Longleaf
Back to the Country
But more and more, those visitors are staying put and buying homes. Stroll the downtown district and you’re likely to spot some of these new residents leaving a shop carrying a well-worn window or a pair of distressed porch posts. The salvaged architectural pieces are, after all, a great way to infuse instant character into a new production home.
And there are a lot of new production homes in new neighborhoods throughout once-sleepy Tampa" target="_blank">Pasco County. And its neighbor, Tampa" target="_blank">Hernando County, is also on the verge of a boom.
The reason? Land in more urban Hillsborough and Pinellas counties is ever more scarce and expensive. That makes the large—and still relatively inexpensive—tracts in Pasco and Hernando more appealing to developers.
For example, much of Dade City’s surrounding ranch land is being—or already has been—sold. And the projects sprouting up aren’t the same-old inexpensive retiree havens that the area had previously been known for. Instead the push is toward moderately priced townhomes suitable for first-time buyers and amenity-laden, master-planned communities that offer a lush lifestyle.
Tampa" target="_blank">Pasco County encompasses six municipalities—Dade City, New Port Richey, Port Richey, St. Leo, San Antonio and Zephyrhills—and a number of smaller communities including Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and Shady Hills.
Tampa" target="_blank">Hernando County’s municipalities include Brooksville and Weeki Wachee as well as several unincorporated communities including Spring Hill, Ridge Manor and Hernando Beach.
It’s no surprise that development is quickly flowing into a region so well-connected to Tampa proper via U.S. 41, the Suncoast Parkway, U.S. 19 and Interstate 75. That means the employment and entertainment opportunities offered by the big city are within easy driving distance.
But closer to home, more shopping centers, schools and hospitals are on the drawing board or already under way. In short, residents now can work, shop and play in their own backyards without necessarily having to make a trip to Tampa.
“It used to be that people lived in Pasco and worked in Pinellas,” says John Heagney of John Heagney Public Relations. Heagney’s company represents about a dozen builders working in Pasco and Hernando counties. “Now, too, people are living in Pinellas and working in Pasco.”
Tampa" target="_blank">Pasco County was once part of Tampa" target="_blank">Hernando County. And the vast area, which consisted mostly of ranches and citrus groves, remained largely undeveloped until the second half of the 20th century.
Tampa Bay developer Lew Friedland remembers when Pasco offered retirement housing almost exclusively. “These were small homes,” he says. “And inexpensive, too. Maybe $19,000 or $20,000. It was the least expensive stuff you could buy anywhere in Florida.”
Large residential developments soon began to spring up around U.S. 19, says Friedland, who helped develop Trinity, a community of attractive homes and busy shopping centers. Trinity’s first homes were priced from $55,000 to $60,000. “We attracted people who were willing to [drive] a little farther for a little nicer home,” he adds.
Today, Friedland notes, even the most upscale buyers are finding plenty to like about Pasco. At his Champions’ Club golf-course community, for example, homes are priced starting at $700,000 and residents can enjoy a planned $4 million-plus clubhouse with a pool, fitness facilities and concierge service. “We wanted this to be our finest product,” Friedland says.
The Pasco housing boom has been fueled by job growth as well as easy access to healthcare facilities, shopping centers and good schools, Heagney adds.
Residents can shop at such sprawling retail outlets as the Citrus Park Town Center and the Gulf View Square Mall. They can use top-notch medical facilities such as the Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point and the Morton Plant North Day Hospital. And they can pursue degrees at such institutions of higher learning as the University of South Florida, St. Leo College, the University of Tampa and Hillsborough Community College.
“Pasco offers a nice opportunity to live in a family-oriented environment, with great schools, where housing is a bit more affordable than it is closer in,” says Stewart Gibbons, president of Connerton, a master-planned community located along S.R. 52 and U.S. 41 in the heart of Tampa" target="_blank">Pasco County.
The nearly 5,000-acre development will consist of about 8,700 homes and more than 3 million square feet of commercial space. Seven builders are set to deliver an array of housing styles with prices starting in the high $200s and reaching above $1 million.
Connerton’s five villages, each with a town center, will offer retail and office space as well as recreational areas. Three schools—two elementary schools and one middle school—are planned along with an extensive trail system and an outdoor amphitheatre. A commerce park will also be part of the mix.
National builders such as Pulte Homes, Ryland Homes, Lennar/U.S. Homes and Inland Homes also are producing moderately priced housing in Pasco and Hernando counties.
Among the more affordable new communities is Pulte Homes’ Lakeside, a 440-acre development west of the Suncoast Parkway where single-family homes and villas are priced starting from about $139,000.
The prices are appealing, but so are the amenities and the location, says Scott Campbell, the company’s division president. Buyers also get access to a 6,000-square-foot clubhouse with a fitness facility, a kitchen, a game room and a zero-entry pool.??
Throughout Pasco and Hernando are signs, not only of development but also redevelopment, which should benefit incoming residents. For example, the first phase of a district park project recently was completed in Wesley Chapel, providing a place for families to swim, play and participate in a variety of sports.
And New Port Richey, known for its unique riverfront landscape, has been busy with a $1 million streetscape, a $14 million recreation facility and a $31 million mixed-use development that will include Mediterranean-style condos, retail space and eateries. In addition, the historic Hacienda Hotel, which the city owns, is expected to undergo a $1.2 million renovation project and be used as an upscale conference center, lodge and dining spot.
“There are people who still understand that although this market has slowed, we’re still selling a ton of homes,” says Heagney. “What you’re seeing now is a lot of positioning for the future. Things will probably stabilize this spring. If the market does indeed turn around, it’s the developers who have land who are going to be in the catbird seat.”
Development doesn’t come without a price of course. Local officials are set with the task of finding solutions to the potential problems of road congestion, school overcrowding and environmental stress.
“Pasco has done an excellent job of preserving large tracts of land,” Heagney says. “Hernando has done the same.” Among the protected greenspaces are the Chinsegut Hill Wildlife Refuge, the Withlacoochee State Forest and the Weeki Wachee Preserve.
But growth is necessary for a healthy economy, Heagney adds, because “in areas where there’s no growth, there’s no economy.”??