The Laker/Lutz News

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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Lakeshore Drive

More Savings at Mattamy Homes’ Spring Sale

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With two new townhome communities now open in Lutz and Citrus Park, Mattamy Homes is offering extraordinary savings on quick move-in townhomes in its Avea Pointe and Lakeview at Citrus Park communities.

“All of our quick, move-in homes are available with special savings on these spacious three- and four-bedroom townhomes,” said Kathleen Dec, marketing manager for Mattamy Homes. “Plus, for a limited time we are paying closing costs, so it is important to call now to take advantage of these significant savings.”

Avea Pointe In Lutz
Avea Pointe is Mattamy Homes’ newest townhome neighborhood in Lutz, located off Van Dyke Road on Lakeshore Drive, and directly across from Mattamy Homes’ Lakeshore Preserve community.

Avea Pointe’s first residents will be moving into their new homes this spring. The community’s amenities will be ready in the fall, including a resort-style pool, cabana and sun deck. At completion, Avea Pointe will have 224 homes.

This fabulous kitchen in the Venice townhome is one of many reasons why Mattamy Homes was honored with a silver award at the 2019 Tampa Bay Parade of Homes for homes between $350,000 and $399,000.

This gated community offers three unique floor plans designed to live like single-family homes. All feature large open kitchens, optimized living spaces, covered lanais and 2-car garages.

Avea Pointe offers very distinctive plans— the Santa Rosa at 1,913 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, with an owner’s suite on the first level; the Sebring at 2,230 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; and the Venice at 2,574 square feet with 4 bedrooms (including a first-floor bedroom) and 3 baths. Base prices are from the low $300s.

“We offer some of the largest townhomes in the area,” said Dec. “Their unique designs meet the needs of first-time homebuyers, families with children and empty-nesters.”

Avea Pointe is just minutes from St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, and convenient to shopping, dining and entertainment in Carrollwood, Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel. Located within two miles of the Veterans Expressway, the community is an easy commute to Tampa, the airport and area beaches.

“This desirable location is one of the main reasons our homes at Avea Pointe are selling so quickly,” said Dec. “Excellent schools are another reason, because parents want their children to attend the area’s best schools.”

Avea Pointe children are zoned to Steinbrenner High, Martinez Middle and Schwarzkopf Elementary, all less than three miles away on Lutz Lake Fern Road. Also close-by is the Sunlake Academy of Math and Science charter school.

New Models in Citrus Park
Mattamy Homes has been selling in Lakeview at Citrus Park since August, and has already sold more than 35 townhomes. With the recent opening of three professionally decorated models, Mattamy expects sales to move even faster in this gated community off Ehrlich Road and the Veterans Expressway.

“Lakeview at Citrus Park is one of the prettiest and most convenient locations in the north Tampa area,” said Dec. “Our homeowners love being so close to Westfield Citrus Park Mall, and value their easy access to the Veterans and downtown Tampa.”

“Our new models are beautifully decorated and furnished, and feel as spacious and private as single-family homes,” said Dec.

The Marianna (1,667 sq. ft.) and Ormond (1,888 sq. ft.) have 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and single garages. The Venice (2,574 sq. ft.) has 4 bedrooms, including one downstairs, 3 baths and a double garage. Prices begin in the mid $200s.

The community, which will have 124 townhomes when completed, overlooks Gant Lake at the end of Tom Fuller Road. Residents have access to the lake for fishing, kayaking and paddle-boarding from its community pier. Other amenities include a children’s playground.

Visit MattamyHomes.com, or call (813) 580-7303, to learn more about these communities, the Spring Sales Event, or to schedule a VIP appointment.

Published March 27, 2019

Mattamy Home’s Fabulous Spring Sales Event

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With two new townhome communities opening in Lutz and Citrus Park, Mattamy Homes is offering families special savings on new, quick move-in townhomes for a limited time only, including paying closing costs.  A variety of three- and four-bedroom townhomes are available for move in this spring, at Avea Pointe in Lutz and Lakeview at Citrus Park.

New Models in Citrus Park
Mattamy Homes been selling in Lakeview at Citrus Park in August, and already has sold more than 30 townhomes. And now, with the opening of three new, professionally decorated models, Mattamy expects sales to move even faster in this gated community off Ehrlich Road and the Veterans Expressway.

Townhomes by Mattamy Homes offer spacious floor plans and two-car garages.

“Lakeview at Citrus Park is one of the prettiest and most convenient locations in the north Tampa area,” said Kathleen Dec, marketing manager for Mattamy Homes. “Our homeowners love being so close to Westfield Citrus Park Mall, and value their easy access to the Veterans and downtown Tampa.”

New models are beautifully decorated and furnished, and feel just as spacious and private as single-family homes. The Marianna (1,667 sq. ft.) and Ormond (1,888 sq. ft.) have 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths and single garages. The Venice (2,574 sq. ft.) has 4 bedrooms, including one downstairs, 3 baths and a double garage. Prices begin in the mid $200s.

The community, which will have 124 townhomes when completed, overlooks Gant Lake at the end of Tom Fuller Road. Residents have access to the lake for fishing, kayaking and paddle-boarding from its community pier. Other amenities include a children’s playground.

Avea Pointe In Lutz
Avea Pointe is Mattamy Homes’ newest townhome neighborhood in Lutz, located off Van Dyke Road on Lakeshore Drive, and directly across from Lakeshore Preserve —a Mattamy townhome community that sold out in less than 18 months.

“The demand for our townhomes in Lakeshore Preserve was so incredible that we’re very happy to be offering families more townhomes in the same great location,” said Dec.

Avea Pointe’s first residents will be moving into their new homes this spring. The community’s amenities will be ready this fall, and include a resort-style pool, cabana and sun deck. At completion, Avea Pointe will have 224 homes.

This gated community offers three spacious floor plans designed to live like single-family homes, incorporating large open kitchens, optimized living spaces, covered lanais and 2-car garages.

Avea Pointe offers very distinctive plans— the Santa Rosa at 1,913 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, with an owner’s suite on the first level; the Sebring at 2,230 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; and the Venice at 2,574 square feet with 4 bedrooms (including a first-floor bedroom) and 3 baths. Base prices are from the low $300s.

“We offer some of the most spacious townhome floor plans in the area,” said Dec. “Their unique designs meet the needs of first-time homebuyers, families with children and empty-nesters.”

In-Demand Location
Mattamy’s Lutz communities are just minutes from St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, and are convenient to shopping, dining and entertainment in Carrollwood, Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel. Located within two miles of the Veterans Expressway makes them an easy commute to Tampa, the airport and area beaches.

“This desirable location is one of the main reasons our homes at Lakeshore Preserve and Avea Pointe are selling so quickly,” said Dec. “Excellent schools are another reason — parents want their children to attend the area’s best schools.”

Children at Lakeshore Preserve and Avea Pointe attend Steinbrenner High, Martinez Middle and Schwarzkopf Elementary, all less than three miles away on Lutz Lake Fern Road. Also close-by is the Sunlake Academy of Math and Science charter school.

 Visit MattamyHomes.com, or call (813) 580-7303, to learn more about these communities, the Spring Sales Event, or to schedule a VIP appointment.

Published February 27, 2019

Mattamy Opens Second Townhome Community In Lutz

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There’s more good news from Mattamy Homes for families looking for affordable new construction in Lutz that offers excellent schools and one of the best locations in Tampa Bay.

Avea Pointe is a new townhome community located off Van Dyke Road on Lakeshore Drive. It is directly across from Lakeshore Preserve — Mattamy Homes’ very successful townhome community of 102 homes, which is closing out sales after opening in the fall of 2017. Only one home remains — a 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath well-appointed Ormond model home.

“The demand for our townhomes in Lakeshore Preserve was so incredible that we are very happy to be offering families more townhomes with the same great location,” said Kathleen Dec, marketing manager for Mattamy Homes.

Avea Pointe will begin sales to the public on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 10 a.m., with the first residents expected to move into their new home in late spring. The community will offer amenities that will be completed later this year, including a resort-style pool, cabana, sun deck and tot lot. At completion, Avea Pointe will have 224 homes.

The gated community will offer three spacious floor plans designed very much like single-family homes, incorporating large open kitchens, optimized living spaces and 2-car garages.

Avea Pointe offers very distinctive plans— the Santa Rosa at 1,913 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, with an owner’s suite on the first level; the Sebring is an interior unit with 2,230 square feet and 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths; and the Venice at 2,574 square feet with 4 bedrooms  (including a first-floor bedroom) and 3 baths.  All homes feature 2-car garages and covered lanais.

Base prices of these townhomes are anticipated to begin in the low $300s, and come in three attractive exteriors — West Indies, French Country and Craftsman.

“We offer some of the most spacious townhome floor plans in the market, and their unique designs meet the needs of first-time homebuyers, families with children, empty-nesters and retirees,” said Dec.

Avea Pointe’s home designs can be experienced by visiting model homes at Lakeshore Preserve (directly across Van Dyke Road) and other Mattamy communities in Citrus Park, Oldsmar and Riverview.

Mattamy’s Lutz communities are just minutes from St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, and are convenient to shopping, dining and entertainment in Carrollwood, Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel. Their close proximity to the Veterans Expressway is an easy commute to Tampa, the airport and area beaches.

“Our location is one of the main reasons our homes at Lakeshore Preserve sold so quickly,” said Dec.

Excellent schools are the other reason Mattamy’s Lutz townhomes are so much in demand. This location is zoned to some of Hillsborough County’s best schools — Steinbrenner High, Martinez Middle and Schwarzkopf Elementary. All are located less than 3 miles away at the public school complex on Lutz Lake Fern Road. In addition, charter school Sunlake Academy of Math is less than a mile away.

Lakeview at Citrus Park
It’s only been six months since Mattamy Homes opened Lakeview at Citrus Park — its gated townhome community off Ehrlich Road at the Veterans Expressway — and already 23 townhomes have been sold.

“This is one of the prettiest and most convenient locations in the north Tampa area,” said Dec. “Our homeowners love being less than 2 miles from Westfield Citrus Park Mall, and their easy access to downtown Tampa just 15 miles away.”

Mattamy Homes found a perfect location that overlooks Gant Lake at the end of Tom Fuller Road, which gives resident access to the lake for fishing, kayaking and paddle boarding from its community pier. Other amenities include a children’s playground.

Lakeview at Citrus Park has three model homes that will open in early February.  Upon completion, it will have 124 townhomes, ranging from 1,670 to 2,620 square feet, and offering 2 to 4 bedrooms, 2.5 to 4 baths, and 1- or 2-car garages.

Mattamy Homes is the largest privately owned homebuilder in North America, with a nearly 40-year history of operations across the United States and Canada. Every year, Mattamy helps 7,000 families realize their dream of home ownership. Visit MattamyHomes.com for more information, or call (813) 580-7303.

Published January 23, 2019

It’s here! $3 gas arrives in Wesley Chapel

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It’s been years since Florida has seen its average gas prices drop below the $3 mark. And while the state average is not there quite yet, two gas stations in Wesley Chapel was selling gas at $2.99 this past weekend.

The Hess station at State Road 54 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Wesley Chapel is one of the first stations locally in years to have gas under $3. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
The Hess station at State Road 54 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Wesley Chapel is one of the first stations locally in years to have gas under $3. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Those gas stations — the Hess at State Road 54 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, and the cash buyers at Citgo at State Road 54 and Boyette Road — were the lowest in the area, and below the $3 mark for the first time, according to GasBuddy.

And that might be just the beginning.

“Gas prices declined dramatically last week, and more discounts are on the way,” said AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins, in a release. “It will soon be increasingly common for motorists to find gasoline cheaper than $3 a gallon. Demand is low and domestic oil supplies are high, putting downward pressure on the price of both oil and gasoline. State averages in Florida and Georgia could be flirting with the $3 mark by Thanksgiving.”

Right now, Florida’s average gas price is $3.24, down 7 cents from a week ago, and down a dime from a month ago. However, it’s down just a nickel from a year ago.

Gas nationally is $3.21, down 9 cents from a week ago, and 20 cents lower than a month ago.

Tennessee, by the way, already is at $3 on average. That’s down 9 cents from the week before, and 20 cents from the month before.

Gas prices in Land O’ Lakes on Sunday ranged from $3.17 at three different gas stations, to $3.21 at the Shell located at Land O’ Lakes Boulevard and Hale Road, according to GasBuddy.

It was a similar story in Lutz, where gas prices were found as low as $3.15 at both the Circle K at Van Dyke and Old Tobacco roads, as well as the Citgo at North Dale Mabry Highway and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. The highest prices there on Sunday were reported at $3.29 at the Shell located at Van Dyke and Lakeshore Drive.

To join the $2.99 prices in Wesley Chapel, there were still some highs, including a price of $3.19 at three different stations.

Murphy USA had the cheapest gas in Zephyrhills over the weekend at $3.14 on Gall Boulevard near Ginger Avenue, while the Citgo at Gall and Chancey Road had the highest reported price at $3.25.

In Dade City, prices ranged from $3.15 at two locations, to $3.22 at two other stations.

Gas prices still recovering from Labor Day weekend

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Gas prices are still trying to come down after the expected bump during Labor Day weekend, but that hasn’t stopped gas prices from being the lowest still since 2010 as September gets under way.

And prices could get better, especially with federal employment levels lower than expected.

“Demand typically eases going into the fall, but a high jobless report causes speculation that demand for gasoline may be even lower,” said Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for AAA-The Auto Club Group, in a release. “This report, combined with easing geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine, and refineries beginning to switch from summer to winter blend fuels, all continue to place downward pressure on what is already unseasonably low gas prices.”

That trend, as Jenkins has shared before, could mean gas cheaper than $3 a gallon before the end of the year.

The U.S. Department of Labor reported last week that 142,000 new jobs were created in August, lowering the national unemployment rate slightly to 6.1 percent. While that is a positive growth in jobs, it was lower than analysts had expected.

Oil prices took a hit this past week as well, with a barrel of oil selling for $93.29 on Friday, a drop of $2.67 from the previous week. That is a seven-month low for crude.

The average gallon of gas in Florida was $3.36 on Sunday, down a penny from $3.37 a week ago, and 3 cents from a month ago. It’s 19 cents lower than what it was a year ago, however, AAA reported.

“Some markets are seeing more expensive gasoline compared to last week,” Jenkins said. “Much of that has to do with demand jumping during the Labor Day weekend, causing lower supplies and higher prices. It is possible that prices could inch up toward the middle of the month as refineries prepare to switch to the cheaper-to-produce winter blend gasoline on Sept. 15, but prices usually fall through the remainder of the year.”

The cheapest gas in Land O’ Lakes on Sunday night was $3.19 at the Mobil station on State Road 52 near the Suncoast Parkway, according to GasBuddy. The Shell station at State Road 54 and State Road 56 was listed as the most expensive at $3.37.

Wesley Chapel had some cheaper gas, found once again at Sam’s Club on State Road 56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, where prices were reported at $3.17. Four locations — including a Shell station, 7-Eleven, Hess and Mobil — had gas prices at $3.37.

In Lutz, prices ranged from $3.21 at the Circle K on Van Dyke and Old Tobacco roads, to $3.39 at two Shell stations — one on Van Dyke near Lakeshore Drive, the other at North Dale Mabry Highway at Van Dyke.

Gas prices in Zephyrhills were found from $3.22 at a Mobil station on State Road 54 near Allen Road, to $3.34 at a Citgo on Gall Boulevard and Chancey Road. The cheapest gas in Dade City was $3.25 at three locations — Raceway, Marathon and Clark — while the most expensive, according to GasBuddy, was found at the Chevron station on Fort King Road and Clinton Avenue for $3.31.

 

Gas higher for summer, but not for long term

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Drivers probably were not happy to see gas prices jumping up just ahead of the Labor Day holiday, as they typically do when demand is higher, but they should be happy that it was still the cheapest Labor Day weekend gas in four years.

More than 29.7 million families gassed yup for a road trip on the weekend, according to AAA, with average prices nearly 19 cents cheaper than last year in Florida.

“There’s no doubt that low gas prices helped convince many Americans, who were on the fence about traveling, to take a trip during the holiday weekend,” said Mark Jenkins, a AAA spokesman, in a release. “Prices may get even cheaper in the coming months.”

That will come because of a mixture of higher domestic production in the fall, and lower demand, Jenkins said. In fact, he is expecting to see gas prices fall to below $3 a gallon before the end of the year. However, things that could spoil that would be refinery outages, or a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.

Barrels of oil were trading at $97.88 at the beginning of August, but finished the month at $93.86, helping to push the national average gasoline pieces down 9 cents. That included a 6-cent drop in Florida, as well as 8 cents in Georgia and 7 cents in Tennessee.

Right now, Florida is averaging $3.37 per gallon, 3 cents more than last week, but down a nickel from a month ago.

As of Monday, the cheapest gas in Land O’ Lakes, according to GasBuddy.com, was at the Mobil station at State Road 52 near the Suncoast Parkway, where regular unleaded was listed at $3.19. The most expensive was at a Shell station on the corner of State Roads 54 and 56, with a price of $3.37.

In Wesley Chapel, gas prices ranged from $3.18 at Sam’s Club on State Road 56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, to $3.38 at a Shell station at State Road 54 and Oakley Boulevard. Lutz saw prices as low as $3.26 at a Sunoco in State Road 54 and Collier Parkway, and as high as $3.39 at the Shell station at Van Dyke Road and Lakeshore Drive.

The cheapest gas in Zephyrhills as of Monday was at the Marathon at Eiland Boulevard and Geiger Road at a cost of $3.25. The most expensive was reported at Citgo at Wire and Otis Allen roads at $3.40. Dade City gas prices ranged from $3.26 at the RaceWay at U.S. 301 and McDonald Road, to a cash price of $3.39 at the BP station on U.S. 98 Bypass and Church Street.

 

Traveling? Labor Day gas prices expected at 4-year low

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When gas prices will start to climb again, no one knows. And while there may be a slight increase in time for the high-demand season of Labor Day weekend, AAA says expect those prices to be the lowest they’ve been in four years.

“Record-high oil production is keeping downward pressure on gas prices,” said AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins, in a release. “The bottom fell out again on oil prices last week, which should lead to another week of discounts at the pump despite rising demand, as 29.7 million Americans plan to take a road trip for Labor Day weekend.”

The price for a barrel of oil dropped $3.70 last week to $93.65 — its cheapest since January. Refineries are producing the most petroleum for this time of year since 1989, AAA said, primarily because of the shale boom, which has boosted oil production in the United States by 64 percent in the past five years.

Gas prices in Florida were at $3.34 on Sunday, down nearly 2 cents from the week before, and 15 cents lower than what they were a month ago. Prices also are 22 cents cheaper than Labor Day weekend last year.

Of the southern states AAA reviews in its report, Tennessee and the cheapest gas at $3.21 a gallon, down a penny from the week before, and 18 cents lower than Labor Day 2013.

The cheapest gallon of gas in the Land O’ Lakes area, according to GasBuddy.com, is at the RaceTrac on State Road 52 and Silver Palm Boulevard, where prices were reported late Sunday night at $3.11. The Shell station at the corner of State Road 54 and State Road 56 had the highest prices in the area at $3.37.

In Wesley Chapel, Sam’s Club on State Road 56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard had the cheapest gas at $3.14, with the Shell station at State Road 54 and Oakley Boulevard reporting $3.39.

In Lutz, the Chevron and Sunoco stations on State Road 54 and Collier Parkway both reported $3.18 Sunday night, while the most expensive was found at the Shell station at Van Dyke Road and Lakeshore Drive at $3.39.

Gas in Zephyrhills still remains a little pricier than other parts of the county, with GasBuddy’s lowest reported price at the Marathon station on the corner of Eiland Boulevard and Geiger Road where it cost $3.25 per gallon. The Citgo at County Road 54 and 20th Street was the most expensive at $3.34.

Dade City was a little cheaper, with $3.17 reported at the Clark station near the corner of U.S. 301 and Long Avenue. The most expensive was $3.31 at the Chevron station on the corner of Fort King Road and Clinton Avenue.

Why do gas prices seem to rise the more east one travels in Pasco County? Read all about it in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available Aug. 27.