Longleaf in New Port Richey? (Tampa, Odessa: homeowners association, house, neighborhoods)

[sunnygurl]

Is anyone familiar with that community? I believe it is off the Suncoast. My sister is buying there, and I was wondering whether anyone had any thoughts. Seems like an awfully long commute to South Tampa (where she works).

[Keeper]

It is a VERY long commute, at least an hour or more depending on time of day. The expressway is bogged down from Linebaugh to Kennedy during rush hour, maybe even from Van Dyke.

[Millpond]

Longleaf isn't bad. They have a very active homeowners association.

[ntfeldman]

Longleaf is a highly connected "planned" neighborhood with a CDD bond that causes your taxes to be higher than average. But it is lovely esthetically. You are going to get to know your neighbors there - whether you like it or not - so you should like that type of connectivity.

It has a neighborhood pool/community center and it's evolved nicely over the last few years but the streets are very narrow (to slow traffic) there's very limited parking if you have guest and the floorplans of the homes are rather well designed so that you can not see out the sides of your home at your neighbors home, even though the set backs between homes is 8' from the property line (not a typo, that really is eight feet).

The neighborhood lighting is inadequate at night I think for a walk or a jog but the architecture is right out of "Leave it to Beaver"... if you like that sort of thing.

It is a long commute to s. Tampa. if you have to travel during typical peak times. At least 1 hour 10 min.

[ufmack]

As far as the community itself goes, it is very beautiful and family friendly. I have only heard great things about Longleaf. The commute is what it is - a sacrifice for those who can't afford to buy a large historic home in Hyde Park but absolutely love traditional neighborhoods. I just wish it were closer to South Tampa!!

[glastron_79]

My husband and I drove through LongLeaf about two weeks ago. We didn't like the feel of it at all. The community tries to imitate "front porch" aesthetics. Everyone had the same rocking chairs or wicker loveseat. Okay, not exactly the same, but still that same old cookie cutter feel.

The streets are narrow which makes OSP in the tiny nooks even more weird looking, the garages are behind the homes in alleys and they don't appear to be attached. TEENY TINY yards, if any, and certainly no room for a pool, though my guess is there is a "no pool installation" rule in effect anyway.

[poohcorner]

We looked at a house in Longleaf that we almost bought but it didn't have enough of a yard for our dogs. I don't believe they have CDD fees and several homes do have their own pools. I think, if you're looking for a true community feel, you'd be very happy there. I've also heard wonderful things about the school. Best of luck. Oh, by the way, the Suncoast isn't very far it's just down 54 a bit. I live in Odessa which is really close to the Suncoast and the airport is about 20 minutes away.

[maxkano]

My girlfriend and I looked at Longleaf several months ago and loved the community. The homes actually had front porches instead of ugly front garages like a lot of homes in Tampa. The neighborhood is pedestrian-friendly and nicely designed overall. As much as we liked the neighborhood and homes, Longleaf is in the middle of nowhere- SR 54 is totally rural and way too far from downtown Tampa.

[Johnland]

I looked at model homes in Longleaf about two years ago. The designs were really great, I thought. They were all different from the same old thing. However, they were very expensive (for me). The model I liked the most was well over $400K.

About a year later, I was driving by Longleaf one morning after having made a special trip to New Port Richey to drop off a relative. As I drove east on 54, I saw the line of cars waiting to exit Longleaf. They were backed up 20 or 30 cars or more in single file. So while archecture may be leaning towards tradtional small town, the actual community ends up suffering from the same old boring suburban sprawl tedium. The other thing is, I currently live in South Tampa and find all those new developments way out there just so empty and devoid of anything of merit or interest. I work in New tampa and loathe it. It's barren, sterile, congested and getting more congested. You could not blast me out of South Tampa.