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Short hop
By SUSAN THURSTON
© St. Petersburg Times, TAMPA PALMS -- For many people moving to New Tampa, the search for their dream home isn't about which house has the biggest kitchen or the most closet space. It's about location, and traffic. As homeowners flock to the area for its good schools and affordable homes, many are choosing Tampa Palms over newer communities a few miles to the north. They know that living on the south side of Interstate 75 will shave hours off their weekly commutes. "It makes a tremendous difference from a stress standpoint and time," said Judy Hanson, who just moved to Tampa Palms from Hunter's Green. "Once you're south of the interstate, it's smooth sailing." Hanson and her husband, Fred, looked in Cory Lake Isles and Arbor Greene but opted for a new section of Tampa Palms, in part, because they were tired of dealing with traffic on the north end of town. Turning out of Hunter's Green often took two or three traffic lights. "It's like day and night between living up there and living down here," she said. "We really made a good move. Now we dread going up there." The Hansons aren't alone. Tampa Palms is packed with people who consciously chose the 13-year-old community to reduce travel time on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, the main road through New Tampa. "It impacts your quality of life," said Melissa Millican, who bought a home in Tampa Palms about a year ago. As with many homeowners, her decision came down to one question: Did she want an older home and less traffic, or did she want a newer home and a longer commute? She took the shorter commute. Without hesitation. "We knew that living north would increase travel time to work," said Millican, who drives downtown every weekday. "We bet on it, and we were absolutely right. The traffic is insane up there." For people who work in Tampa, living north of I-75 means waiting in long lines of traffic to get on and off the highway during rush hour. The farther north they live, the farther the drive. And the more stop lights. Millican said she realized that traffic would be worse up north based on the sheer number of homes being built. She also knew that all those residents have to funnel south to get to an interstate. "When we considered homes there were beautiful, lovely communities up there, but we outright rejected them because of traffic," she said. People in Tampa Palms have the option of going north or south to get to an interstate. North gets them to I-75. South gets them to Interstate 275, either from Bearss Avenue or Fletcher Avenue. In the evenings, many pick I-275 to avoid the long backup exiting at Bruce B. Downs. Real estate agents say the dual access will become less of a selling point once new roads open in northern New Tampa. In the next several months, Cross Creek Boulevard will connect with Morris Bridge Road and State Road 56 will open along I-75. Both will offer motorists alternatives to Bruce B. Downs. "With these roads starting to open up the drive may not be as much of an issue," said John Hoffman, who sells residential and commercial property throughout the area. In the meantime, traffic weighs on many people's minds, he said. "The people who live in Hunter's Green or Arbor Greene have made the decision that they want something newer," Hoffman said. "The people who are concerned about traffic love Tampa Palms." Over the next few years, he expects demand will soar in communities near the new roads, like Meadow Pointe in less expensive Pasco County and Cross Creek. Older parts of Tampa Palms may see a dip. Debby Wertz, who sells real estate in New Tampa and lives in Arbor Greene, cautions against picking a community just because it has less traffic. Eventually, the entire Bruce B. Downs corridor will be built out. "It's a false feeling at this point," Wertz said. "All of New Tampa is the largest growth area of Tampa. It just happens to be on (the north) side first." The area around Tampa Palms will see the next major wave of development. A middle school and high school are scheduled to open in Tampa Palms in 2002, and several stores and restaurants are planned for The Pointe near the USAA insurance complex. Like the shopping centers, office buildings and restaurants north of the interstate, these projects will bring more traffic. They also will attract employees who want to live close to their jobs. Longtime real estate agent Liz DeAmbrose said she has seen less and less movement in Tampa Palms as the community has matured. People like the schools, larger lots, mature trees and less traffic, and tend to stay longer than in other places around New Tampa. Anne Costello said she couldn't be happier with her home in the Wyndham section of Tampa Palms. It's close to her husband's job at the University of South Florida and she doesn't fight traffic like her neighbors to the north. Costello looked in West Meadows and communities outside of New Tampa but settled in Tampa Palms because of its location south of interstate. "Our goal was never to go above I-75 on Bruce B. Downs," she said. "And I've met several people like that. It's great for Tampa Palms." - Susan Thurston can be reached at (813) 226-3463.
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