The University Park district of southern Manatee County is one of the most desirable places to live in Southwest Florida, and this is where the Riva Trace gated community is located. Riva Trace is one of the most recent neighborhoods of University Park; developer Medallion Home broke ground in 2011 and finished the last property in 2016. There are only 86 single-family residences in this neighborhood, which is surrounded by nature preserves that include two lakes. Since Riva Trace is located just south of the Braden River, most homeowners get water views from either the riverbanks or the lakes.

The architectural style chosen by Medallion Home for Riva Trace is a nice combination of Caribbean and Mediterranean revival. Both lots and floor plans are larger than the average Manatee County home; even a two-bedroom home with two bathrooms offers 1,986 square feet of living space, and some of the three-bedroom models sit on 2,132 square feet under air conditioning. If you need more space, the four-bedroom homes will give you 3,300 square feet of interior. This is a neighborhood built under Eco-Gold sustainable development guidelines, which means that you can expect energy efficient homes to complement the nature preserves. Residents get to enjoy nature trails plus a kayak launch that lets them explore the Braden River.

At Riva Trace, you can find homes with tile roofs, driveways lined with decorative paver blocks, granite counter tops, designer cabinets, and large Florida rooms that connect with private swimming pools. Like many residential communities in University Park, Riva Trace has experienced considerable property value appreciation in recent years, in 2019, a three-bedroom home with two bathrooms was listed under $350K. Listings in this neighborhood tend to sell quickly, and four-bedroom homes do not come on the market as often as buyers would like.

The high quality of life offered by Riva Trace is augmented by its convenient location. The Mall at University Town Center is just a 10-minute drive away, and the Lakewood Ranch Main Street shopping district is also nearby. Cypress Bend Park and the University Park Country Club are about five minutes away, and the beaches of Manatee and Sarasota counties are close enough to visit every weekend.