TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Brooksville's Newest Housing Haven

ADVERTISEMENT

By TONY HOLT, Hernando Today

Published: December 24, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - Brook Haven is tucked away in a quiet place behind the post office.

Not enough people knew about it after construction on the pristine apartment complex was completed in October.
Christmas season may have changed all of that.

"The post office has been a major hit for us," said property manager Dawn Neal.

The high number of people visiting the post office during the past couple of weeks noticed a street that ran behind the building. It leads to the front gate of the newest affordable housing complex in the county and the first such facility ever built in Brooksville.
Brook Haven Apartments is located at 7781 Crystal Brook Circle off the Cortez Boulevard truck route.

The management company that owns the complex is Richman Group of Florida Inc., which also owns Spring Haven Apartments in Spring Hill.

When those apartments went up a few years ago, Seven Hills residents were up in arms about having an affordable housing facility built across the street. The construction soon passed and no serious issues have arisen.

When plans were in place to build Brook Haven, there was no resistance, according to Richman spokeswoman Robin Druckman.

"We had a real fight to put it up," she said of Spring Haven. "Brooksville was more of a case where there hadn't been affordable housing available in years. We didn't have a problem there."

Like Spring Haven, there are maximum annual household income qualifications to be eligible to live at the new complex.

For one person, the maximum is annual salary of $22,860. That number increases slightly with each additional resident. Up to six people can live in a three-bedroom apartment. The overall maximum salary in a six-person apartment is $37,860.

The minimum salary for a one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment is $15,840, $19,140, and $22.050, respectively.

Those numbers are determined by Internal Revenue Service guidelines for affordable housing, as well as the county's median income.

The inside of the apartments are decorated with faux granite-style countertops, ceramic tile floors and cherry oak-like cabinetry.

Neal, who was the property manager at Candlelight Apartments for six years, gave a tour of the complex Saturday morning. She has given several such tours since the complex opened Oct. 1, but she is hoping to fill more apartments after the holiday season.

In all, there are 160 units. Only 14 are occupied.

"The landscaping is unbelievable here," she said as she walked along the sidewalk from the pool area to the show unit. "If I could have my yard looking like this ... sheesh."

She pointed out the various amenities offered at the complex, almost none of which were available at her previous job.

There is a computer room/work station open to residents during business hours, a pool area that also includes a smaller pool for young children and a fitness center open 15 hours each day.

Most of the units are two- or three-bedroom apartments, but there are a few one-bedrooms available, Neal said.

"Hernando County was targeted as an area in need," said Druckman of the choice in building a second complex in the area.

The company is building another complex in Leesburg and is in the planning stages of starting another one off Northcliffe Boulevard in Spring Hill.

"We want to provide new, beautiful and clean affordable housing to our communities," Druckman said. "We take a lot of pride in the look of our facilities."

Biz at a glance:

Name of biz: Brook Haven Apartments

Property manager: Dawn Neal

What it is: Affordable housing apartment complex

Where it is: 7781 Crystal Brook Circle - behind the Brooksville post office

Get in touch: 352-397-4340

Send a fax: 352-799-3235

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT