Community Details at a Glance
The Homes
Type
Single-family, master-planned
Built
Late 2010s to new construction
Size
About 1,500 to 3,200+ sq ft
Status
Actively building and selling
Costs & Fees
HOA
Covers common areas and amenities
CDD
Possible; confirm per parcel
Taxes
Clay County millage; confirm per parcel
Amenities
Community
Amenity area, ponds, and sidewalks
Setting
Lake Asbury area of Clay County
Access
CR 209 and the First Coast Expressway
Schools
Clay County public schools
Location
Area
Lake Asbury area, near Green Cove Springs, Clay County
Access
CR 209 and the First Coast Expressway
Orange Park
About 20 minutes
Green Cove Springs
About 10 to 15 minutes
The Homes & Style
Per D.R. Horton and NewHomeSource in June 2026, Willow Springs prices from about 320,000 dollars, with the Siesta Key at 320,990 dollars and the Catalina at 346,990 dollars; lot premiums and closing-cost incentives move the effective numbers.
The buyer pool is first-time buyers, NAS Jacksonville buyers using the Shands Bridge corridor, and Clay County buyers who want new construction without a CDD assessment stacked on the tax bill.
Until buildout, resale competes with active D.R. Horton inventory and incentives, so early owners should plan to hold through the builder phase.
Willow Springs is one builder running its efficient Express series, so the decisions are plan, lot, and inventory timing.
The series starts around 1,490 square feet; the Siesta Key at 320,990 dollars per D.R. Horton and NewHomeSource in June 2026 anchors the entry point.
The larger plans run to about 2,147 square feet and 4 bedrooms; the Catalina at 346,990 dollars per the same sources is the volume family buy.
Preserve and pond lots carry premiums; the Express series keeps options light, so the lot is one of the few ways to differentiate your house at resale.
D.R. Horton leans hard on quick move-in inventory and rate buydowns; confirm current inventory and incentive terms, because they move month to month.
Living Here
The amenity package punches above the Express price point, and it is the family-weekend kind rather than the country-club kind.
The centerpiece of the community.
The gathering and party space beside the pool.
The family anchor of the campus.
The active-recreation extra most communities at this price skip.
Downtown Green Cove Springs covers the basics with its small-town main street and spring park about ten minutes away, Fleming Island carries the big-box, grocery, and dining load fifteen minutes north, and the Oakleaf retail cluster is reachable via the expressway.
Most new Clay County master plans carry CDD assessments that add hundreds of dollars a month; Willow Springs advertising no CDD means its slightly higher sticker can still be the cheaper monthly payment. Run the full math.
D.R. Horton Express keeps prices down by keeping options light; what you save up front, you may spend later on blinds, gutters, fencing, and backsplashes, so budget the move-in extras.
The First Coast Expressway keeps extending, and every completed segment shortens this commute shed; buyers here are quietly buying a transportation upgrade that is still under construction.
Before You Offer
Price the all-in monthly first. Willow Springs carries an HOA, and many Clay master plans of this era carry a CDD assessment on the tax bill, so confirm both and pull any CDD balance and term.
Compare new construction to resale carefully, weighing builder incentives, lot premiums, and timelines against a move-in-ready resale in a delivered phase.
Confirm the lot for pond, preserve, or interior position, and what is built or planned around it as the community grows.
Confirm school assignment by address with Clay County Schools, and weigh how the First Coast Expressway changes your commute.
Willow Springs vs. Comparable Clay Communities
Willow Springs competes with the other newer master plans of the Lake Asbury and Green Cove Springs area. Against the larger Clay master plans, it offers a newer, amenity-equipped community positioned for the First Coast Expressway, while established communities counter with maturity and deeper amenities.
Against Fleming Island to the north, Willow Springs trades an established community for newer construction and a value price in a fast-improving corridor. The honest shorthand: pick Willow Springs for new construction and expressway-driven access; pick an established community for maturity and amenities.
Who Willow Springs Fits Best
Willow Springs fits buyers who want new construction with an amenity area in the fast-growing Lake Asbury and Green Cove Springs area, anyone positioned to benefit from the First Coast Expressway, and buyers comfortable trading any CDD for a newer, lower-maintenance home.
Willow Springs is a weaker fit buyers who want no CDD and the lowest carrying cost, those who prefer mature, established streets, or anyone seeking golf or a large town center.
