Mattamy Homes' 4,200-acre master plan on the St. Johns River — the River House amenity, a private community boat dock, riverside trails, a K-8 school on-site, and villages ranging from cottage to executive across the SR-13 corridor.
HOA amount, CDD annual assessment, and pricing shift by village and by year. Confirm with the current MLS listing, closing statement, or RiverTown CDD before relying on any specific figure.
RiverTown is Mattamy Homes' 4,200-acre master-planned community along the St. Johns River in northwestern St. Johns County, entered off SR-13 south of Race Track Road and directly across the river from the RiverTown ferry landing. Mattamy launched the community in the mid-2000s and has delivered thousands of homes across a series of named villages, with continued build-out through the 2020s.
Two things set RiverTown apart from the other SR-13 master plans: the river and the on-site school. The community owns direct frontage on the St. Johns River, and every resident has access to the River House amenity, a resort-style pool complex on the water, plus the community boat dock. The K-8 Freedom Crossing Academy sits inside the master plan, meaning families in most villages can walk or short-drive to school without leaving the community. Middle and high school students continue to Bartram Trail High — the anchor high school for northwestern St. Johns.
RiverTown carries a modern CDD assessment in addition to the HOA. The CDD funded the infrastructure bonds that built the roads, water, drainage, and amenities; the HOA operates the amenity centers, landscaping, and community events. Buyers coming from Julington Creek Plantation (HOA-only) or from out of state should ask us to walk through the two-fee stack before offer.
Mattamy separated amenities into two anchors — one on the water, one in the community core. Every resident carries access to both.
RiverTown is governed by the RiverTown Community Development District, an active Chapter 190 special district in St. Johns County. Every home carries an annual CDD assessment that appears on the property tax bill. The assessment splits into debt service on the original infrastructure bonds (which retires on a defined schedule) and operations & maintenance for common infrastructure. The debt-service portion is the larger share early in the bond life and sunsets when bonds mature; O&M continues indefinitely.
The exact annual amount varies by village and by year based on outstanding bond balance and the CDD board's adopted O&M budget. Confirm the current-year assessment with the MLS listing, the seller's closing statement, or the RiverTown CDD before you write. The number will appear on the buyer's Estimated Closing Statement.
The HOA is separate and pays for the amenity center staffing, pool operations, common-area landscaping, and community events. HOA billing is typically quarterly. Some villages carry a supplemental sub-HOA fee — confirm both the master and any village-level fee before closing.
St. Johns County millage runs approximately 8.5–9 mills. On a $600,000 RiverTown home with homestead, that's roughly $4,500–$4,900 in year-one ad valorem tax, on top of the CDD and HOA. Total annual carrying cost is meaningfully higher than a comparable Julington Creek Plantation home — the trade-off buyers accept for the river, the new construction, and the newer amenities.
Mattamy has delivered RiverTown across a rotating series of named villages. Buyer familiarity is uneven — the MLS field is the authoritative source, and boundaries have shifted through phases.
Classic Mattamy family product in the community core — 3–4 bedroom single-family on standard suburban lots. Convenient to Freedom Crossing Academy.
Larger executive floor plans on premium lots. Deeper lots, upgraded facades, and expanded owner's suites are typical.
One of the earlier RiverTown villages — established landscaping and a slightly more mature feel than the newest sections.
Newer Mattamy phase with the latest exterior color palettes and updated interior packages.
Premium village positioning with larger lots — some water or preserve frontage. Higher-end product.
Cottage-style single-family product at RiverTown's entry price band. Compact floor plans, tighter lots, and easy access to the River House.
Village names and boundaries reflect Mattamy's rolling delivery schedule and shift as new phases launch. Confirm the current village and its HOA/CDD structure on any specific home before you write.
RiverTown was designed around an on-site public school. Freedom Crossing Academy is a K-8 St. Johns County School District campus located inside the master plan — families in most villages can walk or short-drive to campus without leaving the community. That is a genuinely unusual feature in Northeast Florida master plans.
Middle-school-completers roll into Bartram Trail High School, the SJCSD high school anchoring northwestern St. Johns. Bartram Trail is one of the most-requested feeder patterns in the district; it is a large, comprehensive high school with strong academic and athletic programs. All three schools have historically earned A-grades from the Florida Department of Education.
Confirm exact attendance by street address using the SJCSD lookup tool before you contract. SJCSD re-draws feeder patterns from time to time (recent examples elsewhere in the county include Trout Creek Middle and Beachside High), and the boundary between Freedom Crossing K-8 and neighboring elementary schools has been adjusted in the past.
Times are off-peak estimates. SR-13 at rush hour is the primary drag; I-295 to downtown adds 10–20 minutes in the morning.
Yes. The community owns direct riverfront and the River House amenity sits on the water with a resort pool and community boat dock. Riverwalk trails and a kayak launch tie the interior of the master plan to the river.
The community dock at the River House is for community use (day-use tie-ups, kayaks, and general water access). Full-time slip storage is not the model. If you want a slip or lift, plan on a nearby marina or a private-dock property on the river — a different search. Ask us and we'll pull options.
The master HOA and CDD apply community-wide, but the exact assessment differs by village and by year. Some villages have supplemental sub-HOA fees. Confirm every fee on the specific listing before you write.
Yes. Freedom Crossing Academy is a public St. Johns County School District campus located inside the RiverTown master plan. It is not a private academy despite the name.
Yes. Mattamy continues to deliver new-construction phases, and select partner builders have contributed homes to specific villages. Availability rotates as villages sell out. Ask us for a current-availability report.
Different market. If the ocean or Intracoastal is what you want, our referral for coastal Ponte Vedra is Tim Sherman at thesaltwaterrealtor.com. RiverTown is riverfront inland — SR-13 and I-295 shape the daily life.
Because the CDD/HOA math, village pricing bands, remaining new-construction inventory, and current SJCSD zoning all move the right offer. We come from Putnam County next door and cover inland St. Johns full-time. Call (386) 916-8707.
RiverTown is the SR-13 riverfront master plan. Compare it to Julington Creek Plantation north (HOA-only, community golf), Aberdeen between them, Shearwater or Trailmark further east, or Beacon Lake on CR-210. The St. Johns County guide covers the whole picture. Coastal Ponte Vedra Beach is a separate market — referral to Tim Sherman at thesaltwaterrealtor.com.
Read the full St. Johns County guide →Tell us the village, the school zone, and the fee stack you can live with — and we'll send the right listings, the head-to-head with the SR-13 alternatives, and the honest read.
Talk To The Parham Team