 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Family estate carved up for many to enjoy
By JACKIE RIPLEY, Times Staff Writer LAND O' LAKES -- As growth moves north, old homesteads continue to be sold and subdivided to make way for new development. The old Morgan property, near the Hillsborough-Pasco county line, is one. Once farmland, wetlands and orange groves, the 176 acres is now home to Pasco Sunset Lakes, a posh new lakefront development north of State Road 54 and west of U.S. 41. "It was a parcel that was in a family's hands forever and ever," said J. Robert "Hi" Sierra Jr., the property's developer. "It was the same as usual. They never wanted to sell, but eventually did because it was too much maintenance." W.T. Morgan Sr. purchased the first 35 acres in 1937. Twenty years later W. Tony Morgan Jr. brought the total to 176 acres. The land stayed in the Morgan family for four generations. It's on 40-acre Big Lake Vienna -- Lake Vinny to locals -- and abounds with cypress, pine and oak and is home to wild turkeys, deer and different species of birds. French chateau-style homes, ranging from $300,000 to $1.5-million, are being built on one-third-acre lots priced from $50,000 to $225,000. Ten of the homes will front Lake Vienna. Some will face a smaller lake, and others will back up to conservation areas. All the homes will have access to a community beach and boat ramp, a lakefront parcel that includes a gazebo, picnic and barbecue area, a playground and volleyball courts. The idea is to give the 147-home neighborhood a small-town feel and to provide a place where neighbors can gather. Although "it's not another Avila," it's also "not a typical Pasco County subdivision; it's more high-end," said Sierra, whose family built Avila in the '70s. It also makes ample use of a naturally beautiful setting. "It's great to have that kind of area, surrounded not only by the lake but also by a park area," said Stewart Sierra, whose company, Custom Craft Homes/Arthur Rutenberg Homes, is building on the property, along with Hannah-Bartoletta Homes. Sunset Lakes, which is expected to take about four years to complete, will have private streets with computer controlled access. A guard house might come later if residents opt for it. Two models are complete and four homes have been sold. Ground has been turned on a few more with money from buyers for 25 others, Hi Sierra said. Developers attribute some of Sunset Lakes' apparent success to its location, a crossroads that provides easy access to the Suncoast Parkway as well as Dale Mabry Highway. "Some people think of Land O'Lakes as way out there, but not anymore," Hi Sierra said. -- Jackie Ripley can be reached at (813) 226-5308 or ripley@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times |
