Copyright
©2006 Florida Preconstruction Programs

BROOKSVILLE - Think of Brooksville and what comes to mind?

The old courthouse. Antique stores. The Confederate mural painted on the back of Patricia's Boutique downtown. Quaint, tree-lined streets showcasing classic homes of the past.

In other words, history.

History may be fine as far as it goes. But, as city officials are quick to admit, it doesn't pay the bills.

For any city to survive, it needs to grow. It needs development. And that's something that's been in short supply in Brooksville for the better part of two decades.

Until now.

For the past 25 years, most of the commercial growth in Hernando County was centered in Spring Hill and the west side.

With that area at saturation point, developers turned their sights on other areas.

The State Road 50 corridor, for example, is red hot, especially along the Suncoast Parkway interchange just east of Mariner Boulevard.

The south-central part of the county, around Northcliffe and Mariner boulevards and Elgin Boulevard, is seeing a commercial and residential development spurt.

The big explosion in Hernando County, however, is in an area that, five or 10 years ago, few thought would be a developer's dream.

It's the U.S. 41 corridor — just south of the Brooksville city limits. The massive Hernando Oaks residential subdivision now under construction at U.S. 41 and Powell Road gave it the kick-start.

When fully built out in six or seven years, Hernando Oaks will have 975 houses, priced in the mid-$100,000 range.

Business analysts expect more commercial activity to erupt along U.S. 41 as infrastructure improvements, necessitated by the advent of Hernando Oaks and other residential areas, continue.

Aside from the attention Brooksville is receiving from the housing growth, the city has gained new revenue.

The developers of Hernando Oaks handed Brooksville a check for $418,625. At the time, it was the largest check ever given the city by a residential project to pay impact fees.

The money will help pay for a water and sewer line running from Hernando Oaks to the treatment plant at the Hernando County Airport.

Shifting Tax Burden
Brooksville Community Development Director Bill Geiger said the city must tread a fine line between growing too fast and retaining its rich traditions.

"We've seen a lot of growth potential, with the U.S. 41 corridor and State Road 50," said Geiger, who moved here in 1980 for the rural, hometown atmosphere. "Really, in almost every direction around the city, we see the potential for growth occurring.

"All that being said, we are a smaller town, by Florida standards. We have a lot of history here. We want to preserve that history. But at the same time, we do welcome the growth that's coming and the positive impact that it has on the community."

For 20 years, the taxpayers of Brooksville have borne the burden of little growth through higher property taxes.

The new developments help shift the tax burden away from those homeowners and allow for the creation of roads, utilities and other infrastructure improvements.

City officials have longed to make the needed downtown improvements to attract development. Revitalization has been the watchword. That takes money, however, money the city didn't have.

That is starting to change. For the first time in 20 years, the tax base is shifting from the taxpayer and on to the huge financial shoulders of Wal-Mart, Lowe's, Sonic and other retailers relocating to the city.

Southern Hills Plantation
One of the big players defining the new Brooksville is LandMar Group LLC, developers of the upscale Southern Hills Plantation on U.S. 41, south of the city.

LandMar plans to build a 999-home, upscale golf course community — Southern Hills Plantation — on U.S. 41 south of Brooksville.

Houses will range from $250,000 to $1 million and include five architectural styles.

Nationally known Levitt & Sons LLC is considering purchasing 411 acres of the LandMar property to build a retirement community, to be called Cascades. The property, already annexed into the city, extends south from Brooksville to Powell Road.

LandMar's James Harvey said Brooksville government leaders realize they need quality projects such as Cascades because it brings in badly needed taxes for the city. Without development, taxes will either go up or services get cut, he said.

Landmark is committed to spending big bucks to pave the way for development in the U.S. 41 corridor. The company plans to spend more than $1 million in water improvements in the area; $3.2 million in a reclaimed water project; $2 million on a wastewater treatment plant for the city; and $7 million in road improvements.

Cascades, he said, will not only enhance the city and Hernando County, but draw other builders to the county, as they rush to serve housing needs in the county and the urban areas to the south. He estimates the retirement community will draw 30 percent of its customers from Hernando County, and the rest from Tampa.

"We're creating a market here," he said.

Southern Hills is already reaping dividends. During a recent weekend event, sales associates sold 300 lots, totaling $41 million, in one day, said Cliff Manuel, president of Coastal Engineering Associates Inc., the project engineer.

That's about a third of the lots planned for the development.

"That's staggering," Manuel said after the sale.

It's more impressive considering the price of lots start at about $86,000 and rocket up to $496,000. Manuel said many buyers were people who work in Tampa and want to move to rural Hernando County. Others were retirees who decided to cash in their nest eggs and were drawn here by marketing efforts of LandMar.

An Economic Engine
Manuel said Southern Hills will be an economic engine for the county and city.

"That's a market [that's] just been created," Manuel said. "It's brand new. We haven't seen that kind of opportunity in the county — ever. It shows that Tampa Bay is looking at Hernando County."

Realtor Robert Buckner, longtime supporter of economic development in Hernando County believes the LandMar development "will be a big plus for the county and the city.

"It's a win-win," Buckner said recently.

The county wins, he said, because it will get the ad valorem taxes without supplying the primary services, such as police and fire. The city wins by having a larger tax base that will allow the city to expand.

Majestic Oaks
Hernando planning and zoning commissioners in June approved the first phase of Majestic Oaks, which includes 63 cottages and 60 estate homes on 101 acres on the north side of Mondon Hill Road, about one mile east of Broad Street.

The developer plans to have 625 houses after the entire community is built out.

When completed, Majestic Oaks will have a golf course, driving range and clubhouse.

Opposition to the project has been negligible. Single-family and mobile homes, and agricultural and undeveloped parcels surround the area. Dogwood Estates and the Brooksville Country Club are located north of the site.

Lowe's
The building of Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse on 20 acres at the southwest corner of Wiscon Boulevard and U.S. 41 will add about 135 jobs.

Because the site is adjacent to the Brooksville boundary, the city has already annexed the property and will allow Lowe's to hook into its central water and sewer line and annex into the city.

Brooksville City Manager Dick Anderson said the city recently amended its comprehensive plan to accommodate the new Lowe's. He called it a win-win for residents and the city.

"It was part of our long-range plans for development of that corner of the city," Anderson said. "Now our residents will have the advantage of having a home improvement center without having to go to the other end of the county."

Toward Next Decade
Brooksville Realtor Buddy Selph, who has been in the city since 1984, said the city had "serious economic problems." There was no new income from developments to meet the normal expenses of running a city.

"You can't have no growth and no new development without making those who are here pay more and more," Selph said.

That is changing, he said.

And the good part: the development coming to Brooksville is being managed.

City leaders are aware, Selph said, that they cannot compromise the historic roots of the city by overbuilding.

"As growth does come, you obviously have control, to a certain extent, as to what you're going to allow and what it's going to look like," Selph said.

Geiger is optimistic.

"I see a lot of positive things happening over the next decade," Geiger said. "We'll continue to see positive aspects of the growth and development that is occurring and we look at it as an opportunity to reinvest in the older parts of Brooksville — to see the revitalization of Brooksville occur.