First Segment Of Old Pasco Rd. Widening To Begin Soon 

Research by Joel Provenzano 

The map above shows the 1.33-mile portion of Old Pasco Rd. (from north of Deedra Dr. to north of Overpass Rd.) that is being widened by B.R.W. Contractors. The southern portion of Old Pasco Rd., which connects to Wesley Chapel Blvd., and the northern portion, which connects to S.R. 52, are not shown on this map.

Now that the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BOC) has voted unanimously (on Oct. 10) to award the nearly $22-million contract to widen a 1.33-mile-long segment of Old Pasco Rd. from north of Deedra Dr. to north of Overpass Rd., the contractor — B.R.W. Contractors — has 600 days to complete the project, which means that this first phase of a planned three-phase widening of Old Pasco Rd is not expected to be completed until June 2025. 

The first phase of the widening is actually the middle portion of the seven-mile-long Old Pasco Rd. corridor, which connects Wesley Chapel Blvd./C.R. 54 to S.R. 52 in San Antonio. 

Rooker Properties, LLC, which is developing the North Tampa Bay 75 Industrial Park (see rendering below) — an 800,000+ sq- ft. warehouse project in four buildings, of which the first 187,000-sq.-ft. building has been completed — has provided up to 84 feet of right-of-way (R/W) from the southern end of its property (north of Deedra Dr., closer to Sonny Dr.) for the project. 

The rendering above shows the location of the four-building Rooker Industrial Property on Old Pasco Rd., south of Overpass Rd. and KB Homes’ Sanctuary Ridge subdivision. 

Pasco had previously said that no certificates of occupancy could be given to the Rooker development until this segment of Old Pasco Rd. was widened, but the BOC lifted that requirement by unanimous vote in March of this year because the project was already designed, funded and required no R/W acquisition. In addition, a temporary access plan will be used to allow vehicles to safely enter and leave the industrial park when the widening project begins. 

B.R.W. Contractors was one of five contractors to bid on the project after the county put the contract out for bids in June. 

As part of the contract, the traffic signal at Old Pasco Rd. and Overpass Rd. will be improved, and additional traffic signals will be installed at Lindenhurst Dr. and at one of the access points to the industrial park. 

Under the terms of the first segment’s contract, this portion of Old Pasco Rd. will be widened from two lanes to four, with 12-foot-wide lanes, a 22-foot-wide raised median and 5-foot-wide bike lanes on both sides of the roadway. 

The planned second phase of the project, which has been designed and is funded by the county in fiscal year 2027, will widen Old Pasco Rd. from the southern terminus of the current phase (north of Deedra Dr.) to north of Wesley Chapel Blvd. 

Pasco currently does not have funding in place, nor has it acquired all of the needed R/W, to widen Old Pasco Rd. from north of Overpass Rd. to S.R. 52. That segment includes Cypress Creek Middle & High Schools and the Pasco Hernando State College Instructional Performing Arts Center. 

So, the widening of the first segment getting under way, it will take several more years before the full length of Old Pasco Rd. can be widened. 

TrebleMakers’ Hop On A Cure Event Raises Nearly $20,000!

John Driskell Hopkins, the co-founder of the Zac Brown Band, was in our area with the band last weekend for two shows (Nov 3-4) at the MidFlorida Amphitheater.

Between those two concerts, Hopkins (who is suffering from a slow-progressing form of ALS), and his own four-piece band made a stop at TrebleMakers Dueling Piano Bar in The Grove for a show to benefit his “Hop On A Cure” nonprofit foundation.

The show — which included some of Hop’s original compositions, as well as the Zac Brown hit “Toes” (Hopkins has a writing credit on that song), plus popular songs by Billy Joel and Tom Petty — raised just shy of $20,000 for Hop On A Cure.

In addition to the music, the highlights of the afternoon were the buffet meal included with each show ticket donated by TrebleMakers owners Jamie & Joe Hess and Lee Bevan, and the live auctioning off of two Taylor guitars signed by the entire Zac Brown band.

“It was a great day” Jamie said.

Nibbles & Bites: Mochinut Is Now Open On S.R. 56 & On BBD Blvd. In New Tampa! 

Last issue, I told you that Mochinut — which says on its website that its unique donuts are Hawaiian-inspired combinations of American donuts and Japanese mochi — was getting ready to open two locations in our area. The Lutz/Wesley Chapel Mochinut is located on the north side of S.R. 56 (in the former location of Pho 54, next to Astro Craft Ice Cream and Mellow Mushroom; right photo), while the New Tampa location is in the space previously occupied by Mahana Fresh on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., just north of I-75. 

Well, both Mochinut locations are now open and yes, the donuts — which are now served at more than 130 locations around the country, and are available in a rotating variety of flavors (see left photo for just a few of them), from biscoff creme to ube (purple sweet potato) frosted — are light, airy and definitely taste nothing like Krispy Kreme or Dunkin’ Donuts. 

I still haven’t sampled Mochinut’s rice flour hot dogs, but definitely plan to soon. All Mochinut locations also serve a variety of boba teas. 

The two locations are different from each other inside, to suit their individual spaces. 

For more information, visit or call the Lutz/Wesley Chapel location (25704 Sierra Center Blvd.), call (813) 949-5877. We could not find a phone number for the New Tampa location (17512 Doña Michelle Dr.), but you can visit Mochinut.com for more info about all of the Mochinut locations. — GN 

Playa Bowls Is Open On BBD

We first told you about it months ago when it was “Opening Soon.” And we updated the story when that original opening date didn’t happen (as happens so often here in Pasco County. 

Well, Wesley Chapel’s Playa Bowls has finally opened, at 2653 BBD Blvd. (in the same plaza as The Hungry Greek). It offers a large variety of healthy bowls. The concept was born at the Jersey Shore but is called “Pineappleland” because of its founders Robert Giuliani and Abby Taylor’s love of the acai and pitaya bowls they encountered during their surfing trips to Hawaii and California. 

Today, the founders’ shared vision has grown to more than 200 locations nationwide, including 15 here in the Sunshine State. 

In addition to healthy plant-based bowls (including oatmeal and chia pudding bowls), Playa Bowls features fresh juices, smoothies and cold brews. For more information, visit PlayaBowls.com. — GN 

Nibbles & Bites: Fazzoli’s & Barberitos Are Coming Soon To S.R. 54 

Research by Joel Provenzano 

The current construction at The Shoppes at Cypress Creek. 

Although it’s not going to be located in Wesley Chapel, a new 8,000-sq.-ft. building now under construction on S.R. 54 in Lutz, less than a mile west of the Tampa Premium Outlets (and just west of the Mobil gas station), will finally soon be home to two new restaurants — Fazoli’s and Barberitos. 

People have been asking for a while about these two fast casual eateries, as the signs for both had been located at the site for more than a year before the plaza, which is being called The Shoppes at Cypress Creek, began construction. 

The Take 5 Oil Change facility has been open for several weeks now in what is being called The Shoppes at Cypress Creek. 

Well, even though only the Fazoli’s sign is currently still standing, it appears that both restaurants are going to be included in the same under-construction building between the Mobil station and the new Take 5 Oil Change (see bottom photo), which is the first of what ultimately will be four buildings to be located on the 3.52-acre site. 

The site plan submitted with Pasco County by St. Petersburg-based retail developer Paradise Ventures, Inc., calls for three retail tenants in the under-construction building (photo below), the nearly 2,700-sq.ft. westernmost one (closest to the already-built Woodie’s Wash Shack) with a drive-through lane, which we’re assuming will be Fazoli’s, since all of the chain’s current locations (including the nearest one on E. Busch Bvd.) have a drive-through. 

The development’s site plan.

Based on the development’s site plan, it appears that Barberitos will be located in the 1,800-sq.-ft. easternmost space (closest to Take 5) and an as-yet unnamed retailer in the 2,675-sq.-ft. middle space. 

The third building at the site, which is not yet under construction, is a future restaurant pad that the site plan says will be a maximum of 5,500 sq. ft. 

For leasing and other information about the Shoppes at Cypress Creek, call John Mott at (727) 812-1555 or visit ParadiseVenturesInc.com. 

More About Fazoli’s 

According to Fazolis.com, the Kentucky-based chain founded in 1988 has more than 200 locations, the majority of which are franchises in more than half of the 50 U.S. states, including six in Florida. 

The Ultimate Sampler (fettuccine Alfredo, spaghetti & meatballs, penne w/meat sauce and lasagne w/ meat sauce.

The 35-year-old company’s slogan is “Fast. Fresh. Italian.” and fans of the brand say the breadsticks are “even better than Olive Garden’s.” 

Well, I’ve never been a fan of Olive Garden’s breadsticks, but I do love Italian food, so I am hopeful, since Jannah and I live so close to the coming-soon location, that it will be worth the long wait. I likely will visit the Busch Blvd. location sometime after this issue hits mailboxes to try it out. 

In addition to those breadsticks, Fazoli’s features pizzas, pastas (including baked pastas like lasagne and chicken parmigiana), “Snacks & Shareables” (like baked meatballs and fried mozzarella bites), hot and cold subs, salads and a variety of pasta samplers, such as the four-item combo shown above. 

More About Barberitos 
The burrito bowl at Barberitos. 

According to Barberitos.com, the Athens, GA-based fast-casual Southwestern cuisine eatery was founded in 2000 by Downing Barber. The restaurant’s slogan is “Food • Community • People.” 

The “Coming Soon” notification I found says that Barberitos features, “farm-fresh burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salads and more in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere. Choose one of our popular specialty items or create your own favorite from one of more than 30 toppings…and our made-in-house salsas.” 

The nearest to us of the 50+ Barberitos throughout the southeastern U.S. is in Panama City, FL, so I guess I won’t be able to visit one anytime soon.