Lisa Gibbings said the site sits at the highest point in Hernando County, the first place in the county to catch the sunrise each morning.
On Oct. 14, Metro Development Group broke ground on Sunrise Hills, a 1,100-acre planned community along Cortez Boulevard near Brooksville that is expected to include nearly 4,000 homes, a 2.5-acre lagoon, solar-powered streetlights, miles of trails, parks and green spaces.
Located near the Sherman Hills Golf Course and the Withlacoochee State Trail, Sunrise Hills will offer access to the Nature Coast’s outdoor attractions, along with nearby shopping, dining and everyday services, the company said in a news release. Its location near Interstate 75 will connect residents to Brooksville and the broader Tampa Bay region.
“Sunrise Hills represents a significant expansion of our investment in Hernando County,” said Gibbings, vice president of marketing and communications at Metro Development Group. “We’ve listened to buyers and builders who want more than homes. They want communities with places to gather, stay active and enjoy the outdoors. Sunrise Hills answers that demand, bringing our inland coastal lifestyle to a 1,100-acre site with three national homebuilders.”
It is more than a community, Gibbings said. It’s a lifestyle the company is creating.
“We could not offer this one-of-a-kind lifestyle without our national builder-partners,” she said, thanking homebuilders DRB Homes, D.R. Horton and Lennar.
It is the company’s second community in Hernando County, after Sandal Key along U.S. 19.
Along with Sunrise Hills staff, construction representatives and some county officials, Realtors attended the groundbreaking to pick up information they can use to sell homes. Streets are laid out and roads are paved, but no model homes have been built yet.
Homes will start in the mid- to high-$200,000s and range from 1,400 to 2,900 square feet.
Nearly 20 years in the making
Omar DePablo, the county’s development services director, said the process for Sunrise Hills began not long after he started working for the county about 21 years ago.
“This was one of the first Developments of Regional Impact I got to work on coming to the county,” he said. “I’ve seen this project since 2007, when it was first thought of and brought to our county.”
The site is in the I-75 Planned Development District, DePablo said, which makes it a big deal for the county and planners like him. The project also will include commercial development, he said.
Getting to this point took a lot of planning, DePablo said, including dealing with the “bugs and bunnies,” accommodating pedestrians and making sure the project had the amenities residents need.
“It’s been fun to work through that with Metro,” he said. “I like the name, I like the logo, but I think keeping with the culture and heritage of Hernando County goes a long way.”
The site, just off I-75, serves as a gateway into the county, DePablo said, and there’s still a long way to go.
County Administrator Jeff Rogers said a project like this takes years because of the many approvals it needs. He has lived in the county about 20 years, he said, and has heard about the project for almost all of them.
“The county didn’t just allow this development to come in here, it planned for this,” Rogers said.
The Planned Development District covers not just the Sunrise Hills property but the surrounding land, including property on the other side of I-75, he said.
Planning for growth in the area also meant planning for infrastructure and services, Rogers said, including roads, wastewater, new wells and utility lines, among them a pipe under I-75. U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis secured $1 million for that work, Rogers said.
Eventually, more people will live in the area than in the city of Brooksville, he said, and that workforce is needed for the jobs of the future.
“I really appreciate the high-quality investment in Hernando County,” Rogers said. “This is one area of the county that we’ve planned for properly.”
People are moving to Florida, Rogers noted, and not just because of this development but because “it’s the greatest state in the country.” The Tampa Bay area is the best region, he added, and Hernando is the best county.
Realtor view
Eric Riggins of Crowned Royale Realty was one of the Realtors at the groundbreaking.
“I like it because it’s just another opportunity for us to introduce this to prospective buyers,” he said. “I just hope they give more things in this area to attract buyers to the area, because right now it’s pretty green.”
Riggins said he has heard about the possibility of a supercenter, and maybe a Publix, being built nearby.
“You’re always looking for Publix,” he said, adding that the area is well located near I-75.
Looking ahead
Metro Development Group wants to connect with Brooksville’s traditions and redesigned the Sunrise Hills entryway to reference the city, Gibbings said.
Buildout could take about 10 years, she said, depending on the pace of sales and the economy.
Speaking of Sunrise Hills and Sandal Key, Gibbings said, “Together, these communities reflect our long-term commitment to Hernando County, and the people choosing to make it home.”