By Michelle Caceres

Newland Communities southeast president Don Whyte was pleased to show FishHawk residents Sarah Doyle and Amanda King the details of the recent purchase of the 1,129 acre property known as Lake Hutto.

In a surprising announcement to residents, Newland Communities president Don Whyte revealed it had finalized the purchase of the 1,129-acre property adjacent to FishHawk Ranch from Pulte Homes in late May.

The property, which was named Lake Hutto, was approved for 3,200 homes and 360,000 square feet of office and retail space and is located on both the north and south sides of FishHawk Blvd. One parcel, located on the north side of FishHawk Blvd behind FishHawk's under-construction Starling Water, will likely become an 800 home extension of FishHawk Ranch, according to Whyte. The second parcel, called the "west section", is located on the south side between FishHawk Ranch and Boyette Rd. and will probably become a separate community.

Newland's regional marketing director Pam Parisi said the company has been interested in the project for some time but was never able to do what Pulte did and that was to reach an agreement with the former owners of the property, the Thomas family.

As part of the sale, Pulte is under contract to be one of the builders constructing townhomes in the west section of the development and Whyte says that many of FishHawk’s current builders will likely build in the new communities.  Whyte predicts homes in the new FishHawk section by late 2009.

Parisi, also a FishHawk resident, added that Newland Communities will now fulfill the nearly $75 million in infrastructure contributions to improve roadways and expand area schools. The first of three $500,000 checks, money earmarked for Newsome's expansion, was hand-delivered to the school district by Newland, the day after the deal closed. Thirty-two acres in the west section are slated for an elementary and middle school.

Whyte said that road improvement engineering and design is already underway.

"The transportation improvements are important to the entire community," said Whyte, who as a FishHawk resident knows the roads are congested. "I drive on these roads too.

"Whyte said Newland Communities' proven track record in creating desirable communities will apply to the new development. "We are committed to maintaining the quality of life our FishHawk residents have come to expect."

FishHawk resident Dawn Chavez, who actively worked with the resident group most actively involved in the Lake Hutto project, said the news was encouraging. "I'm more confident that Newland's end product will be more appealing than Pulte's," said Chavez, who still hope to see another school site in the area.