 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
New River Township asks to shed retiree housingBy JAMES THORNER, Times Staff Writer© St. Petersburg Times published May 31, 2002 WESLEY CHAPEL -- New River Township is wagering there are fewer greenbacks in gray heads. The Swiss and German owners of the mammoth Wesley Chapel development want to purge their 4,800-home project of a promise to build 1,920 retiree homes. Developer Beat Kahli said times have changed since his predecessor, a Fort Myers company named Flag Development, proposed a heavily senior-laden project in the late 1980s. Retiree housing in Pasco County is plentiful, Kahli said. But there aren't enough homes for younger families clamoring to live in the suburbs in and around Wesley Chapel. Kahli's ideal is a mix of all ages in New River, what he calls a "healthy community." "I like retirees, but Pasco County has a lot of retiree housing," Kahli said. Still in its infancy, New River aims to be a series of interconnected villages surrounding a town center of shops and restaurants. The concept is a tribute to Kahli's Swiss upbringing and attempts to mimic the success of such neotraditional communities as Disney's Celebration in Orlando. It's named for a tiny tributary of the Hillsborough River between Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel. The project's 1,800 acres sprawls north of State Road 54, about 5 miles east of Interstate 75. As of this month, the two builders, Windward Homes and American Heritage Homes, had 150 homes started. Though Kahli said sales have exceeded expectations -- they amount to about 240 homes a year -- his company plans to push back New River's completion date seven years, from 2015 to 2022. The 2015 date assumed Flag would start construction in the mid 1990s. Kahli and his partners didn't take over New River until 1998 and didn't proceed with home building until 2000. New River also proposes downsizing its first phase of construction from 2,069 to 1,250 single-family houses and from 453 to 300 apartments, a net reduction of 972 housing units. Kahli wants to reinstate those 972 homes in later phases of the project beyond 2008. But John Meyer, who oversees large developments for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, offered no guarantees. An overhaul of the nonresidential part of the project also is in the works. Kahli proposes to cut commercial development from 150,000 to 50,000 square feet and increase office space from 50,000 to 120,000 square feet. "To gain jobs in Pasco County is a big goal," Kahli said. "It's my wish and goal to find a larger user for the offices." -- James Thorner covers growth and development in Pasco County. He can be reached at (813) 909-4613, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4613. His e-mail address is
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times Letters |
