Tampa Fire Station No. 23 Taking Shape On County Line Rd.

As new homes and apartments continue to pop up in New Tampa, the City of Tampa is delivering on its promise to keep new residents safe.

Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) Station No. 23 is on its way.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and TFR Chief Thomas Forward were among those on hand on April 9 as ground was broken on the new station, albeit ceremoniously, as the building located in the Grand Hampton area at Trout Creek Dr. and County Line Rd. has already begun to take form.

It is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

“This is one of the things I like to do,” said Mayor Buckhorn at the groundbreaking ceremony, “to prepare for the next generation in our community, the next chapter in Tampa history, the next chapter in New Tampa. We’re happy to make this investment. It’s a great day for New Tampa.”

Buckhorn, who has presided over five fire stations being built or rehabilitated since becoming mayor in 2011, praised District 7 Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera for his diligence in getting the $1.4 million (of 2018 Community Investment Tax proceeds) earmarked for the station’s completion.

Viera says it was past time to build New Tampa’s fourth fire station, and first since 2012, considering the continued growth of new homes and apartments in the area. For example, the Tampa City Council authorized nearly 800 new homes roughly 18 months ago for K-Bar Ranch (although most of the calls from that area will be handled by Station 22 near Morris Bridge Rd. (see below).

Not only is Fire Station No. 23 located right down County Line Rd. from Grand Hampton’s 900 or so homes, as well as another 480 apartment units at Colonial Grand at Hampton Preserve, it also will help take some of the pressure off the existing Stations No. 21 and 22, both of which are located on Cross Creek Blvd.

“It just gets down to the basic idea that as you have expanding communities like we’ve had in New Tampa, you have to build basic local government responses for the needs of those local families,” Viera says. “We’ve been building more and more neighborhoods out here, but not building local government responses for the people moving in.”

Back in 2008, Tampa originally bought the 2.2 acres of land for Station 23 for $1.2 million, but the recession put plans to actually build it on hold.

The fire station is part of the city’s $120.3-million Capital Improvement Program (CIP), which is addressing many of the recession-induced deferred infrastructure projects. Another fire station, No. 24, is planned for the K-Bar Ranch area, but it hasn’t received funding yet.

Fire Station 23 will house nearly 40 firefighters, an engine company, a truck company and a rescue unit.

“The rescue car is one of the most important things for this area because the majority of our calls are not fire calls, they are medical calls,” said TFR public information officer Jason Penny. “The brand new unit will do wonders for the people of this area.”

While the Tampa Fire Rescue Training Division is located in Palmetto Beach, Penny said the new station also will have a separate building that will serve as a training area for potential firefighters. It will be the only fire station that has a standalone detached classroom/meeting area.

“This gives the whole district an area where they can train,” Penny said.

Also, Station 23 will be home to a new District Fire Chief, who will coordinate responses between all four of New Tampa’s fire stations (including Station No. 20 in Tampa Palms (see Community Calendar on pg. 18).

With more homes and apartments coming, Chief Forward said the timing of a new fire station couldn’t be any better.

“Fire Station 23 will definitely enhance the response in this (area),” Penny said. “We have been looking at runs and looking at the response packages, and we could not ask for this station to come in and provide….service at a better time. By putting this in place…we absolutely ensure that the (New Tampa) area will realize that exact same level of emergency response as the rest of our greater Tampa area.”

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.

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

Experience Reigns For First-Year Program Thanks To Influx Of Talent

First-year school, first-year program, low expectations, just want to get playing time in. Right?

Wrong.

The Cypress Creek Coyotes are not the team you want to schedule for Senior Night. That’s primarily because, thanks to last year’s rezoning of area high schools, Cypress Creek inherited a wealth of talented players that last year attended school at nearby Wesley Chapel High (WCH), gutting a program that was 19-8 last year and advanced to the Class 6A Regional semifinals before losing to eventual State champion Land O’Lakes.

The Coyotes’ entire infield and their new head coach are all former Wildcats, and they have a familiarity uncommon with new schools and new sports programs. Even Cypress Creek’s head coach Mike Peterson was an assistant at WCH the last two years, while also coaching the Tampa Lady Phantoms travel team for several years prior.

He’s coached many of the girls on his current team of Coyotes since they were seven and eight years old. Blending together a host of new players who have never shared a dugout, often one of the more difficult aspects of coaching, is not one of Peterson’s problems.

Cypress Creek C Neely Peterson has started the season on fire.

The Coyotes are off to an impressive  9-5 start as of our press time, with the losses coming against upper-echelon teams with a combined 51-10 record.

“There’s a level of trust when you have familiarity with your teammates,” junior Ashley Nickisher said. “You know that if you strike out or make an error that the other girls have your back. I have been really amazed at the way some of the new girls that came on have connected right away.”

Junior catcher Neely Peterson, already a verbal commitment to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, is leading the way.

You could say that Peterson is off to a blazing start — her .583 batting average, 10 doubles, four home runs and 29 RBI lead the team, and her homer and RBI totals lead all of Class 5A, District 7.

She’s a terrifying hitter out of the number three spot. Peterson remains the only hitter to park one off of Hernando ace Ali Shenefield, the top pitcher in the District.

“Last year, I got to learn from then-Chapel captain Dana Mumaw (now at Pasco-Hernando State College),” Peterson said. “I learned what it takes to be a good team captain.”

Nickisher is the other team captain. According to Peterson, she is a “smart infielder that makes the difficult plays look easy.” She has cooled off a little after a hot start, but is still second on the team with six doubles and two homers.

Jasmine Jackson, a junior second baseman, backs up Peterson at catcher and also can play shortstop. Coach Peterson says Jackson started the year on fire and she hasn’t let up – she has hits in 12 of the 13 games in which she has played and boasts a .444 average with 19 RBI, second to Peterson.

Junior Payton Hudson (.432) is a rangy shortstop with a strong arm and is a dangerous base runner as well, while sophomore first baseman Anna Margetis played for the Wildcats as a freshman and is currently tied with Jackson for second on the team with a .444 average.

“We’re very balanced offensively,” Peterson says. “We can hit for average or we can hit for power. It makes us a dangerous team.”

The Coyotes have very little depth in the pitching rotation – last year’s freshman phenom, Jordan Almasy, remained at WCH.

Instead, the Coyotes are riding the arm of right-handed junior Avery Lee. Lee came over from Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) in the school re-districting, but pitched only sparingly there. She has thrown 75 of the team’s 76 innings this year, compiling a 9-4 record with a 2.52 ERA.

“She (Lee) has a good ball-to-strike ratio and she keep us in games,” Peterson says. “She’s not going to overpower batters, but she’ll allow our defense to do their job.”

Like most new schools, especially those without a senior class, Cypress Creek had a small roster of 10 players on varsity. Emma Coons (.381), Page Mulford (.273) and Alexis Aponte (.250) round out the lineup. Peterson elected to have a JV team, where there are 10 more girls who will play, instead of riding the bench on varsity.

There have been other new school troubles that are often typical. While they are off 9-4 start as of our press time, the Coyotes had to play all of their early games on the road until their home field was finished.

They also had to forfeit a game against Land O’ Lakes in February because they had a fund raiser scheduled for the same night.

However, the Coyotes are a team to keep an eye on. They are going to be relevant even in this first year. When they field a senior-heavy lineup with a year of experience next season, watch out.

“It’s really been a joy coaching these kids since they were seven or eight and seeing the fruits of their labors,” Peterson said. “They put the hard work in and I hope to get a chance to watch many of them play at the next level.”

Overpass Rd. Interchange Funding Not Vetoed By Gov. Scott This Time

The long road to the future development of Wesley Chapel will need an off ramp, and the area is now a big step closer to getting one.

Gov. Rick Scott, a year after vetoing $15 million for a project to build an interchange at I-75 and Overpass Rd. (see map), allowed the same amount of money to stay in the upcoming state budget this time around.

The money won’t completely fund the approximately $64-million project, but it’s a large enough chunk that the interchange can begin to move forward.

According to Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore, who represents much of Wesley Chapel in District 2, the proposed interchange will not only relieve some of the traffic at the S.R. 56 and S.R. 54 exits in Wesley Chapel, it also will improve the safety conditions on the surrounding state roads by improving additional emergency evacuation and response times within the county.

The interchange also will be built with an eye to future development.

“It’s going to be a big help in that area,’’ says Moore, referencing large developments like the Villages of Pasadena Hills in Zephyrhills and the Connected City project in northern Wesley Chapel.

The Connected City is almost 8,000 acres of land currently under development and running north from Overpass Rd. in Wesley Chapel to S.R. 52 in San Antonio, and east from I-75 to Curley Rd. Expected to be a high-tech business sector, it will feature two Crystal Lagoons in the Mirada and Epperson communities, and (according to developer Metro Development), at the conclusion of its 50-year build out, the Connected City will have 37,000 homes, 67,000 jobs and 100,000 residents.

And those aren’t the only developments coming to this still-rural area. Quail Hollow is adding 400 homes on the former golf course property, and Cypress Creek Middle/High School on Old Pasco Rd. also is new to the area.

“We want to prepare for 20, 30 and 40 years down the road, and that’s what’s happening now,” Moore says of the interchange project, which was first approved in 2004 but was discussed for more than a decade before that.

The plan to build a new I-75 interchange at Overpass Rd., which will be roughly  3.1 miles north of the S.R. 54 exit and 3.6 miles south of the S.R. 52 exit, is part of a larger project to link Old Pasco Rd. all the way east to U.S. Hwy. 301 in Zephyrhills.

The project was identified in the 2009 Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)’s Transportation Update Plan through 2035 “Needs Plan.” That plan scheduled the new interchange, extension and expansion of Overpass Rd. to be completed between 2016-25.

Moore says the county thinks the project will be completed by November of 2022, as there already is $30 million (not including the $15 million in the new state budget) set aside for the project from mobility fees, local gas taxes and various developer surtaxes. The county is seeking grants to cover the remaining $20-million portion of the costs.

It will begin planning this year for right of way acquisitions, with $12 million earmarked for that process. Next year, $4.6 million will go into the design phase, and the remaining $47 million will go towards construction costs.

Overpass Rd. is currently a two-lane roadway that extends east from Old Pasco Rd. to 0.86 miles east of Boyette Rd.

In addition to adding an interstate exit, Overpass Rd. will be widened to four lanes from I-75 to Old Pasco Rd. as part of the project.

The interchange is part of a larger project to extend Overpass Rd. nine miles from its current eastern terminus at Boyette Rd. all the way to U.S. Hwy. 301.

Moore says Pasco County did well in the latest legislative sessions, crediting Florida Senate Majority Leader Wilton Simpson (whose 10th Senate District incudes northern Wesley Chapel) and State Representative Danny Burgess (R-Dist. 38) for their efforts.

After vetoing $22 million worth of Pasco projects last year, Scott let roughly that same amount stay in the budget this year, including $4.3 million for the Thomas Varnadoe Forensic Center for Research & Education in Land O’Lakes and $1.5 million for the Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired & Blind in Port Richey.