conversation, and one worth having when you can walk your own numbers against what the market is doing this quarter. When you are ready to talk through it, Bonnie Schiavone knows this corner of Venice as well as anyone. Let's Connect.
