North Port city commissioners on Monday took the first of several steps that could lead to the West Villages area having its zip code affiliated with the city and not with Venice. West Villages residents, though, aren’t exactly thrilled. Many who spoke before the commission this week said they purchased in Island Walk or Gran Paradiso at least in part because of the perceived exclusivity of a Venice zip code and address. The question last came up in 2010, when a U.S. Postal Service survey asked West Villages residents — then mostly the residents of the Island Walk development — whether they wanted a North Port postal code instead of Venice. The survey came back 266-6 against a change.
