April 9, 2025
Evolve Grove Park Apartment Homes Nearing Completion At Old Burke’s Property in Fruitland Park
By Kyle Coppola
Evolve Grove Park Apartment Homes Nearing Completion At Old Burke’s Property in Fruitland Park
The former Burkes BBQ restaurant near The Villages has been demolished, making way for an apartment complex as part of a $4.5 million land deal that marked a major residential expansion in the area.
(Burke’s BBQ was around for a long while. Owned and operated by the Burke Family, the restaurant went out of business a few years ago until the Burke Family sold this plot of land to be redeveloped into apartment housing. Photo Credit – Burke’s BBQ.)
The former Burke’s BBQ property, located on County Road 466A, was sold to Evolve Fruitland LLC, a subsidiary of Greensboro, North Carolina-based Evolve Cos. The nearly 20-acre tract—once home to the popular barbecue restaurant and part of the historic Burke family holdings—will soon be the site of Evolve Grove Park Apartment Homes, a modern, amenity-packed complex designed to meet the growing housing demand in Lake and Sumter counties. The first apartments are nearing completion and should be finished in the coming months.
(There are at least nine buildings accounted for so far. Hundreds of people will begin moving into these apartments in the next few months.)
The deal was finalized with T.D. “Tim” Burke, who owned and operated Burke’s BBQ until it closed in 2019. Tim Burke is the son of JC Burke, a prominent landowner who operated Burke’s Tree Farm and once owned much of the land along CR 466A.
Once construction is completed, Evolve Grove Park Apartment Homes will feature contemporary living spaces and resort-style amenities. Plans include spacious open floor plans, a dog park and pet wash station, a saltwater swimming pool, a yoga room, a golf simulator, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and more.
(The new apartments are directly across from The Villages on 466A. Colony Plaza is nearby.)
The development is expected to attract residents from across the area, including retirees and working professionals drawn to its proximity to The Villages, one of the fastest-growing retirement communities in the United States.
This marks the latest in a series of rapid developments transforming the landscape surrounding The Villages, reflecting a regional trend toward upscale, multi-family housing options that offer both comfort and convenience.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
