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Neotraditional village shifts focus to housing

Winthrop's developer offers a tonic for the sprawl-weary. He's ready to start 150 homes.

By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published March 20, 2005

BRANDON - From a dining table, John Sullivan surveys the crowd of families and young professionals that has come to the opening of M.J. Barleyhoppers International Alehouse Grille.

They are sampling dishes from 10 countries and drinking some of the 60 kinds of beer on tap. The giant plasma TVs throughout the restaurant broadcast a live baseball game. There are nods of approval from those in the crowd.

But for Sullivan, the sure sign that the restaurant, Winthrop's newest tenant, is a hit may be if some of those in the crowd become residents of the planned community one day.

Winthrop, a neotraditional village taking shape south of Brandon, has received county approval to move ahead with some residential development. Since the 2001 zoning, Sullivan has been focused on getting the town center up and running. Not unlike Westchase's West Park Village and Keystone's Highland Park, Winthrop aims to be pedestrian-friendly, with places for pedestrians to go.

In the coming months, Sullivan expects to start preparing the land for 150 homes. Winthrop will eventually have 750 townhomes, single-family houses and apartments.

Although John and Kay Sullivan don't like to think of themselves as developers, the husband and wife hope the community becomes a model of sustainable development for the rest of Brandon. Based on old-fashioned planning principles, Winthrop is being touted as an alternative to car-dependent suburban sprawl by keeping housing, shopping and entertainment within walking distance.

Sullivan has seen hurdles delay construction, which originally had been scheduled to be complete in early 2004. The project was on hold, in part, while Sullivan and the county debated the cost of installing a traffic signal at Bloomingdale Avenue and Watson Road.

After more than three years, Sullivan said he has agreed to pay $250,000 for the traffic signal and make road improvements, including lane additions and widening.

"People get very frustrated on the timelines we work on, but we're trying to work on one of the best town centers that's ever been developed in one of these communities," he said. "We're building a village, not a subdivision, and we want to do it right."

Although some of the 40 people who initially reserved townhomes have dropped out, Sullivan said others have filled those spots. In the coming months, as he turns dirt on the residential portion of the development, he plans to be in contact with them. The town center will be home to other restaurants, including La Cubanita and Moe's. AmSouth Bank is expected to open next month.

Sullivan is not offering timetable for completion because he's not sure what obstacles he'll face next.

"You got subdivisions that are punched out every day," he said. "If you're going to try something a little bit different, it takes a lot more work and time."

[Last modified March 19, 2005, 08:39:05]