Author: Gary Nager

Big Growth Coming To Wiregrass And S.R. 54 too

WCMapWiregrassRanchWeb3 The other area where things are really clicking is the Wiregrass Ranch DRI, the 5,000+-acre tract located east of BBD, south of S.R. 54 and straddling both sides of S.R. 56. Wiregrass Ranch today has the being-expanded Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (see story on pg. 4), the Shops at Wiregrass mall, Pasco-Hernando State College, Wiregrass Ranch High, John Long Middle School (and the set-to-open-next-year Wiregrass Elementary), the already-being-expanded North Tampa Behavioral Health and upscale homes in communities like Estancia and The Ridge.

But, what’s still to come in Wiregrass Ranch is what’s really exciting. We only had room in this issue to run one map of the northern portion of the Wiregrass Ranch, where the Porter Family and the Dowd Companies (a West Palm Beach-based developer with experience throughout the southeastern U.S., including several of the projects in Wiregrass Ranch) are actually in the process of starting development on two projects — the Wiregrass Shops on S.R. 54 (which is shown on this map) and the Wiregrass Commons on S.R. 56 (which is not shown here, but will be shown in our May 20 issue).

The Dowd Companies website (TheDowdCompanies.com) says that the Wiregrass Ranch DRI will be home to:

•More than 27,000 Residents

•6,947 New Single Family Homes

•3,526 New Multi Family Homes

•2,720,800 sq. ft. of New Retail Space

•2,000,000 sq. ft. of New Office Space

•600,000 sq. ft. of New Medical Space

•300,000 sq. ft. of New Recreational Space

•600 New Hotel Rooms

•New 18 hole golf course

•3 New Elementary Schools

•New County Park

•New Sheriff’s Office

•New Pasco County Fire Station

•Possible Rail or Rapid Transit Line

With Stops from Tampa

•Park & Ride Stop

•Planned new 581/Bruce B Downs Bypass Road to connect BBD to Wiregrass Ranch Blvd & the Walmart off S.R. 54

•6 Stop Lights on SR 56 between BBD & Meadow Pointe Blvd.

The Wiregrass Shops on S.R. 54 will be home to the relocated Publix supermarket currently in the Hollybrook Plaza on S.R. 54 at BBD, and other new retail establishments that had not yet been announced at our press time. The plaza will be 12,600-sq.-ft, with spaces starting at 1,200 sq. ft. The Dowd website says the plaza is expected to open in the “Spring of 2016,” but considering that nothing has gone vertical on the property yet, that seems more than a tad ambitious.

The delay may be due to the ongoing discussions about the planned 581/BBD Bypass Road, which has existing businesses on BBD south of S.R 54 concerned about how they will survive if the thousands of cars that normally drive past their location on their way to turn onto 54 headed east or west will be diverted to the Bypass, a half mile south of their location.

The good news is that JD Porter of the Porter Family and Dowd President & CEO John Dowd, III, will be the featured speakers at the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC)’s Economic Development Briefing on Thursday, April 28, 11:30 a.m., at Pebble Creek Country Club (10550 Regents Park Dr., off BBD).

WCCC CEO Hope Allen, who helped me get some of the information for the maps in this story, says Dowd and Porter are expected to talk about both the Wiregrass Shops on SR 54 and the Wiregrass Commons on SR 56, as well as some of the other plans for the DRI. And of course, we’ll be attending that meeting, in case you can’t go.

SR 54, East & West Of I-75

Also indicated on the map on this page east of I-75 is a new Chase Bank that is being built between Chili’s and the Bank of America, a rumored Popeye’s Chicken on land between the existing Wesley Chapel Village Market and I-75, as well as the now-confirmed location of Lexus of Wesley Chapel, which will be built by the Williams Group next to the Williams-owned Toyota of Wesley Chapel.

And, west of I-75, you’ll find the location of the Aldi grocery store, which is beginning development shortly off Oakley Blvd., behind the Shell gas station/Circle K on 54. Also indicated, across from The Grove shopping center (behind the Sleep Inn), is the recently announced 40,000-sq.-ft. FreeFall Zone entertainment complex, which according to developer Craig Patel, will include trampolines, laser tag, rock climbing wall, bumper cars, arcade games, party rooms and food concessions.

Please let us know what you think!

Ginza Endless Sushi Opens Next To Winn-Dixie!

If you haven’t yet tried the new Ginza Endless Asian Cuisine & Sushi, located at 6417 E. County Line Rd. at Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in the Trout Creek area (between the Winn-Dixie supermarket and LA Fitness), we definitely suggest you give it a try.

Ginza’s all-you-can-eat specials cost just $12.95 per adult for lunch and $24.95 per adult for dinner and that price includes all you care to eat of literally dozens of items — from fresh sashimi and sushi to hibachi-style chicken, shrimp or steak and even favorites like Mongolian chicken (photo, shown with a side of fried rice) and beef and so many more.

At our press time, Ginza still did not have its liquor license, but the freshly prepared food and fast service make it more than worthy of a visit until that happens, which should be sometime in April, according to a restaurant employee. And, with the coupons in our latest New Tampa edition and the upcoming Wesley Chapel edition hitting mailboxes on Friday, it’s an even better value!

For more information about Ginza, call 907-1688 or visit GinzaFlorida.com and please tell them that the Neighborhood News sent you!

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel Goes All Out For Heart Month!

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC), which is, of course, currently being expanded, continues to be a great community partner, offering many opportunities for local residents to visit and learn more about this spectacular, technologically advanced, $150-million, 200,000-sq.-ft., 83-bed facility, which is adding 111,993 sq. ft. of new construction, as well as 10,834 sq. ft. of renovated space as we speak.

Although February was technically heart month, the hospital extended that month by a couple of weeks when president and CEO Denyse Bales-Chubb cut a ribbon (along with the Greater Wesley Chapel and Central Pasco Chambers of Commerce) on FHWC’s newly expanded cardiac cath lab (on Mar. 13), which has doubled in size.

“We’re so proud of all of our technological innovations here at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel,” Bales-Chubb said during the event, which also featured free food, door prizes and even a walk-through tour of a giant inflatable heart (at the far left in the header at the top of this page), so attendees could actually get a close-up look at how the human heart works.

In late February, FHWC hosted a cupcake-tasting contest, where Bales-Chubb, FHWC Executive Chef Jerry Dzialo, WCCC CEO Hope Allen and yours truly were the “celebrity” judges.

We sampled 20 different types of cupcakes, from my favorite with chocolate and peanut butter to the favorite of all four judges for appearance, the raspberry surprise cupcake shown top right in the header above.

After the judging, all of the more than 350 total cupcakes the hospital created for the event were sold and many of the flavors continue to be sold in the hospital’s café.

For more info about FHWC, including upcoming events like “Fun & Fancy: Ladies Night Out at FHWC” on Wed., Apr. 6, 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m., visit FloridaHospital.com/wesley-chapel or see this issue’s Community Calendar on pg. 20 for pre-registration info.

Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes

Spa Moritz’s Elegant Grand Opening!

If you missed our ‘222’ Speakeasy Party on Jan. 14, I at least hope you got to attend perhaps the most elegant Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) ribbon-cutting event ever — when new Spa Moritz (located on Commerce Park Blvd. in Tampa Palms) owners Martin and Patricia Anello (at left in photo below) decided to not only cut a ribbon with the WCCC but also open the doors of their spectacular, European-style salon to more than 100 Chamber members and other friends and existing clients.

With truly delicious all-vegetarian food that Martin prepared himself, imported chocolates and great wine and cocktails served by Martin and the Spa Moritz staff, the highlights of the evening were still the dozens of free spa services and the great raffle prizes given away, including beautiful “real stone” jewelry by Erika Williner, who sells her original jewelry designs at the spa.

For more info about Spa Moritz, visit SpaMoritz.com or cal 813-971-4772.

Green Grocers & More Coming To WC In 2016

In our last issue, we had an article about some of the new “stuff” that’s coming on and around S.R. 56. Well, for those of you who live in New Tampa who have been waiting for a “green” grocer to come to the property located across from the main entrance to Hunter’s Green on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., Wesley Chapel may beat New Tampa to the punch.

There are no fewer than four supermarkets planned and all but one of them would have access to S.R. 56 — and at least three of them are being touted as possible “green” grocery chains such as Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Trader Joe’s and Sprouts.

Stage Left & Sprinkles Close

All of us at the Neighborhood News were truly saddened by the sudden closing following the close of regular business on Jan. 16 of Stage Left Bar & Kitchen on S.R. 54 in Lutz. Those who enjoyed (as we always did) visiting Stage Left for the Tuesday Open Mic night on Jan. 19 were notified by Stage Left’s Open Mic “host” Cal Olivier in a Facebook message on Jan. 18 that the popular restaurant and night spot, which featured live music every Tuesday-Saturday, would not be open the following evening.

Later that same day, co-owner Isabelle Dunleavy posted this message on Facebook:

“Yes kids, the buzz is true……. The restaurant is officially closed. ?

Thanks for reaching out but please understand & respect that it was a difficult decision to make and no, we don’t want to talk about the details…It hurts. But we know that God is good and His voice was very clear that it was time to pull the plug…

Thanks for the love & support and know that we will be ok.

We will miss our amazing employees (those that stayed loyal to us) and our nice customers and our awesome musicians!!!”

I consider Isabelle and her husband and co-owner Brian to be dear friends and I loved living so close to such a vibrant night spot with great food in the middle of Lutz.

A few weeks earlier, shortly after we went to press with our Jan. 1 New Tampa issue, where I named it as my third favorite ice cream or dessert place in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel in 2015, I was saddened to learn that Sprinkles Ice Cream Parlor, in the Northwood Plaza between the SuperTarget and Marshall’s, also had closed.

A note (photo) posted in the shop’s door shortly after Christmas said, “We have made the difficult decision to close Sprinkles effective immediately. We appreciate your support and will treasure the friendships we have made.”

A ‘Chaotic Symphony’ & A ‘Wobble’ At The Shops At Wiregrass

wiregrasslights4 — Max, the lead singer in the New Tampa-based kid band ‘Beyond Chaotic,’ sings ‘Radioactive’ by the Imagine Dragons.By Gary Nager

I was on hand for the “Symphony in Lights” Presented by Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel — the every-hour-on-the-hour (between 6 p.m.-9 p.m.) tree-lighting-set-to-music” event at Wiregrass — on Nov. 25, when the Tampa based kid band (its oldest member is 11-year-old Max, the group’s lead singer) known as “Beyond Chaotic” performed three sets of — if you can believe it — alternative rock music — between each of the 10-minute tree-lighting events. I’m not the biggest fan of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but between synthetic ice skating on Piazza Ave., and music every night through December 31, the Shops is still a cool place to shop, with multiple restaurants that sell alcohol and provide additional entertainment.

I was at the Shops that night as part of an informal gathering of Rotarians from the original New Tampa (which has been meeting at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club on Friday mornings for 20 years, the oldest Rotary in either of our distribution areas; we’ll have pics from the club’s 20th anniversary, which was celebrated on Black Friday Night, the night I went to press, but we’ll have a recap in our next issue) and Wesley Chapel (our area’s largest current club, which meets Wednesdays at noon at Stage Left Bar & Kitchen in Lutz) Rotary Clubs. Fun.

While many of those same WC Rotarians were serving meals to 500 people in need at Atonement Lutheran Church on S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel the following morning, a number of NT “Breakfast” Rotary members also were on hand at the Shops the following morning for the third annual “Wiregrass Wobble 5K,” of which which the New Tampa club has been a major sponsor (along with the New Tampa Family YMCA & the FitNiche store in the Shops) since the event’s inception.

I neither attended nor covered this year’s “Wobble,” an event which already has had more than 3,000 participants and raised $45,000 (combined) the previous two years. But, with perfect weather this year, I hear the 5K run was packed again this time around. Since my friend and New Tampa Rotarian (and TV/film director/producer) Craig Miller of Full Throttle Intermedia (Facebook.com/Full Throttle Intermedia) was there, I “borrowed” a couple of his great pics for this story. I hope to soon update the huge number of runners and funds raised at NTNeighborhoodNews.com and in our next issue.

Truly ‘Beyond Chaotic’

My favorite thing about the mall at this time of year is definitely the entertainment. Beyond Chaotic is made up of music students ranging in age from 8 to no older than 11, no less at Bigel Music on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. across from Paul R. Wharton High, in the plaza next to MidFlorida Credit Union.

If you haven’t seen this too-young-to-be-this-good alternative rock band that performs everything from Imagine Dragons to AC/DC, make sure you like their page at Facebook.com/Beyond Chaotic. If you’re like…well, everyone who has seen these kids sing and play guitar, bass, drums, violin and keyboards, you’re going to want to check out their upcoming gigs. And you should.

And, if you or your children want to explore your own musical talents, I think Beyond Chaotic and the Bigel Music Chorus both speak loudly (yet melodically) about owner Larry Bigel’s Bigel Music. For info, visit BigelMusic.com.

There’s lots of other great local entertainers performing every night at the Shops through December 23, too.

For more information about synthetic ice skating, Visits with Santa, or your chance to win a “Santa’s Gift Grab” $1,000 shopping spree, visit TheShopsatWiregrass.com.