Nearly 200 single-family rentals coming to South Hillsborough County

By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer – Real Estate Editor, Tampa Bay Business Journal

A national built-to-rent developer is planning to build nearly 200 single-family rentals in Wimauma.

Houston-based Balcara Group said it has entered a joint venture partnership with PCCP, a real estate investment and finance management firm, to build Balcara at Southshore Bay. The partnership has purchased finished lots spanning over 35 acres in Southshore Bay, a master-planned community by Tampa-based Metro Development Group. Lennar will build the homes, and the first units are set to open in August, the partnership said.

Wimauma has seen a housing boom in recent years. A $176 million high school is under construction there, and a Tampa development firm is working on a mixed-use project to bring self-storage and retail space to the area.

It is not the first meeting of Balcara Group and Metro: Balcara brought single-family rentals to Metro's Epperson, a master-planned community in Wesley Chapel.

Balcara at Southshore Bay will be at 17160 Auburn Arch Loop, 5 miles east of Interstate 75. Homes will range from 1,372 square feet to 1,663 square feet. Each has a fenced-in backyard, and amenities include an on-site fitness center, dog park and playground.

“We believe the diversification of units will attract a variety of renter types and the location of the project adjacent to major arterial roads will permit residents to easily commute to Tampa, St. Petersburg and Bradenton employment centers," Andrew Barbakoff, senior vice president with PCCP, said in a statement.

The 2,800-home Southshore Bay was one of the first communities in the Tampa Bay region to begin construction on a manmade lagoon.

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