Osprey Observer » hutto

Newland Communities Renames Lake Hutto To Circa FishHawk

Marie Gilmore — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:16:16 +0000

By Michelle Caceres
It’s not a part of FishHawk Ranch, but the 700-acre site formerly known as Lake Hutto has been renamed Circa FishHawk to reflect its close proximity to the master-planned behemoth.
FishHawk and Circa developer Newland Communities and its advertising agency worked closely to settle on the new name.
“We felt that it was important to position this community as its own special place while still acknowledging the strong FishHawk Ranch brand that has come to define the ‘FishHawk’ area,” said Newland Communities Regional Marketing Director Pam Parisi.
Located south of FishHawk Blvd., between Boyette Rd. and FishHawk Ranch, the steady pace of construction in Circa is currently underway. Roadways to two new schools, Stowers Elementary and Barrington Middle, are being laid with the schools slated to open in August. Attendance boundary lines for the schools are in the process of being drawn and approved. A public meeting to discuss boundaries has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-media room at Randall Middle School.
Parisi expects the community to attract families for the same reasons they’re attracted to FishHawk Ranch. The community will feature onsite schools, a convenient town center and a variety of amenities all connected by a trail system.
In addition to families, Circa is also expected to attract singles, pre-family couples, empty nesters and retirees with its variety of housing options, including many maintenance-free options that appeal to these buyer groups.
While the land plan is still being designed, product offerings will include apartments as well as a variety of single-family and multi-family options.
Circa is the continuation and evolution of the FishHawk area, bringing a vibrant Village Center and fresh, new lifestyle choices-both residential and commercial-to the area, said Parisi.
Newland officials say the community is still in the envisioning process, as they are attempting to nail down the land plan and product offerings. Builders are showing interest in the community but specific discussions with builders have not occurred.
“It’s still way too soon,” said Parisi.
For more information about Circa FishHawk, visit www.newlandcommunities.com.

Mosaic to Build Headquarters Near FishHawk Ranch

Marie Gilmore — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:33:35 +0000

The Mosaic Company and Newland Communities announced today that Mosaic has entered into an agreement to purchase a 7.4-acre tract of land from Newland and will build a new office building near FishHawk Ranch.

The approximately 100,000 sq. ft. building will serve as the headquarters for Mosaic’s phosphate business unit and supply chain group, and will bring together nearly 400 employees from various central Florida locations. Importantly, Mosaic will also anchor the office component of Newland’s planned village center in the area currently known as Lake Hutto. Transportation improvements will coincide with the construction schedule to minimize inconvenience.

“We conducted a study to determine a suitable geographic location that’s closest to the center of where our administrative and staff employees live,” said Rich Krakowski, vice president of Mosaic. “The FishHawk Ranch area was the bull’s eye.”

Krakowski noted that the company’s administrative and staff employees currently work at facilities throughout Polk and Hillsborough counties. “Our goal is to bring our management and administrative functions under one roof to foster more cohesive operations and communications as we continue to grow our business.”

The future headquarters site is located on the south side of FishHawk Boulevard, just east of Bell Shoals Road. Mosaic will be the sole tenant of the building.

Rick Harcrow, senior vice president-operations for Newland Communities, said the building will make a major contribution to establishing FishHawk Ranch as a complete community. “By placing this headquarters in our business and retail district, we move FishHawk Ranch even further along the continuum of that livable, sustainable community.”

Ryan Companies US, Inc. will be developer and contractor for the building, which is scheduled to break ground by early next year and open in the first quarter of 2010. Design elements are still underway but Mosaic executives say they will seek certification as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building. “As a mining and manufacturing company, we hold ourselves to high environmental standards, and this building will reflect that commitment,” said Krakowski.