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Connerton proud of its amenities

By ANDREW SKERRITT
Published March 26, 2006

Used to be when you drove north on U.S 41 between Ehren Cutoff and State Road 52, there wasn't much to look at. Lots of trees, small businesses. Easy traffic.

What's happening in those large expanses of woods east of 41 is changing the very nature of central Pasco. A new town, Connerton, is rising fast. More than half of the 264 homesites in The Arbors, the first village, are sold. More than 50 homes are already occupied.

Six months after the first families moved into Connerton, the developer broke ground last week for the second village, the Gardens - 1,700 homes and a village center for shopping and recreation.

By the time all the sawing and hammering is done, there will be about 8,500 homes and some 3-million-square-feet of office, retail and industrial space.

A Publix supermarket will be one of the first businesses. Connerton will have its own town center, fitness and aquatics complex, amphitheater gym, parks, walking trails, miles of sidewalks, and conservation areas. A hospital, regional park and three schools are also planned.

When it's finished, there will be 20,000 people living, working and playing daily in the 4,800-acre expanse that is Connerton, a suburbanite's dream.

Connerton will have all the trappings of a small town. The big question for residents once they're settled is whether they want to incorporate their own city or rely on county services.

Connerton signifies a radical change for central Pasco and vast areas beyond.

"It's going to change the landscape, change the whole character of central Pasco," says Jennifer Seney of Pasco Wildlife Inc.

Central Pasco used to be rural and agricultural. It's not anymore. Connerton is just one megadevelopment. Soon we'll see 7,000 homes in the Bexley Ranch project to the west, along the Suncoast Parkway between State Roads 54 and 52.

The county's Development Review Committee recently gave Newland Communities final approval for its 6,872-acre project, which also includes 650,000 square feet of retail and office space. It's just a matter of time before new houses begin to sprout.

Seney was involved in the Connerton development review process before the bulldozers moved in. She says Connerton gives those who are leery of development reason for optimism.

Connerton provided a pivotal moment for Pasco. It was one of the first developments to come through with a more enlightened design.

The developer pushed what they call green infrastructure. They found out where the water goes and didn't put their houses right in the middle of it. Their design doesn't cover the entire place with concrete and asphalt. A third of what used to be the Conner Ranch is being preserved. At the same time the developer sold 2,980 acres to the local water management district for preservation, it donated a conservation easement across 515 acres. That means more than 3,000 acres of preserved land near the Cypress Creek Wellfield, a source of drinking water for Tampa Bay Water.

The ideal situation would be not to build. But given the current economics of real estate, a development the size and scope of Connerton was almost inevitable. It's hard to stand in front of a freight train.

But in the eyes of Pasco County Property Appraiser Mike Wells, this is a gravy train.

Pasco was built on low priced retirement homes. Connerton is symbolic of where the county is headed, he said.

Wells loves to drive through Connerton to see those luxury homes going up. One is priced at $1-million. He can count all the property taxes and impact fees.

There was a time when folks questioned whether single family homes paid their own way. For Wells, with a development like Connerton, that debate is over.

--Andrew Skerritt can be reached at 813 909-4602 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4602. His e-mail address is askerritt@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 26, 2006, 00:25:14]