We’re excited to announce a new tool designed to make guest entry into The Villages easier, faster, and more secure: the FastAccess Pass, now available through GateAccess.net and the GateAccess mobile app.

This feature is part of our continued efforts to streamline entry at the gates while maintaining a high level of safety and accuracy in documenting who is entering the community. It’s a small change with a big impact — saving time for both residents and gate staff.

What Is a FastAccess Pass? 

The FastAccess Pass allows residents to send a digital barcode pass directly to their guests via text or email. Guests can then present the barcode at the gate using their smartphone. You can access and send passes via: 

• GateAccess.net on a web browser 

• The GateAccess mobile app, available for Apple and Android 

Reminder: The app icon features a red stop-sign–shaped octagon with a small green “A” at the bottom center.

How It Works 

Using the GateAccess mobile app: 

1. Log in and go to the “Guest List” section 

2. Select or add a guest 

3. Tap the guest’s name to open their details 

4. Choose if the pass should be permanent or have an expiration date 

5. Tap “Save” 

6. Then tap the “Share” button in the top right corner and choose how to send the pass: 

• Text message (iMessage or SMS) 

• Email 

• Digital Wallet link (Apple Wallet or “Pass2U” for Android) 

Your guest will be able to scan the pass at the gate, just like a boarding pass at the airport.

Lane Reminder: Guests using a FastAccess Pass must enter through the GUEST lane, not the resident lane. The barcode will be scanned by a gate officer at the guardhouse for entry.

Thank you for your patience as we reintroduce the FastAccess Pass. We hope you’ll find it a convenient way to welcome your guests.

📍 Questions? Call Public Safety at (408) 239-5246 or visit us in Building B.

According to the new CalFire Fire Hazard Severity Zone map, The Villages does not have any property in the “Very High” fire zone. While much of the perimeter of the Villages is indeed in the High Fire Zone, the remainder of the Villages is not. There are more stringent fire control regulations required for those living in the higher zones. Evaluation of the impact to those living in the “High” zone is underway and more information is forthcoming. To find out if you live in a “High” fire zone, click the link below, then use the magnifying glass icon to search for your address: https://sccfiresafe.org/resources/do-you-reside-in-santa-clara-countys-wildland-urban-interface-wui/

As spring settles into The Villages, we’re sharing our beautiful community with local wildlife, including coyotes. This time of year marks pupping season, meaning coyotes will be more active as they protect and provide for their young.

While coyotes rarely threaten humans, they are opportunistic hunters, and smaller pets may be seen as potential prey if left unsupervised outdoors. Although we have seen no aggressive behavior toward domesticated animals here at The Villages in over two years, it’s always best to remain vigilant and take a few simple precautions.

Safety tips for coexisting peacefully

• Supervise small pets outdoors. Always keep dogs and cats on a leash or harness, especially during early morning and evening hours when coyotes are most active.
• Remove attractants. Outdoor pet food, fallen fruit, food waste, and bird feeders can unintentionally attract coyotes.
• Keep coyotes wary of humans. If you encounter a coyote nearby, haze it by yelling, spraying it with a water hose, waving your arms, or tossing a ball toward it.
• Secure your home and yard. Keep bushes and landscaping trimmed low to discourage wildlife from coming too close to homes.
• Stay alert when near brushy or wooded areas. Coyotes often build dens in sheltered spaces. If a coyote appears to stare, follow you, or act defensively, calmly leave the area and tell others to avoid it for a few weeks. Do not run.

Coyotes are naturally protective during pupping season, but once pups are old enough to survive outside the den, coyotes typically move and become less visible.

With a little awareness, staying alert and looking out for one another, we help keep our community safe and welcoming.

Report aggressive behavior

While sightings alone aren’t a cause for alarm, if you observe any aggressive behavior toward people or pets, please report it immediately to Public Safety at (408) 223-4665.

SavATree’s Woodland Fire Prevention Program

You may have noticed our trucks around the outskirts of your community, especially the Glen Arden area. Fire safety is very important to us, and we’ve created a fire clearance program to reduce the fire risk of woodland areas to your homes, while maintaining their beauty and health.

As part of this initiative, we are carefully pruning lower branches up to 8 feet high to remove what’s known as the “fire ladder,” which can allow flames to climb into the tree canopy. We’re also clearing out dry, dead wood that could fuel a fire.

To maintain a healthy and fire-resistant landscape, we are spreading a light layer (2-3 inches) of wood chip mulch. This helps suppress more flammable grasses while improving soil health. Over time, as the mulch breaks down, it’s fire resistance increases even further.

Wildfires are a natural part of our environment, but with the right precautions, we can greatly reduce the risk to our homes and communities. These fire safety measures align with best practices in woodland management and will help protect both property and nature. We’ll see you around as we continue to work on fire clearance pruning throughout the spring and summer.

For further information, you may find these sources helpful:

On flammability of mulch vs. grass: https://www.uidaho.edu/-/media/uidaho-responsive/files/extension/topic/forestry/f15-mulches-for-firewise-landscapes.pdf

About fire ladders: https://ucanr.edu/blog/real-dirt/article/be-firewise-fire-resistant-landscaping

Fruit Reduction on Villages’ Olives and Liquidambars

We know that, while beautiful, the olive, plum and liquidambar trees lining many of the streets at the villages produce fruits which can be messy and hazardous underfoot. SavATree has developed a comprehensive program to reduce the fruit load on these trees as much as possible. The first part, currently underway, is two precisely timed sprays applied to the bark, just before and just after flowering, on each tree. These sprays consist of a low-toxicity hormone that causes the trees to drop some of their fruits just as they start forming, before they get big enough to slip on or cause a mess. However, interference from these hormones does not cause all the fruits to drop even under perfect conditions, and weather plays a big role in how well they work. SavATree expects about twenty percent of the newly forming fruits to drop from these applications. In order to further decrease the amount of fruit that continues to develop, SavATree will strategically time annual maintenance pruning of  the olives, plums and liquidambars, in order to use this opportunity to prune off additional developing fruits before they are big enough to drop.

To learn more about how fruit reduction sprays work: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/agriculture/olive/fruit-spray-thinning

One of the many things that makes The Villages such a special place to live is our strong sense of community. We wave to our neighbors, we check in on each other, and we all share the same goal — to feel safe and secure in the place we call home.

That’s why we want to remind you of a simple but powerful message:
If you see something, say something.

Whether it’s a car that’s been sitting in the same spot for days, a person wandering through the neighborhood who seems out of place, or an unusual noise or activity that catches your attention; trust your instincts and reach out to Public Safety.

Even if you’re not sure whether something is worth reporting, it’s always better to let us know. What might seem small or insignificant could be the very thing that helps us prevent a bigger issue or ensure your neighborhood remains safe and peaceful.

What to Look Out For:

• Unfamiliar individuals lingering near homes, buildings, or mailboxes
• Vehicles parked in unusual areas or for long periods of time
• Unusual noises, trespassing, or activity that seems out of the ordinary
• Any behavior that just doesn’t feel right

We rely on the eyes and instincts of our residents just as much as our officers on patrol. A quick phone call can make all the difference — and your attentiveness is truly appreciated.

Who to Call:

• Public Safety Plaza (Available 24/7): (408) 223-4665
• Public Safety Admin Office (Mon–Fri, 8:30 AM–4:00 PM): (408) 239-5246

We’re here to support you. Your call helps us respond quickly and keeps The Villages a place where everyone can feel secure and at ease.

Thank you for looking out for one another and for helping us maintain a safe, welcoming community for all.

See something? Say something. We’re just a call away.

To leverage the efforts of the 2025-2028 all Village Community Survey in March 2025, our Boards welcomed the Sussner team—a design company known for its success in branding clubs like The Villages. Since 2024, the McMahon Group has been working with the boards and management to guide strategic alignment that helps support the decisions and actions of The Villages leadership as it carefully and thoughtfully addresses member experience, fiduciary stewardship, safety and other sustainable initiatives. The branding initiative aims to develop a brand strategy that authentically reflects who we are as a club and community—a slightly different but complementary focus than McMahon’s objective.

Over the many months that leadership developed the strategic plan, we returned again and again to a fundamental question: What defines The Villages as a community? Are we an active, 55+ lifestyle community of choice, as described in our vision statement? Or are we evolving into something broader—more than just a traditional country club or retirement setting? Some residents choose The Villages for the lifestyle, amenities, and sense of connection. Others value the peace of mind and long-term comfort that comes with staying in a supportive, well-maintained environment as their needs change. This basic “identity” question needs to clearly and comprehensively be addressed. Over the next several months, through June, the branding team will be gathering critical information from where we started as a community—capitalizing on our evergreen roots—why we live here and thrive and what we most appreciate about The Villages to who we see ourselves currently and in the future. It’s more than we might initially think.

What’s involved in creating a brand? 

“What is a brand”? If you respond that a brand involves only a logo and color palette, there is so much more in store to explore! Our brand is not just logos, colors, typography or an elevator pitch or tagline. There is more to the way we want people to perceive us as a community. Our brand identity should reflect our blend—capturing who we are today and where we are headed, while inspiring pride among members and appeal for future residents.

Considerable amount of effort goes into shaping how people—our future members—perceive us. Logos, colors, typesets, visual elements that make up our marketing material are a part of a bigger picture that involves building a solid reputation, creating a deeply felt emotional response when thinking about our community, understanding who we honestly believe we are, and leaving a lasting impression that draws future friends and neighbors to The Villages. The Villages Boards have engaged with Sussner to encompass Purpose, Phase I of our long-term strategy to identify who we are as a community.

A simple understanding of a brand:

• Visual elements – includes logos, color palettes, typography, imagery and other visual assets

• Verbal elements – encompasses the brand’s voice, tone, tagline, and messaging

• Purpose – brand identity helps us communicate our core values, mission, and purpose to our future members.

• Personality – it is the personality that a brand wants to project, making it recognizable and memorable.

• Consistency – a strong brand identity is consistent across all touchpoints, including marketing materials and online presence, such as websites, portals, apps.

• Distinction – It helps a brand stand out from competitors and create a unique brand image.

For more on our Strategic Plan, please read The Villager article here.

Questions? Please contact the General Manager’s office by emailing Theresa Ostrander at tostrander@the-villages.com or by calling the team at 408-223-4634. 

Earth Day and What It Means for Villagers

Earth Day was established in 1970, and since then, more than 192 countries have come together to celebrate it annually on April 22. For us here in The Villages, Earth Day is more than just a celebration—it’s a reminder of how we can contribute to a more sustainable future.

As Villagers become increasingly aware of sustainable practices and learn to better distinguish between recyclables and garbage, we have the opportunity to significantly reduce waste. Even more importantly, we can divert more of our waste into renewable and reusable resources.

Many Villagers have asked: What actually happens to our garbage and recyclables after they’re picked up? To help answer that question, I recently had an opportunity  to join Sustainability Club members Bill DeVincenzi and Rick Alpers for a tour of the Green Waste facility in San Jose.

If you’ve ever thought garbage couldn’t be exciting—think again. The facility, which is impressively clean and well-organized, is divided into two main buildings: one for garbage and one for recycling. What they achieve there is truly remarkable. Using a combination of high-speed conveyor belts, AI technology, human sorters, and robotic sorters, the facility processes 45 tons of household waste and recyclables every hour.

Here’s the incredible part:

• 85% of single-stream recyclables are recovered
• 75% of garbage and mixed compostables are diverted from landfills
• 98% of yard trimmings are repurposed

The mystery of where our waste goes—and how it’s handled—has been solved. And what we learned confirms that our individual efforts to recycle properly really do make a difference.

As part of The Villages 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, Villagers have been invited to join focus group discussions. These discussions identify what is important to Villagers and will be incorporated in a July 2025 survey where all Villagers will have an opportunity to participate. Villagers who responded to the focus-group invite will meet May 7 or 8. In these 90-minute sessions, our consultant will receive input about The Villages various programs, clubs and events, services and amenities that best serve The Villages and our membership.

Our strategic plan consultant, The McMahon Group, has been working with the boards and management since fall 2024. The 2025-2028 Strategic Plan’s purpose is to guide the decisions and actions of the leadership of The Villages as it carefully and thoughtfully addresses critical experience, development, safety and financial issues covering this three-year period. The Villages leadership has invested considerable time and effort in the plan’s development. To date, the planning process includes:

• Reviewing trends in the community/club industry

• Reviewing the trends within our community and marketplace

• Developing/refining statements on our direction and culture: mission, vision and values

• Analyzing and updating our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT)

• Identifying top goals for the next immediate three years – becoming a rolling three-year outlook that evolves annually to guide future priorities

• Developing strategic initiatives, including action items, to meet our goals

The development of this plan comes at a critical time in the history of the community where The Villages aging infrastructure and dated amenities demand financial attention while the popularity of 55+ communities increase, creating competition to attract future Villagers.

Survey timeline 

• May 6 – Board Session

• May 7-8 – Focus Groups Sessions

• May End – Focus Group Report and Survey Draft

• Mid-July – Survey Draft Approved

• Mid-August – Survey to Villagers

• September/October – Executive Summary

Sussner Joins the survey effort 

To leverage the work with the focus groups, our branding consultant will join this phase to align member feedback with our branding initiative. This partnership will help us develop a brand strategy that authentically reflects who we are as a club and community.

For more on the branding initiative, please read this month’s GM Corner.

Questions? Please contact the General Manager’s office by emailing Theresa Ostrander at tostrander@the-villages.com or by calling the team at (408) 223-4634. 

The Department of Public Safety is proud to highlight a meaningful partnership with the Villages Medical Auxiliary (VMA), a group of dedicated residents committed to enhancing health and safety within our community. 

Last week, Director of Public Safety Matt Hidalgo and Public Safety Sergeant Chris Jordan met with VMA President, Karen Kosmala, to recognize the VMA’s generous donation toward the purchase of Automated External Defibrillator (AED) equipment.This collaboration reflects the heart of what makes The Villages special: neighbors helping neighbors. 

Thanks to the VMA’s support, Public Safety is moving forward with ordering new AED pads through our trusted vendor. These devices are essential in emergency situations where every second counts, providing immediate aid to someone experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. 

💡What is an AED? 

An AED is a life-saving medical device designed to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It analyzes the heart’s rhythm and, if needed, delivers an electric shock to help restore a normal heartbeat. AEDs are designed to be simple and easy to use, even for someone without medical training — they provide clear, step-by-step voice instructions to guide you through the process. 

📍AED Locations in The Villages 

AEDs are available in key locations across the community. A helpful AED map is included below so you can easily identify the nearest one in your area. 

Emergencies are never expected—but being prepared can make all the difference. We encourage residents to familiarize themselves with AED locations and remain aware when visiting high-traffic areas. Thank you again to the Villages Medical Auxiliary for their continued generosity and shared commitment to protecting our community. 

We love seeing pets enjoying the beautiful open spaces here at The Villages! However, we’d like to remind all pet owners of the rules and best practices to help keep our community safe and enjoyable for everyone.

Protect Your Pet – Leash Up!

According to the Club and Association Rules, pets must be on a leash at all times when outside your home. This is not just a Villages rule—it’s a City of San Jose requirement as well. Keeping your dog on a leash helps prevent unwanted interactions with other pets and ensures the safety of both your furry friend and fellow residents.

👉 The Villages Association Rule 2.11 PETS AND ANIMALS:

• “Dogs, cats and other pets must not be allowed to roam freely. They must be kept on a leash, under control, and attended at all times.”

👉 Club Rule 1.51 ANIMALS AND PETS:

• “Pets must be kept on a leash, under control, and attended to at all times. This includes the Hill Lands.”

Stay Alert – Wildlife is Nearby

Our community is surrounded by nature, which means it’s not uncommon to encounter wildlife like deer, raccoons, coyotes, bobcats, and rabbits, especially during early morning and evening hours. Off-leash pets are more vulnerable to unexpected encounters, which can lead to dangerous situations.

Clean Up After Your Pets

Please remember to clean up after your pet and dispose of waste in a sealed container. This helps keep our community clean and pleasant for everyone.

👉 Association Rule 2.11:
“No person…shall permit any animal to defecate on common or private property without immediately cleaning and disposing of the excrement in a sealed container.”

By following these simple rules, we can keep The Villages safe and clean for everyone. Thank you for doing your part! 🐶🐾