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Its design evokes the charm of a 1950s community.
Neighbors who sit on front porches close enough to the street to talk with passers-by without having to yell. Children walk a few blocks to school. And there is a town center where residents gather for get-togethers and gossip.
Developers call this latest phase of FishHawk Ranch the Garden District.
Located near FishHawk Creek Elementary, the Garden District will contain about 600 homes with designs that builders have promised not to use anywhere else in the Tampa Bay area, said W. Don Whyte, president of Newland Communities Southeast.
"FishHawk won't look like it looks today," Whyte said.
Whyte said developers designed a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere in the Garden District, including an accessible town center where residents can hang out on lazy afternoons and chat in open spaces.
"Community is not in sticks and bricks and mortar," Whyte said. "Community is in the heart and soul of the people that are there."
Models for the lastest phase of FishHawk Ranch could be ready as early as February, and families are expected to begin moving into the new neighborhood by summer, before school begins. About 2,000 families currently live at FishHawk; developers plan to have 5,000 homeowners once all the neighborhoods are established.
Park Square, a 30,000 square-foot retail and office space next to a park, will serve as the town center.
"It will be the heart of FishHawk Ranch," Whyte said.
A YMCA Express has already shown interest in locating there. And FishHawk Ranch managers hope residents will take advantage of the park and use it as a gathering place to hold parties and catch up.
Whyte said that a few years ago, FishHawk planned a Halloween party for its residents, expecting only a couple of hundred people. About 1,000 people came. Park Square could easily accommodate such a crowd, he said.
"We plan to keep it alive with energy throughout the year," said Pam Parisi, marketing manager at FishHawk Ranch.
Parisi and Whyte said Park Square can double as a venue for jazz concerts and an outdoor art exhibit.
For residents who want a more traditional gathering place, there's the Palmetto Club. It will sit across from Park Square on the grounds of an outdoor garden. Whyte said there's a lack of places large enough to hold formal events and dinners in the Brandon area. He expects Palmetto Club to help fill the void; it will accommodate about 250 people for a formal dinner.
"We are having people e-mail us, phone us, wondering when it will be ready," Parisi said. "It's something unique to Brandon."
The first amenity scheduled to open in the Garden District is the Aquatic Club, a swim facility. It anchors the south side of the district and residents will have access to it sometime later this year.
- Kevin Graham can be reached at 226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com