Luxury homebuilder wants to redevelop Pebble Creek golf course
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Feb 28, 2023

A South Florida homebuilder wants to redevelop a shuttered golf course near the Pasco-Hillsborough county line.

GL Homes has filed a rezoning request with Hillsborough County to redevelop Pebble Creek, a 150-acre former golf course off of Bruce B. Downs and Cross Creek boulevards. Public hearings on the project will be held May 15 and July 18, said Jake Cremer, a partner at Stearns Weaver Miller in Tampa, who represents the homebuilder.

GL Homes plans to begin construction on the development about 18 months after receiving approvals, Cremer said. Homes would be priced in the $600,000s. The property is still owned by Ace Golf, and GL Homes will close on the land after approvals are in place.

“It’s really not considered community green space — there aren’t regulatory restrictions to maintain it as a golf course forever,” he said. “We realize it is something new for the community, but we’re trying to be good stewards of that.”

Cremer said his client is working with concerned neighbors and has offered landscaping packages to those whose property borders the former golf course. The builder has also offered to enhance the entrance features at a neighboring community, which is subject to approval by the homeowners association.

“Their goal is to knock on every single door and tell people what they’re doing,” Cremer said of GL Homes. “They’re talking to everyone they can.”

GL Homes is at least the third group to attempt to redevelop Pebble Creek, but Cremer said the builder’s expertise makes it a good fit for the project. The redevelopment will nearly double the lakes on the property, from 20 to 37 acres.

“You really have to be willing to spend a lot of time on the front end getting it right and not just throwing a plan out there,” Cremer said. “GL has been working for over a year on getting it right and did a bunch of community engagement before they submitted this plan.”