The Complete Mill Creek Forest Guide. (2026)

Executive Summary

Mill Creek Forest is a gated Toll Brothers new-construction community in St. Johns County, set on private, wooded homesites in the fast-growing northwest part of the county near the new 9B extension. It pairs Toll Brothers’ luxury single-family homes and resort-style amenities with one feature that is genuinely rare for an amenity-rich St. Johns community: no CDD fees. In a county where most master plans carry a Community Development District assessment, that is a meaningful and recurring monthly advantage.

The community offers spacious one- and two-story homes across two collections. The Meadows collection runs from about 1,918 to 2,491 square feet, priced from the high $440,000s, while the larger Magnolia collection runs from about 2,457 to over 3,440 square feet with three-car-garage options, priced from the high $530,000s. Across roughly 20 floor plans (about 1,788 to 3,753 square feet, three to five bedrooms), homes feature Craftsman, Coastal, and Farmhouse exteriors, with many homesites offering lakeside or preserve views. Fully optioned and larger homes reach past $1 million.

Residents get brand-new resort-style amenities, a pool, fitness center, yoga room, clubhouse, playground, tennis and pickleball courts, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, inside a gated setting, and the community is zoned for the top-rated St. Johns County schools. The 9B extension puts the beaches, downtown Jacksonville, and major highways within easy reach. This guide covers the homes, the no-CDD advantage, the amenities, the costs, and the honest trade-offs of buying new, including why you bring your own agent to the builder.

Quick Facts

Community Overview & History

A gated Toll Brothers community, without a CDD

Mill Creek Forest is built by Toll Brothers, the nation’s leading luxury homebuilder, as a gated community on private, wooded homesites in northwest St. Johns County. Its defining combination is luxury Toll Brothers homes and resort-style amenities with no CDD fees. That last point is unusual: most of St. Johns County’s amenity-rich communities, including Nocatee, RiverTown, SilverLeaf, TrailMark, and the nearby Landings, fund their infrastructure and amenities through a Community Development District assessment that adds to the annual tax bill. Mill Creek Forest does not, which lowers the all-in monthly cost relative to a comparable CDD community.

The location is in the northwest St. Johns corridor near the new 9B extension, the same fast-growing, in-demand part of the county prized for its top schools and its access to the Bartram and Durbin retail corridors, the Southside, and the beaches. The 9B extension has improved connectivity to downtown Jacksonville, the highways, and the Atlantic beaches, making this corner of St. Johns more commutable than ever.

Luxury homes on wooded homesites

Mill Creek Forest is designed around private, wooded homesites, with several offering lakeside or expansive preserve views, and Toll Brothers’ hallmark customization through its Northeast Florida Regional Design Studio. The homes carry Craftsman, Coastal, and Farmhouse exteriors that suit the natural setting, and the gated entry adds privacy. For buyers who want a luxury builder, a gated address, and the top St. Johns schools without a CDD, Mill Creek Forest occupies a distinctive niche.

Homes & Collections

Mill Creek Forest is built entirely by Toll Brothers, with homes organized into two collections plus quick-move-in and to-be-built options. The decision starts with size and budget, Meadows or Magnolia, and the homesite.

The Meadows collection

The Meadows collection is the more accessible tier, with spacious one- and two-story single-family homes from about 1,918 to 2,491 square feet, open-concept living, first-floor primary bedroom options, and two-car garages, in Craftsman, Coastal, and Farmhouse styles. Pricing has started from the high $440,000s. Several Meadows homesites offer preserve views. It suits buyers who want a Toll Brothers home and the gated, no-CDD setting at the community’s lower price point.

The Magnolia collection

The Magnolia collection is the larger tier, with homes from about 2,457 to more than 3,440 square feet, three-car-garage options, and first-floor primary suite options, also in Craftsman, Coastal, and Farmhouse exteriors. Pricing has started from the high $530,000s, with larger, fully optioned homes and premium lots reaching past $1 million. Magnolia suits move-up buyers and larger households who want more space and the three-car garage.

Quick move-in vs. to-be-built

Across roughly 20 floor plans (about 1,788 to 3,753 square feet), Mill Creek Forest offers both quick-move-in homes (already under construction or complete, faster to close, recent examples have ranged from the low $500,000s to over $1.1 million depending on size and collection) and to-be-built homes personalized through the Toll Brothers Northeast Florida Regional Design Studio (more customization, a longer timeline). Comparing the two, and the incentives on each, is worthwhile.

The Market & Pricing

Mill Creek Forest’s pitch is luxury and a no-CDD fee structure in a top St. Johns school zone. As of 2026, the Meadows collection has started from the high $440,000s and the Magnolia collection from the high $530,000s, with larger, fully optioned homes and premium lots reaching past $1 million. Quick-move-in homes have recently ranged from around the low $500,000s into the $1.1 million range depending on size and collection.

The no-CDD structure is the headline. In a typical St. Johns master plan, a CDD assessment can add a few thousand dollars a year to the tax bill for decades. Mill Creek Forest does not carry one, so for a similarly priced home the all-in monthly is meaningfully lighter, which matters more than the sticker price for many buyers. Beyond that, lakeside and preserve lots carry premiums, Toll’s design-studio upgrades move the number quickly (that is the appeal of a Toll home), and builder incentives are active, so it pays to ask which apply to which homes.

For context, Momentum tracks the wider Jacksonville metro at a 97.98 percent sold-to-list ratio and 64 days on market for our agents, against a RealMLS market average closer to 96.73 percent and 72 days, year to date. In a luxury, no-CDD community like Mill Creek Forest, the lot, the collection, the upgrade choices, the incentives, and your representation matter more than resale comps, which is where an agent who knows the community pays off.

Who Lives Here

Mill Creek Forest attracts buyers who want a luxury, gated home in the top St. Johns schools, with the added appeal of no CDD. The mix skews toward established families drawn by the schools, the gated privacy, and the amenities; move-up buyers choosing the larger Magnolia homes; and value-conscious luxury buyers who specifically want to avoid a CDD while still getting a Toll Brothers home and resort amenities.

Many buyers are relocating within the metro to get into the northwest St. Johns corridor near the 9B extension, or moving from out of state drawn by the schools, the gated setting, and the no-CDD structure. Because it is a gated Toll community without a CDD, residents tend to be financially established buyers who value both the quality of the build and the lower carrying cost relative to comparable CDD communities.

Schools

Mill Creek Forest is served by the top-rated St. Johns County School District, consistently ranked the number one district in Florida, which is a primary draw. The northwest St. Johns / 9B corridor is zoned to St. Johns’ sought-after campuses, and the district’s overall strength is a major reason buyers target this part of the county.

Because northwest St. Johns is growing quickly and the district periodically adjusts boundaries and opens new schools, attendance zones can shift as the community and surrounding area build out, and any builder school references are estimates. Buyers with school-age children should confirm the exact current zoned elementary, middle, and high schools for a specific Mill Creek Forest address directly with St. Johns County Public Schools before relying on any assignment.

Amenities & Lifestyle

Mill Creek Forest pairs a gated, wooded setting with a brand-new resort-style amenity package, and it does so without a CDD.

The amenity center

Residents enjoy brand-new amenities including a sparkling swimming pool, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a yoga room, a clubhouse, a playground, tennis and pickleball courts, and indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. For a community of its size, that is a deep amenity package, and notably it is funded without a CDD, through the HOA and the developer, rather than a tax-bill assessment.

The gated, wooded setting

Mill Creek Forest is gated, set on private, wooded homesites, with several homes backing to lakes or preserve, giving residents privacy and natural views. The combination of a gated entry, mature tree cover, and water and preserve lots gives the community a quieter, more private feel than a typical open subdivision, which is part of the Toll Brothers appeal.

Location and access

The community sits near the new 9B extension, which has improved access to downtown Jacksonville, the major highways, the Bartram and Durbin retail corridors, and the Atlantic beaches. That connectivity, combined with the top schools and the gated, no-CDD setting, gives Mill Creek Forest a practical, livable balance for northwest St. Johns buyers.

HOA & CDD

Mill Creek Forest’s fee structure is a genuine selling point and a real contrast with most of St. Johns County’s new construction.

There is no CDD. Unlike most amenity-rich St. Johns master plans, Mill Creek Forest does not carry a Community Development District assessment. That means no CDD line item of a few thousand dollars a year on your property tax bill, a recurring monthly savings that compounds over the life of the loan and is unusual for a gated community with this level of amenities.

There are HOA dues. As a gated, amenity community, Mill Creek Forest carries HOA dues that fund the gate, the amenities, and common-area maintenance. Confirm the exact current HOA amount and what it covers with the builder, since the HOA does more of the work here in the absence of a CDD.

Factor lot premiums and upgrades. Lakeside and preserve homesites carry premiums, and Toll’s design-studio upgrades can add substantially to the base price. These one-time costs still shape the all-in number, even with the favorable no-CDD structure.

Model the true all-in monthly. Between the mortgage, the HOA dues, and the post-first-year property-tax reset on a new build, the all-in monthly still needs to be modeled, but the absence of a CDD makes Mill Creek Forest’s carrying cost notably lighter than comparable St. Johns CDD communities. A good agent will help you build the real number and run that comparison before you commit.

Commute Analysis

Mill Creek Forest’s northwest St. Johns location near the 9B extension balances a quieter, gated setting with strong access to jobs, retail, and the coast.

Mill Creek Forest sits in northwest St. Johns near the 9B extension, which connects to I-95 and improves access toward downtown Jacksonville (about 30 to 35 minutes), the Southside and St. Johns Town Center (about 20 to 30 minutes), and the beaches (about 35 to 45 minutes). The Bartram and Durbin retail corridors are close by at about 10 to 15 minutes. For buyers who work on the Southside, in St. Johns County, or remotely, and who want top schools and a gated, no-CDD home, the location works well. The trade-offs are the longer drives to the beaches and the airport, and the commuter traffic on the corridor at peak hours.

Shopping & Dining

Mill Creek Forest is close to some of the metro’s strongest retail. The Bartram and Durbin Pavilion corridors, about 10 to 15 minutes away, offer extensive shopping, dining, grocery stores, and services, including big-box retail, restaurants, and entertainment, covering most everyday and destination needs.

Farther afield, the St. Johns Town Center (about 20 to 30 minutes) provides premier shopping and dining on the Southside, and historic St. Augustine (about 30 to 35 minutes) adds its own character. With the Bartram and Durbin corridors close and the Town Center reachable, Mill Creek Forest residents have a strong, convenient shopping and dining picture, anchored by the rapidly growing retail of northwest St. Johns.

Pros and Cons

Mill Creek Forest vs. Comparable Communities

Most buyers weighing Mill Creek Forest are comparing it with the other northwest St. Johns communities and the metro’s Toll Brothers options. Here is the honest shorthand.

Hidden Things Buyers Should Know

A few things that consistently come up once buyers get serious about a gated, no-CDD Toll community like Mill Creek Forest.

No CDD is the headline, but check the HOA

The absence of a CDD is a real, recurring savings, and it is unusual for a gated St. Johns community with this amenity level. The flip side is that the HOA carries more of the load for the gate and amenities, so confirm the HOA dues and what they cover. Even so, the combined HOA-without-CDD cost typically lands below a comparable community’s HOA-plus-CDD.

Meadows vs. Magnolia is the first decision

The two collections are quite different in size and price, Meadows from the high $440,000s, Magnolia from the high $530,000s with three-car garages and homes past $1 million when optioned. Decide which fits your budget and space needs first; it shapes the lot, the plan, and the price. Your agent can put the two side by side.

Toll upgrades are where the price moves

The appeal of a Toll Brothers home is the customization through the Northeast Florida Regional Design Studio, and that is where the base price can climb fast. Go in knowing which upgrades add lasting value and resale appeal versus which are easy to skip, so you spend where it counts.

The lot drives the premium

Lakeside and preserve homesites carry premiums and tend to hold value, so if a view matters, build your search around the right lot early. In a gated, wooded community, the premium lots go first, and your agent can help you weigh the premium against resale upside.

Momentum Expert Insight

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Reading

If you are researching Mill Creek Forest, you are likely also weighing these other St. Johns County and new-construction communities. We have written guides on each.