When you buy in Westchase, your closing statement includes a $2,500 line that most comparison guides skip. It goes to the Westchase Community Association, the master HOA. The governing declaration calls it a capital contribution: money the purchaser pays at closing toward the association's working capital, with certain exceptions spelled out in the declaration. The WCA board set the fee at $2,500 when it approved the 2025 budget in November 2024.
That check matters to more than the person writing it. In 2026, the money new buyers paid in became one of the main reasons the WCA could propose lower annual dues for everyone. It's happening while a separate bill, the Westchase Community Development District assessment collected with your county property taxes, keeps going up. Anyone comparing Westchase with another northwest Tampa suburb by HOA dues alone is looking at one moving part of a larger system.
How buyers' closing checks became a budget surplus
The WCA's 2026 budget planned on $300,000 in capitalization fee income. By the end of August 2026, it had already collected $296,918. At the September board meeting, then-treasurer Eric Holt, who became WCA president that night, said the association was well under budget and called the increased capital contribution a pretty significant windfall. Asked whether the jump came mostly from new construction at Westchase Station, Holt said it did.
Westchase Station is a Stanley Martin Homes development on the southernmost strip of land in West Park Village. It's 38 three-story townhomes in seven buildings, all with rear garages. Voting Members approved bringing it into the WCA in August 2025. Before that vote, the WCA president confirmed that Westchase Station buyers would pay the same $2,500 contribution as everyone else.
The numbers suggest the windfall is broader than one project. If all 38 Westchase Station homes closed, they'd bring in about $95,000. The $296,918 collected through August equals roughly 119 closings at $2,500 each. In July 2026, the board noted about 90 new homeowners so far that year. Resales across Westchase's established villages are very likely adding to the total. The public records reviewed don't break the figure down by new construction versus resale.
The draft 2027 budget plans for fewer closings
Holt told the board it needed to be conservative about how many new homeowners to expect when building the 2027 budget. The draft follows that advice. It budgets $270,000 in capitalization fees for 2027, 10% below the 2026 figure, and still proposes lowering the annual assessment from $477 to $460.66.
The rest of the cut comes from operating changes, which you can see in the worksheet:
- Swim and tennis center payroll drops from $540,494 to $473,634.
- Summer camp income and expenses, $74,475 and $66,485 in 2026, are zeroed out.
- Swim and tennis capital improvements fall from $81,830 to nothing.
- General liability insurance rises 16.21% to $72,600, and umbrella coverage rises 21.09%.
The payroll savings come from replacing lifeguards with Community Service Attendants. The WCA's September 22 notice says its pools are now "Swim at Your Own Risk," with no lifeguards on duty and attendants who don't continuously watch swimmers. The board says facilities will be open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. Its reserve study shows 109% of funding requirements on hand.
The lower number is still only a proposal. Voting Members reviewed it at a September 29 workshop labeled "2027 Draft Budget Review." Under WCA rules, Voting Members don't have to approve the budget, but they can veto it. The direction also follows a sharp increase. The 2025 assessment was $421, so 2026's $477 was a jump of about 13%.
The full cost stack for a Westchase home
The WCA assessment is just one layer. Its own notice says the $477 doesn't include sub-association assessments. Westchase has 13 sub-associations.
| Layer | How it's billed | Latest figure | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| WCA capital contribution | Paid once by the buyer at closing | $2,500 | Unchanged since set for 2025 |
| WCA master assessment | Annual, due January 1 | $477 in 2026; $460.66 proposed for 2027 | Down, if adopted |
| Sub-association dues | Set by your village's association, if it has one | Varies by village | Check each village |
| Westchase CDD O&M | Collected on the Hillsborough County tax bill | General fund total up about 5.3% for FY2026–27 | Up |
| CDD neighborhood funds | Added to the CDD assessment in some villages, such as Harbor Links and The Greens | Based on each village's own costs | Varies |
The CDD layer is the easiest to miss, since it shows up on the property tax bill and not as an HOA invoice. The district says its non-ad valorem assessments are collected through the county tax roll.
The tax bill line is rising as the community ages
The Westchase CDD adopted its FY2026–27 budget on August 4, 2026, for the fiscal year that started October 1. General fund operations and maintenance assessments total $3,799,264, up from $3,608,406 the year before. That's an increase of about 5.3% in total. At the budget hearing, a Harbor Links resident put the general fund assessment increase at 6.08%, about double the Consumer Price Index, and said the Harbor Links assessment rose six times CPI.
CDD Supervisor Chris Barrett explained what's driving the general fund increase. Landscaping and pond contracts went up. The district spent on deferred maintenance after the 2024 flooding, and it took over sidewalk repairs the county wasn't funding. He also said the community is now 35 years old and its landscaping is aging out. Village-specific funds like Harbor Links cover that village's own costs, such as gates, tree trimming and light poles.
So the two big layers are moving in opposite directions for a structural reason. The master HOA benefits from a steady flow of new buyers paying $2,500 each. The CDD pays to maintain a 35-year-old community, and that cost doesn't depend on how many homes change hands. Village funds are tracked closely too. The CDD reversed $172,942 in sidewalk work and $26,950 in fence painting that had been wrongly charged to The Greens' fund after residents spotted the errors.
What's still on the agenda and not yet priced in
Several pending decisions could change future bills. A buyer closing this fall would inherit the outcomes.
- Roadway repaving. The CDD's October 6, 2026 agenda includes a discussion of a roadway repaving assessment, and the agenda itself sets no amount.
- Westchase Golf Course. The CDD is looking into buying the course, which was built in 1992 and has been owned since 2005 by Nick Neubauer of the Sano Corporation. The district passed on a purchase in 2018. At a February 2026 workshop, golf course consultant Greg Christovich estimated current revenue at $3.5 million on 47,000 rounds and 2025 EBITA at $1.1 million. He added that capital needs are probably much higher because there haven't been major improvements. Ratifying a golf course consulting agreement is also on the October 6 agenda.
- Sidewalks. The CDD authorized a request for proposals for the next phase of sidewalk repairs. The engineer estimated about $500,000 for all phases, and the board said the work may need to be done in stages.
- The 2027 WCA budget. The $460.66 figure stands only if Voting Members don't veto it.
The CDD has dropped a large project before. In September 2025, the board voted unanimously to kill a community-wide trail system that had been estimated at up to $11,776,000 and would have needed a 20-year bond. No trail assessment was ever set.
Rules that come with the dues
Investors should know that under the current governing documents, owners and tenants can't use WCA amenities at the same time. In July 2026, the board chose to uphold that rule after legal counsel Kathleen Reres advised that the documents are meant to keep twice the planned number of people off the facilities. Changing it would require amending the governing documents. So an owner who rents out a home gives up amenity access while the tenant is there.
Facility access is changing too. In July 2026, the board approved a $88,998.61 camera and gate access system from Red Wire. Residents can get in with a free phone app, or with a fob whose cost is passed on to the resident.
FAQ
Does the buyer or the seller pay the Westchase capital contribution? The declaration assigns it to the purchaser, paid at closing, with certain exceptions described in the declaration. The current amount is $2,500.
Will Westchase HOA dues definitely go down in 2027? Not yet. As of October 4, 2026, $460.66 is a draft figure that Voting Members can still veto. The 2026 assessment is $477.
Where do I find the CDD amount for a specific home? CDD assessments are collected on the Hillsborough County property tax bill, and some villages carry an extra neighborhood fund on top of the general fund. The Westchase CDD posts its adopted budget at westchasecdd.us. The amount on a specific home's tax bill is the most reliable figure for that property.
Do new Westchase Station townhomes pay the same fees? Westchase Station was annexed into the WCA in August 2025, and its buyers pay the same $2,500 capital contribution.
When we price a Westchase home or put together an offer, Austin Marks Group adds up every layer: the closing contribution, the master assessment, the village's sub-association, and the CDD line on the tax bill. That way your numbers reflect the full cost of owning that home. If you're selling, get your free home valuation and we'll show you how that full cost compares with homes buyers are weighing against yours.
