Osprey Observer » roadways

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.

Intersections Get Upgrade Per Request

Carisa Biesecker — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:00:55 +0000

Hillsborough County plans to make the intersections of Kings Ave. and Victoria St. and Providence Lakes Blvd. and Kings Ave. a bit more pedestrian-friendly in the upcoming months.
Located near Brandon High School, the project concerning Kings Ave. and Victoria St. will feature the revamp of the existing traffic light, a pedestrian button, sidewalk ramps and crosswalks.
“This is part of our signalization program to increase the efficiency and safety of pedestrians in our area,” stated Hillsborough County spokesman Steve Valdez. “It is a heavy pedestrian area.” Which hits the nail on the head with a study having been done five years ago leading to the findings that 12,000 vehicles travel the roadway, a roadway originally slated for a capacity of 8,000. This peak of vehicle traffic is usually seen when the school’s session is beginning or ending. “This project will take care of these peak times,” added Valdez.
The intersection of Providence Lakes Blvd. and Kings Ave. will be fitted with a new traffic light, a pedestrian button, sidewalk ramps and crosswalks as well.
According to Valdez, the cost of both projects will be somewhere in the ballpark of $200,000 which is pulled from the Transportation Trust Fund – an account set aside specifically for transportation issues initialized from citizens’ taxes.
Both projects are expected to begin in the next few months, with no initial date having been given for its ending due to the steel mast arm poles to be used in the projects. Made site specific, these factory created poles are Florida mandated due to their ability to withstand hurricane winds and take some time to be fashioned with multiple orders coming into the factory. But no worries should come to motorists traveling these roadways as Valdez assures the public that no delays will be incurred.
“There are no geometric improvements. We may put down a little paint, but there should be no delays,” Valdez concluded. The next project the county will begin on will be the finishing of the third installment of Boyette Rd. in Riverview, but, for now, no other projects are scheduled for the Brandon area.
To learn more about any of the projects mentioned above, please visit www.hillsboroughcounty.com or call 272-5275.