Restaurant Comings And Goings

Bahama Breeze Getting Closer To Opening

In addition to Chuy’s,  Bahama Breeze Island Grille also is getting ready to open due east of the new plaza across from the Tampa Premium Outlets (TPO) that is anchored by the months-old Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers.

Bahama Breeze will likely not open until the summer, but the building has made considerable progress (photo, near right) since first going vertical just a few short weeks ago.

We’ll keep you posted. — GN

Latin Flavors To Replace Cody’s

Rice-n-Beans, a popular Puerto Rican restaurant located in Lutz, will be opening soon in Wesley Chapel at the site of the former Cody’s Original Roadhouse on Wesley Chapel Blvd. just west of I-75.

The site is undergoing a $25,000 renovation. No official grand opening date had been set at our press time. — JCC

Pizza Hut To Open Next?

Now that Starbucks is open in the new Pleasant Plaza on S.R. 54 east of BBD, the next storefront to take shape in the new strip center will be Pizza Hut, which could be open by May or June.

The 3,800-sq.-ft. pizza place will fill one of the three remaining vacancies in the plaza. Following Pizza Hut, construction will begin on a nail salon. The Pleasant Plaza developers are currently negotiating with a tenant for the remaining vacancy. — JCC

Kwan Ming Bistro Closes

I was saddened to see that Kwan Ming Bistro, located on S.R. 56 in the same plaza as Wolf’s Den, had closed. My friends Henry (aka Kwan) and his wife Ming gave it a good several-year run in a tough plaza that also includes the somehow-super-successful Cabana Spas (see ad on pg. 9 of this issue).

Unfortunately, the restaurant had some issues — some felt it wasn’t quite upscale enough to justify its prices — but I did really enjoy Kwan Ming’s won ton soup, BBQ spare ribs, egg rolls and combination fried rice.

PartyScene Closes; Sweet Party Adds Its Inventory

Sweet Party, located at 20310 Trout Creek Dr., just off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (behind Burger) has acquired the remaining inventory from the PartyScene store in the Pebble Creek Collection.

“We are happy to be the largest party store in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area,” Sweet Party posted on the Wesley Chapel Community Facebook page.

Although Sweet Party is an awesome party store that deserves New Tampa’s support, I was sad to see my friend, Alex De Joseph, close her store after a solid 12-year run in a tough location.

Alex says, “The increase in rent, the insane road construction and increased competition from the internet created a perfect storm that made my decision obvious, but still heart-wrenching.” I agree, Alex.

For more information about Sweet Party, call (813) 994-4900 or visit SweetPartyTampa.com. And, please tell them that you read about them in the New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News! — GN

Business Beat: Chuy’s Set To Open & Here Comes Harley-Davidson!

The next big day for a local restaurant opening is all set — Tuesday, April 24! That’s the day Chuy’s Tex-Mex is scheduled to hold its grand opening.

Located in the Cypress Creek Town Center North area, across S.R. 56 from the Tampa Premium Outlets, Chuy’s is expected to fill what many restaurant-goers feel is a void in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa.

Founded in 1982 in Austin, TX, Chuy’s specializes in fresh Tex-Mex fare like burritos, enchiladas and tacos made with fresh ingredients, as well as its famous Elvis Green Chile Fried Chicken and daily drink specials. And, based on the popularity of Chuy’s sangria at the recent Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel (see pages 1 & 3-6), those drinks should also be a big hit.

The local Chuy’s will be 8,500 sq. ft. with a 650-sq.-ft. patio, with a decor enhanced by an Elvis shrine and other fun, quirky fixtures that don’t seem to make any sense.

WHAT’S IN & OUT AT THE GROVE?: While one store, the Toys R Us and Babies R Us, are on their way out, Cost Plus World Market is finally in at The Grove off Oakley Blvd.

The 18,600-sq.-ft. Cost Plus World Market  (map) is a subsidiary of Bed Bath & Beyond, which also has a store in The Grove.

Based in California, Cost Plus World Market specializes in an eclectic assortment of unique items for the home, from furniture to jewelry and accessories, as well as gourmet food and drinks. It claims to sell items imported from more than 50 countries and has 277 stores nationwide.

Other home decor stores also are coming to the Chap. At Home, which is headed for the south side of S.R. 56 (behind Costco), is working its way through the permitting process, and a HomeGoods store is coming to the Cypress Creek Town Center North area north of S.R. 56.

ROOMS TO SPARE: Another hotel — yes, yet another hotel — could be in the works off S.R. 54 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, as engineers from AVID met with Pasco County officials on March 19 in a Development Permit pre-submittal meeting, or pre-application meeting.

Developers are proposing a four-story, 120-room Extended Stay America located on Eagleston Blvd. off BBD, right behind the Wells Fargo bank and across from Wesley Chapel Toyota.

Extended Stay America, headquartered in Charlotte, NC, owns and operates more than 600 economy hotels across the U.S. and Canada geared towards those needing a room for weeks at a time. The company announced in January it would allowing franchising of its hotels for the first time.

The proposed Extended Stay American in Wesley Chapel will be 62,000 sq. ft., and the development would also include 6,400-sq.-ft. strip shopping center on the southwest corner of Eagleston Blvd. and BBD.

Wesley Chapel already is expecting three new hotels to open this year — a six-story, 125-room Hilton Garden Inn on Silver Maple Pkwy., across S.R. 56 from Florida Hospital Center Ice, is scheduled to open in June, a 92-room Fairfield Inn & Suites is expected to open in June or July a few miles to the east (in the Wiregrass Ranch development), and the six-story, 132-room Hyatt Place Hotel & Convention Center will open in July at the Cypress Creek Town Center across from TPO.

Another hotel, to be located behind the Walgreens on S.R. 54 and BBD, also is in the early planning stages.

VROOM-VROOM: Ferman Harley-Davidson is FINALLY coming to Wesley Chapel. The long-awaited and famous American motorcycle manufacturer met with the county on Feb. 1 in a pre app meeting, proposing a 30,677-sq.-ft. sales and service building on the 14.5-acre property just north of the Cypress Creek Animal Hospital on Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz.

According to paperwork filed with the county, Ferman Harley Davidson would also include a 2,655-sq.-ft. mezzanine, a pavilion and gazebo, 210 parking spaces and a 3,500-sq-ft. restaurant.

Harley-Davidson, founded in Milwaukee, WI, has locations in New Port Richey, Brandon and on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa.

GL Homes Continues To Develop The Ridge At Wiregrass Ranch

An aerial view of the clubhouse and The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch community, which is being developed by GL Homes along S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel.

On S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, a couple of miles east of the Shops at Wiregrass, behind a stunning entrance with an eye-catching waterfall feature, The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch continues to take shape.

Families who want to enjoy the best possible Florida lifestyle in luxurious, custom homes have been moving into the community since 2016. Of the nearly 350 homes that have been sold in The Ridge so far, 216 have been completed. At build-out, The Ridge is expected to include 564 homes.

The starting prices for homes in The Ridge range between $310,000 to $640,000, with sizes from just under 2,000 sq. ft. to more than 5,000 sq. ft. Most homes back up to ponds or conservation areas, and the few homes that back up to another home feature deeper lots and more green space between them.

The Ridge is being developed, built and sold by Sunrise, FL-based GL Homes, a privately owned company that has been in business for more than 40 years. GL Homes started in Palm Beach and Broward counties and has grown to include communities throughout Florida.

The company is different from many community developers, because it also builds the homes.

“We purchase the land, work with engineers to create a site plan, go through the approval process, develop each home site and build each home,” says Marisa Lufkin, the project manager for The Ridge.

Marisa has been working at The Ridge for more than a year, and has been with GL Homes for 18 years. Previously, she was at Valencia Lakes (the only other GL Homes community in the Tampa Bay area), which is for adults ages 55 and older, located in the Sun City Center area of southern Hillsborough County.

She explains that being both the developer and the builder has its advantages.

“We control the standard of the overall aesthetics,” Marisa says. “We start with the entrance and follow through with the elevations of the homes. We tie it all together, from the guardhouse to the landscaping, to the exterior of the clubhouse to the homes themselves.”

The elevations of the homes in The Ridge all include concrete roof tile, stacked stone exterior details, a covered patio, and brick pavers on driveways, walkways, entries, and covered patios.

“These are standard features in all of our homes,” explains Marisa. She adds that the high-end standard features continue inside, as well, where you won’t need to upgrade to get stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, 42” upper cabinets in the kitchen or luxury bathroom finishes.

That’s one reason Adaliz Aponte and her family chose to build a home in The Ridge when they relocated from Panama City Beach, FL, last August.

“Things that are standard here were an upgrade with our last builder,” she says. “The quality of the home is really impressive. It’s the perfect fit for us, and we’re so happy we’re here.”

Marisa adds, “In this community, you really can have it all.”

Clubhouse & Pools

Speaking of having it all, the community’s 11,691-sq.-ft. clubhouse opened in March of last year. It includes a fitness center with 24-hour resident access, aerobics room, indoor sports court, game room, kids room and even an arcade.

At The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch, developed and built by GL Homes, residents and visitors are greeted by this stunning waterfall entrance.

Outdoors, a resort-style pool is accompanied by a lap pool, kids water play area and a water slide. There also are four tennis courts, a shaded tot lot, a full-size, full-court basketball court, open play field and party pavilion.

“There’s nothing else like it in a community this size,” says Marisa. “We’re different for the market, and that’s what attracts buyers to this community.”

“We just love it here,” Adaliz says, “especially all the amenities.”

For example, Adaliz and her family enjoy the pool. “It’s huge,” she says. “First of all, it’s actually three pools because there’s also a lap pool and a water slide. The big pool has a lot of seating, including cabana-style seating, so you can sit back and watch the kids. We can cook out or take food.”

The community also has a lifestyle program, now in full swing, offering plenty of events for residents. A lifestyle director plans events, which have included a health and wellness expo, Christmas party with Santa, cookies, and crafts, and a “Winter Wonderland” event with food trucks, a snow machine, and a “polar bear plunge” down the waterslide.

Adaliz is one of many residents who chose The Ridge in part for its location, which is close to The Shops at Wiregrass, Tampa Premium Outlets, Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and I-75. “It’s close to everything that’s important to us, like doctors, the supermarket and restaurants,” she says.

Marisa adds that a wide variety of people are coming to live at The Ridge, “from newlyweds to families with children to empty nesters.”

She says many of the buyers are local. “Our community gives people who have outgrown their New Tampa homes an opportunity to build a bigger home in the area,” she says, adding that other local buyers are looking to downsize once they become empty nesters. “Other families just want to live in a brand new home with all the finishing touches and these amazing community amenities.”

In addition, she says, “GL Homes offers the whole package. From the multi-million-dollar entry that makes you feel like you’re coming into a truly upscale community, to our many floor plans and hundreds of options for customization, along with the great lifestyle.”

The sales center at The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch is open every day, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit GLHomes.com or call (855) 671-1700.

Michael Phelps To Highlight Saturday’s Official Opening Of Crystal Lagoon

(Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil)

There was the announcement in 2014 that the first Metro Development Group Metro Lagoon by Crystal Lagoons, the first-ever of its kind in the U.S., was coming to Wesley Chapel.

Then, there was a groundbreaking in 2016, followed by an event announcing the spigots to fill the lagoon had been opened in 2017, which gave way to a ceremony as it was filled with 16 million gallons of water later that year, and then, finally, a ribbon cutting to kick off 2018.

Next up: Saturday’s Grand Opening.

Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps (photo), considered by most to be not only the greatest swimmer but also the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, will be on hand for the grand opening on Saturday, April 28.

The grand opening will feature a daylong tropical-themed celebration, highlighted by planned water ski shows, flyboarding performances, a live Caribbean band performing on Gasparilla Island and even mermaids in the lagoon. 

There will also be a be a live band and DJ on the main stage, food trucks, drinks, dancing and more.

Free parking and free admission provided to guests.  The event is already at capacity, but you can sign up for the waitlist, and future events, at LagoonEvent.com.

Phelps will help kick the party off. He was announced last year as a global ambassador for Crystal Lagoons, the company which has built 300 lagoons across the world (with a dozen or more also in the works) since it was founded in 2007 by Chilean real estate developer and biochemist Fernando Fischmann.

Gasparilla Island.

While previous events have featured the lagoon in various states of development, the Grand Opening is expected to show the lagoon in all its grandeur — a 7.5 acre paradise maintained by ultra-sonic technology that uses sensors to monitor the quality of the crystal-clear water and 100 times fewer chemicals than a traditional swimming pool, surrounded by man-made beaches, private cabanas, swim-up bars, a tidal pool, restaurant and entertainment plaza.

The Crystal Lagoons are expected to become the hottest amenities driving home sales at new developments across the U.S.

In Wesley Chapel, home sales at Metro Development’s Epperson community, located on Curley Rd. less than three miles north of S.R. 54), have been booming, in large part due to the lagoon. At Mirada, another Metro development in northeastern Wesley Chapel, work is beginning on a second, even larger lagoon. Both developments are part of the Connected City project, which links northern Wesley Chapel to San Antonio.

The lagoon will be exclusive to the  2,000 homeowners in Epperson, who will pay for the maintenance of it. But until the community is mostly filled, there will be opportunities for the general public to use it.

For more information about Epperson, visit Epperson.Metroplaces.com. For information about Crystal Lagoons, visit Crystal-Lagoons.com— JCC

SPOTLIGHT ON…The Joint Chiropractic!

If you have chronic back and/or neck pain, regular adjustments from a trained chiropractic physician, like those at The Joint Chiropractic Center, located in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center plaza (near Pizza Hut), may help. A lot.

As I’ve mentioned in these pages before, The Joint is a new, much more affordable way to address your chronic pain when compared with most other chiropractic offices.

Like some of you, I wasn’t a believer in chiropractic care, in part because I never really suffered from any kind of back or neck pain until I was well into my 50s. I chalked it up to the problems of my sometimes sedentary lifestyle — I spend a lot of hours gazing into a computer, especially during my two deadline weeks per month — combined with trying to continue to do regular physical activity in order to keep my weight down as my body has aged.

But today, I am a true believer in not only the power of regular, ongoing chiropractic care, but also in The Joint, because never before has visiting a chiropractor been this affordable.

Although other chiropractors also work at The Joint’s New Tampa location — which is owned by Dr. Edward Leonard’s TJ Wesley Chapel PA and managed by my friends Valerie and Alex Pierroutsakos of Valex, Inc. — the chiropractor who sees patients every Monday through Friday is Dr. Barney Bickerton, DC (Doctor of Chiropractic). Dr. Barney and The Joint have been Godsends for both my fiancé Jannah and myself, because we have both been able to visit every week since Alex and Valerie opened The Joint’s New Tampa clinic last summer.

The initial fee at The Joint is just $29 and includes a consultation, an exam and an adjustment. Dr. Barney takes the time to find out where your pain is and when you feel it most often, and if you say you have pain in your neck or back, you don’t even have to show him where it is because he’ll find the source of it with his magic hands within a few seconds.

If you’re used to paying $45-$55 or more every time you visit the chiropractor, you’ll probably appreciate the fact that one adjustment per week — four adjustments every month — at The Joint will set its members back only $69, and additional adjustments in the same month, when you need them (like after Jannah and I were in a car accident in November), are just $10 each.

The Joint New Tampa recently hosted a Customer Appreciation event where Dr. Barney saw and adjusted 90 people in one day, including yours truly — with minimal wait times. Look for a one-year anniversary celebration announcement in future issues and please tell ‘em I sent you!

For more info about The Joint (19014 BBD Blvd.), visit TheJoint.com, call (813) 534-6415 or see the ad on pg. 3! — GN