By Greg Detullio | St. Johns County & Jacksonville Area Real Estate
If you've been researching new construction homes in St. Johns County, you've probably come across Silverleaf — one of the most talked-about master-planned communities in the greater Jacksonville area. And within Silverleaf, there's a neighborhood that keeps coming up in conversations with my clients: Courtney Chase.
But here's the thing — Courtney Chase often gets confused with Courtney Oaks, Courtney Grove, and Hidden Creek. They all share the same zip code, the same gated Johns Island section of Silverleaf, and — in some cases — even the same builder. So before you start touring model homes, let me break down exactly what makes Courtney Chase its own distinct community, who it's the perfect fit for, and why I genuinely believe it's one of the smartest buys left in all of St. Johns County right now.
1. It's Built by One of Florida's Best Semi-Custom Builders
Let's start with the most important factor: the builder. Courtney Chase is an ICI Homes community, and if you're not familiar with ICI, that's actually one of the best-kept secrets in the Jacksonville real estate market.
ICI is one of the few production builders in Florida that legitimately earns the label "semi-custom." While most track home builders hand you a design package and say "pick your countertops," ICI will actually make structural and design customizations that their competitors simply won't touch. The result? Homes that feel personal, not cookie-cutter.
Walk into any ICI home and you'll immediately notice the signature details — soaring ceilings, oversized sliders that blur the line between indoor and outdoor living, and a level of craftsmanship that punches above the price point. These aren't things you notice in a listing photo. You notice them the moment you walk through the door on a Sunday afternoon showing.
The two floor plans that ICI buyers fall in love with most consistently are the Costa Mesa and the Palos Verdes. Both are exceptional, and both are genuinely hard to find elsewhere in St. Johns County. If you've watched my video on the Palos Verdes floor plan (linked below), you already know that building one today can run you to $1 million or more. That context matters — and we'll come back to it.
2. Courtney Chase Has Its Own Distinct Identity Within Johns Island
Here's where the confusion usually starts. People hear "ICI" and "Johns Island" and lump everything together. But Courtney Chase is not Courtney Grove, and the difference is significant.
Courtney Chase is built on 50- and 60-foot lots, with homes ranging from approximately 1,900 to just over 3,000 square feet. The price range runs from the low $700,000s up to just under $1 million. It's a true neighborhood — intimate, well-designed, and with a community feel that larger developments often sacrifice for density.
Courtney Grove, by contrast, sits on massive 70- to 80-foot lots with homes well over 4,000 to 5,000 square feet and price tags that range from $1.1 million to $2 million. Both are excellent communities built by ICI, but they serve completely different buyers.
Think of Courtney Chase as the entry point into the Johns Island lifestyle — the place where a growing family, a relocating professional couple, or a right-sizing empty-nester can get into a true semi-custom ICI home in a gated community for under a million dollars. That's not a compromised choice. That's a smart one.
3. The Community Is Nearly Complete — and That's Actually Great News
Courtney Chase has just under 100 homes total, and as of spring 2026, ICI only has about eight or nine home sites and spec homes remaining. For most buyers, "almost sold out" sounds like a warning. In this case, I'd argue it's one of the most compelling reasons to act.
Why? Because the construction chaos is almost over. If you've ever bought a home in an active new-construction community, you know what I'm talking about — the constant noise, the muddy roads, the construction crews pulling in and out every morning, and the parade of strangers walking through your neighborhood every weekend for model home tours. Courtney Chase is almost past all of that.
The remaining lots worth knowing about are the preserve-backing lots on the rear of the community. These pie-shaped lots expand significantly toward the back, giving you more usable outdoor space than the lot line numbers suggest. There are no pond-view lots remaining, but a preserve view offers its own appeal — privacy, wildlife, and a sense of greenery that you simply can't replicate by backing up to another home.
One of those remaining homes is a Palos Verdes floor plan that I'm bringing to market at a genuinely competitive price — well under what it would cost to build today, and move-in ready ahead of the 2026-2027 school year. If that's something you want to know more about before it hits the market, reach out directly.
Homes in St Johns, FL
4. The Brand-New Johns Island Amenity Center Is Right Next Door
Silverleaf has been growing for years, and one of the community's most anticipated additions finally opened in spring 2026: the new Johns Island amenity center, located right between Courtney Chase and Courtney Grove. As a Courtney Chase resident, this amenity center is essentially your backyard.
The new center brings pickleball courts, a resort-style pool, and gathering spaces to the north end of Silverleaf — complementing the existing amenity hub on the master planned community's south side. For residents who've been in Silverleaf for a few years, this was a long time coming. For buyers considering Courtney Chase right now, the timing couldn't be better. You're moving in just as the community hits its full amenity stride.
It's also worth noting that Silverleaf is a golf cart-friendly community. The master plan includes a dedicated golf cart road system that connects neighborhoods, amenities, and gathering spots throughout the development. Just make sure you're shopping for lithium batteries — Silverleaf is a big place. At full build-out, the community will exceed 14,000 homes, and the golf cart infrastructure is built to match that scale.
5. The HOA Structure Is Reasonable — and There Are No CDDs
This one surprises a lot of buyers coming from other Florida markets, so let me be direct: Silverleaf has no CDD (Community Development District) fees.
If you're coming from communities like Nocatee or Beachwalk or certain sections of St. Johns County where CDD assessments quietly add $2,000–$4,000 per year to your total housing cost, Silverleaf feels like a breath of fresh air. Instead, you have a master HOA that covers community-wide amenities and infrastructure, plus a neighborhood-level HOA specific to Courtney Chase.
Your total annual HOA obligation in Courtney Chase starts around $1,700 per year — and even with the possibility of future increases, you're looking at comprehensive amenity access, gated entryways, maintained sidewalks, and the golf cart community infrastructure for under $2,000 a year. In today's market, that's a genuinely good deal.
The gated entryway is electronic and provides the security and exclusivity that buyers in this price range expect without the associated lifestyle costs that make similar communities unaffordable over the long term.
6. Everything You Need Is Within 30 Minutes
Location is everything, and Johns Island's position within Silverleaf puts you in a genuinely convenient spot — even if it doesn't feel like it when you're looking at a map for the first time.
Here's what your everyday life looks like from Courtney Chase:
The Beach: Mickler's Landing on Ponte Vedra Beach is a 29-minute drive. That's genuinely beach-accessible living — not the kind of "close to the beach" claim that turns out to be 45 minutes in light traffic. On a Saturday morning when you want to surf or run the shoreline before noon, Courtney Chase makes that possible.
Grocery Shopping: One of the largest Publix locations in Florida is just around the corner from Silverleaf. For everyday shopping, you won't be making long trips.
Retail and Dining: The Durbin Pavilion — with its movie theater, Home Depot, and expanding restaurant corridor — is about 6.2 miles away, roughly a 13-minute drive. This is where your Saturday errands actually happen.
Costco: For families who stock up, the Costco near World Golf Village is approximately 17 minutes and 8.4 miles away. Bass Pro Shop and a Super Walmart are also nearby in that same corridor.
Healthcare: You're within reasonable driving distance of Baptist Medical Center, UF Health Jacksonville, and Ascension St. Vincent's — important peace of mind for families and anyone with healthcare considerations in their relocation planning.
For commuters, you have solid access to I-95 via nearby interchanges, which connects you to Downtown Jacksonville, the Southside employment corridor, and — if you're military — NAS Jacksonville and other installations within a manageable drive.
7. The Schools Make This Area One of the Most Sought-After in the Region
This is the factor that, more than almost anything else, drives buyer demand on the northwest end of Silverleaf. Courtney Chase falls within St. Johns County School District — consistently ranked among the top school districts not just in Florida, but in the entire country.
For families moving from out of state or relocating within Florida, St. Johns County schools are often the deciding factor in drawing a line between "north of the border" and "south of the border." Courtney Chase puts you firmly in St. Johns County, with access to A-rated elementary, middle, and high schools that feed into a district with an exceptional track record.
This isn't just meaningful for families with school-age children today. It's meaningful for long-term resale value. Homes in A-rated school districts consistently hold their value better, sell faster, and attract a broader buyer pool when the time comes to move on. Buying in St. Johns County is as much an investment decision as it is a lifestyle one.
The Bottom Line: Who Is Courtney Chase For?
Courtney Chase is the right move for a specific kind of buyer — and if you see yourself in this description, it's worth paying very close attention.
You're someone who values quality construction without wanting to pay $1.2–$2 million to get it. You want a gated community with real amenities but not the CDD fee burden that comes with so many Florida developments. You want to be in St. Johns County schools for your kids, or you want the investment security that comes with that school district's reputation. And you want to be close enough to Jacksonville's beaches, restaurants, and job centers to feel connected to the city — without feeling like you're in the middle of it.
You might be a growing family making your second or third move up the housing ladder. You might be a professional couple who works remotely and wants space, privacy, and a neighborhood that feels finished. You might even be a retiree who's done with HOA drama and wants a semi-custom home built right the first time, in a community that's nearly complete.
In all of those cases, Courtney Chase makes sense. The builder is exceptional. The location is smart. The amenities are finally all in place. And with only a handful of opportunities left — including an upcoming Palos Verdes listing at a price that makes sense — the window is genuinely closing.
Interested in the Courtney Chase Palos Verdes listing or want to learn more about the Johns Island neighborhoods of Silverleaf? Reach out directly — call, text, or email. My contact information is in the description below. I put out new content every Tuesday and Thursday, and we're hosting Thursday Night Live interviews with actual Silverleaf residents who can answer your real questions about the schools, the lifestyle, and what day-to-day life actually looks like here.
My name is Greg Detullio, and I specialize in the St. Johns County and greater Jacksonville suburbs. If you're considering a move to this area, I'd be honored to be your go-to real estate resource.
"Homes in Courtney Chase are priced from the low $700,000s up to just under $1 million, with square footage ranging from approximately 1,900 to just over 3,000 square feet. This makes it one of the more accessible entry points into the gated Johns Island section of Silverleaf without sacrificing builder quality." "No. Silverleaf is a non-CDD community, which sets it apart from many other master-planned communities in St. Johns County. Courtney Chase residents pay a master HOA and a neighborhood HOA, with total annual costs starting around $1,700 per year — covering gated entry, sidewalks, golf cart road access, and full use of Silverleaf's amenity centers."
"Courtney Chase is built exclusively by ICI Homes, one of Florida's most respected semi-custom builders. ICI is known for tall ceilings, oversized sliders, and a willingness to make structural customizations that most production builders won't allow. Their most popular floor plans in Courtney Chase are the Costa Mesa and the Palos Verdes." "Courtney Chase falls within the St. Johns County School District, consistently ranked among the top school districts in Florida and one of the best in the country. Students have access to A-rated elementary, middle, and high schools — one of the primary reasons families specifically target this side of the county line when relocating to the Jacksonville area." "Mickler's Landing on Ponte Vedra Beach is approximately 29 minutes from Courtney Chase — making it genuinely beach-accessible without the price tag of living directly in Ponte Vedra. For residents who want weekend beach days, morning surf sessions, or easy coastal access without paying coastal prices, Courtney Chase's location hits a rare sweet spot."Frequently Asked Questions
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