 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Communal bliss
By LOGAN D. MABE, Times Staff Writer WESTCHASE -- Michelle and Tom Wiebe have always followed their lifestyle. As a 20-something couple living in Clearwater, they sought the go-go nightlife of South Tampa. Ending the commute, they bought a house there.
Their search was short. It ended at West Park Village, the development in Westchase that mimics old-fashioned, small-town living with upscale amenities and easy access to shops and services. When the first homes sprouted in the late 1990s, officials with West Park Village developer Terrabrook promised wide sidewalks, front porches, backyard garages and other features of the "new urbanism" movement. Loosely modeled after Disney's groundbreaking Celebration development, West Park Village was supposed to combine Norman Rockwell amity with new home amenities. By all accounts, it has delivered, say the folks who are snapping up homes and strolling the streets. West Park Village is a more modest version of Celebration, but it has its own charms, residents say. "We had looked at Celebration years ago and my husband liked it so much we considered commuting," Mrs. Wiebe said, as Cameron frolicked in a splash fountain in West Park Village's central park. The Wiebes are on the cutting edge of an interesting demographic shift, as the Baby Boomlet generation settles into the predictable rhythms of parenthood. "The funny thing is, two of our couple friends who have kids about Cameron's age and live in South Tampa came up and we showed them what we're doing here," said Mrs. Wiebe, whose Ballast Point home is up for sale. "Within a week, both couples bought lots up here." Front porches and neighbors"We come here a lot," said Dean Neaverth, who lives in original Westchase but likes to come to West Park Village with his friends. "It's kind of set up like downtown. At Starbucks, the sidewalk tables are busy. Couples leisurely sip lattes. Across the brick-paved main street, Quality Plus dry cleaners manager Danielle Witkop stands on the sidewalk outside the shop talking to the guy who lives in one of the apartments above the businesses. As it nears completion, the village will soon consist of: About 500 single-family homes, villas and townhomes. A first phase of 320 apartments, 68 percent of which are already leased. A second phase of 297 apartments that will be under construction this month. A town center with 41,000 square feet of business space. The final retail lease is now in negotiations and will bring the total number of businesses to 22. Ray Chiaramonte, assistant executive director of the Hillsborough County Planning Commission and a West Park Village pioneer, said the community is living up to its expectations. With its front porches and grid-style street layout, West Park Village was designed with neighborliness in mind. And it's working. "I was sitting on my front porch just the other day, drinking iced tea while the kids were in the park across the street hunting for Easter eggs," said Chiaramonte, who lived in Celebration for four years before moving to West Park Village. "And my neighbor sits on his porch and plays guitar. I really do use my porch more so than I did in Celebration. And I find more pedestrian activity than in Celebration." As an urban planner, Chiaramonte is a big fan of new urbanist, or neotraditional developments. Unlike standard suburbs, where cul-de-sac sprawl rules the day, communities like West Park Village are more dense, have more commercial and recreational outlets within walking distance, and reduce residents' reliance on cars. They try to emulate the close-knit community fabric of a Georgetown or a Hyde Park. The benefits are more than aesthetic, Chiaramonte said. Being able to run errands on foot rather than cranking up the Chrysler saves on car trips, traffic and pollution. "I really do believe this type of development has an effect on transportation," he said. "You're going to choose to stay in the neighborhood to go to restaurants or the dry cleaner." Planners applaud the trend toward neotraditional development around the country because of new urbanism's tendency to avoid sprawl. Developers are starting to warm to the trend, too. Two proposed developments along Race Track Road near West Park Village will look a lot like it. Highland Park is planned as a neotraditional project, as is a development at the southwest corner of Race Track Road and Countryway Boulevard. "I was out there (West Park Village) last week and happened to be there at lunchtime, and I was surprised at the amount of ladies with baby carriages," Chiaramonte said. "There's actually life during the day, which is not common in most suburbs." 'Lights and Lemonade'The Wiebes, who are building a home in West Park Village, have spent the past six Friday nights hanging out at the busy town center "The village is just packed," Mrs. Wiebe said. "It's almost weird. People just sit and talk. I grew up in a small town in Ohio with one street light and I haven't seen people do that since I lived there." The easygoing lifestyle is as much a selling point as the stylized architecture, said Laura Dumke, a sales consultant for David Weekley Homes, one of the larger builders in West Park Village. "They love the community; that's why a lot of people buy out here," said Dumke, who also lives in West Park Village. "It's kind of a small-town feel. The neighbors are always planning activities. There's always something going on." Elaine Novak, who moved to West Park Village in December, said she makes an acquaintance nearly every time she takes the family dog for a walk. "We're in Phase 3 and have no neighbors across from me yet, but I do find that every time I go outside, someone will wave," Novak said. "People are constantly waving. I used to live in Berkeley Square (in Westchase proper) and you didn't get that wave there." Novak's neighbors, Steve and Dawn Grossman, started "Lights and Lemonade" a couple of years ago. One Sunday evening a month, neighbors turn on their porch lights and get together for lemonade and news of the day. On Carlos Quiros' street, they go for more substantial libations. "We didn't really have a happy hour, so the first Saturday of the month we meet at a different house and bring our drinks," said Quiros, who moved to West Park Village two years ago. "It's wonderful. "I used to live in Lake Mary in a community called Sheffield. I lived there for 10 years and was active in the community and the homeowners association. But I could count my friends with the fingers of one hand and still have some fingers left. Here I know a lot more people. I just love it." -- Logan D. Mabe can be reached at 269-5304 or at mabe@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times |
