Builders plan 88 new homes in Hillsborough County

More than 80 new homes are coming to Hillsborough County as a pair of builders buy up property and plan for development.

Richmond American Homes of Florida has bought 63 homesites in Apollo Beach and plans to build a new neighborhood.

Details on the transaction were not released.

The community south of Tampa will be called Seasons at Waterset and will include five single- and two-story floor plans. The three- to six-bedroom homes will range in size from 1,570 square feet to 2,350 square feet.  

Richmond American is a subsidiary of M.D.C. Holdings and, according to its website, this will be its first community on Florida’s West Coast.

Also buying up land is local developer Homes by WestBay.

The Riverview homebuilder just bought 12.1 acres in Valrico and plans to build 25 homes on the site. It paid $2.2 million for the land, says Eshenbaugh Land Co., which represented the seller, Sebring Sierra, and announced the sale.

There aren’t many details available about the new community, but Homes by WestBay and its lower-price point subsidiary, Casa Fresca Homes, recently began a geographical expansion into at least a half-dozen counties and entered into the multifamily apartment market.

The builder announced in October that it will break into “two separate operating divisions to manage its current and future assets for increased market share throughout Central and Southwest Florida.”

One division, WestBay North, includes the homebuilder’s legacy business in Hillsborough and Pasco counties, with active projects including Hawkstone, Triple Creek, Creek Ridge, Waterset and Mirada. WestBay North will drive expansion in Polk, Hernando and Marion counties, the company says.

WestBay South, meanwhile, will focus on luxury markets in Manatee and Sarasota counties and oversee expansion into Charlotte and Lee counties over the next several years. Homes by WestBay has been active in these regions, catering to empty nesters, active adults and growing families. Initially, WestBay South will include the neighborhoods of North River Ranch, Crosswind Point, Crosswind Ranch, Star Farms in Lakewood Ranch and Wellen Park in south Sarasota County.