Fifth housing project drawn to parkway

A developer wants to build about 400 single-family homes and 400 apartments on 273 acres along State Road 54.

By JAMES THORNER

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 12, 2000

LAND O'LAKES -- The hot corridor has gotten even hotter.

A Tampa developer has proposed what would be the fifth new housing development on State Road 54 between the Suncoast Parkway and U.S. 41.

Cordoba Development Co. wants to build about 400 single-family homes and 400 apartments on 273 acres owned by the Van Worp family north of SR 54.

Developer Lance Ponton has submitted plans to rezone the agricultural land to accommodate a master-planned unit development.

Ben Harrill, the attorney representing Ponton, said the scheduled January opening of the three-county parkway was decisive in proposing the new homes.

"There's a natural corridor for growth," Harrill said. "You have three encroaching growth areas meeting there: west Pasco, central Pasco and northern Hillsborough."

Cordoba will have a lot of company east of the parkway along SR 54.

Priority Developers Inc. is planning a 500-home community on the north side of SR 54, just east of the Cordoba site.

The Geraci family is proposing Long Lake Ranch south of SR 54. It would feature 1.9-million square feet of stores, about 1,000 houses and 700 apartments.

Tampa developer Ken Morin proposes building Suncoast Crossings at the intersection of SR 54 and the parkway, including 1,300 homes and a giant office park.

Oakstead, a couple miles west of U.S. 41, is preparing to break ground on the first of 1,200 homes north of SR 54.

West of Oakstead, U.S. Home Corp. proposes building 1,599 homes on the 1,200-acre LeDantec Property.

And even more homes might be on the way. Harrill said he plans to submit plans later this year for yet another housing development beside the Cordoba parcel.

Harrill couldn't say when Cordoba planned to break ground on the Van Worp property. Ponton couldn't be reached for comment.

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