Although the biggest day of ribbon-cutting events in the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC)’s history took place on March 20, the NTBC stayed busy through the first week in April, with three additional ribbon-cutting events in our area.
The first, on Mar. 27, was for Doody Calls of North Tampa (which also serves Wesley Chapel; photo, above), which provides both residential dog waste removal and yard deodorizing for residents, as well as pet waste stations and bags and common area waste removal for businesses and apartment communities. For a free quote and more info, call (813) 940-4101 or visit DoodyCalls.com.
The next day (Mar. 28), Midgard Storage, located at 26504 Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz, cut a ribbon with the NTBC (above). Midgard offers both climate- and non-climate-controlled units in a variety of sizes, 24/7 access to your unit and U-Haul truck, van and trailer rentals. For more info, call (813) 994-9228 or visit MidgardSelfStorage.com/lutz-fl-wesley-chapel-blvd.
Then, on Apr. 4, Maeva Modern Apartments (above) also cut a ribbon. Located at 3000 Grand Cypress Dr. in Lutz (directly behind Total Wine & More), Maeva offers beautiful 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom apartments and is currently offering two months free rent for new tenants. For more info, call (656) 600-9860 or visit LiveatMaeva.com.
You can see the existing 7-Eleven and Enterprise Rent-A-Car buildings at the far left of this picture.
Construction materials have recently started appearing on the empty piece of land immediately behind the iconic ‘Bull’ statue at the entrance to Wiregrass Ranch High. These concrete blocks, pieces of steel, pipes and other materials will soon be assembled into a new Bay Paws Pet Resort location, designed to take care of your furry loved ones.
(Above and Below) Two maps showing where Bay Paws Pet Resort will open.
Located south of S.R. 56, on Mansfield Blvd. (where it meets up with Hueland Pond Blvd. and the Wiregrass School Rd.), just south of the 7-Eleven convenience store and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the new pet resort will be very convenient, given its direct proximity to the thousands of existing homes in The Ridge at Wiregrass and numerous nearby Meadow Pointe neighborhoods.
The Bay Paws facility will be large, offering 15,000 sq. ft. of interior space and an additional 17,375 of a fenced-in, “outdoor turf group play area.” The company’s website states, “All boarding suites and daycare play areas are equipped with cameras accessible through our client portal.”
Bay Paws is no stranger to the Tampa Bay area, with two established locations, — one in Clearwater and the other in Ybor City — both of which are averaging 4.7 out of 5 stars, on more than a thousand Google reviews.
A fourth Bay Paws location, where the building is now finished, will be opening soon in Trinity, between S.R. 54 and Trinity Blvd., which will be a “luxury pet resort offering boarding, daycare and grooming services,” according to its Google landing page.
The southeast corner of Mansfield and Heuland Pond Blvds. (see map) has seen quite a bit of commercial growth recently, first with the 7-Eleven, followed by the recent completion of the commercial strip plaza anchored by Enterprise, and the start of the Pet Resort, as well as a future Ziggi’s Coffee shop (with a drive-through) on the parcel next to Enterprise (construction has not yet begun).
Ziggi’s, which was founded in Colorado in 2004, today has 85+ locations open and more than 250 in development across the U.S.
A little less than a year ago (in July 2023), we gave you an update on the Chapel Crossings community, located on the north side of S.R. 54. That article, which focused on the fact that Curley Rd. somehow had two terminuses on 54, included a discussion of the Zephyrhills (Zhills) Bypass, a long-awaited connection between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills that one day will be taking traffic off of the recently widened S.R. 54. That article mentioned that the first portion of the Zhills Bypass had finally opened, with the opening of the new Story Wesley Chapel apartments, at the westernmost entrance to Chapel Crossings.
Well now, another new development, to be located directly to the east of Chapel Crossings (but only north of the Zhills Bypass, whereas Chapel Crossings has neighborhoods under construction both north and south of the as-yet-unfinished Bypass road), may be getting ready to begin building.
The new development will be called Hamilton Oaks, and one of the most important things about it (at least from our perspective) is that the developer of Hamilton Oaks will be responsible for building the next segment of the Zhills Bypass to the east of Chapel Crossings, although there will still be several miles of that roadway that will need to be constructed before the connection to Zephyrhills will have been completed.
Pasco County’s comments on the conceptual site plan were sent to the applicant on Feb. 29 of this year and it appears that the county doesn’t see any major issues/problems with the new project.
This land went through a residential rezoning as ‘Hamilton Oaks MPUD’ in 2022. It is approved for 224 single-family units on 61 acres (see site map, above). The property owner is listed with Pasco County as William D. Brown and the applicant is listed as Jeff Oligschlaeger of AMH, AMH Living, American Homes 4 Rent. We had no further information as to when Hamilton Oaks is expected to begin building or when residents may be able to begin moving in.
The main thing, which is already shown on the site plan, is that the development will be required to convey any needed right-of-way and build the portion of the Zephyrhills Bypass roadway up to the project’s eastern property line. That road currently dead-ends at Cason Blvd in Chapel Crossings.
Eventually, the Bypass will be extended east to connect with River Glen Blvd. (in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel), then ultimately be extended to Handcart Rd. and connected to Eiland Blvd. with a realignment that will provide vehicular traffic with an alternative direct travel route into Zephyrhills.
The large, mostly empty parcel (labeled as Depue Ranch by the Pasco property appraiser’s office) immediately to the east of this development has not yet submitted any development or rezoning requests to the county.
Dr. Sana Yusuf (in blue) has always wanted her Sana Dental Studio + Med Spa off Old Pasco Rd. in the Promenade at Lexington Oaks plaza to offer a fun, relaxing, more-spa-like atmosphere than the average dental office. (Photos courtesy of Sana Dental Studio + Med Spa)
Sana Yusuf, D.M.D., is the first to admit that everyone — including her — hates going to the dentist.
Even though she has worked her whole life to become a dentist — starting with her first job in a dental office at age 16 — Dr. Sana, as most everyone calls her, says even she gets a little squirmy in the dentist’s chair.
So, when she became a dentist herself, while dreaming about opening her own practice, she instead wanted it to be a place everyone loves to go — like a spa.
That’s why Sana Dental Studio + Med Spa, located in the Promenade at Lexington Oaks plaza (just off Wesley Chapel Blvd. at Old Pasco Rd.), feels much more like a spa from the moment you walk in.
“My goal is to make more people more comfortable at the dentist,” Dr. Sana says. “People walk in and say they don’t feel like they are in a dental office, and that’s always been my goal.”
While she says it was never her intention to open an actual spa, the whole atmosphere of her dental office is so spa-like, that patients kept asking her to provide spa treatments. She decided to roll with it, becoming the first dental office in the Tampa Bay area that also is an aesthetic med spa.
And, while she originally opened that Wesley Chapel office just two years ago (in March 2022), it already has undergone a major expansion, with the med spa part of the business growing — and moving — into its own adjacent space in the same plaza last fall. Today, Sana Dental Studio + Med Spa’s dental and aesthetic patients each have their own entrance, while the offices remain connected inside.
This boutique dental studio offers everything you would expect at a general dentist’s office — cleanings, X-rays, exams, fillings, crowns, as well as cosmetic dentistry services such as teeth whitening and veneers. Dr. Sana also can straighten your teeth using Invisalign® aligners.
She says her office’s unique emphasis bridges the gap between cosmetic dentistry and facial aesthetics, offering “smile makeovers” for the most beautiful teeth and skin.
“People today have concerns that traditionally would have required cosmetic surgery,” she says. “But now, we have nonsurgical ways to address those concerns and naturally enhance each person’s beauty.”
Dr. Sana’s approach to cosmetic dentistry is similar to her philosophy for aesthetic procedures.
“I don’t want anyone to know you had crowns or veneers done,” she says. “We can make your teeth brighter and whiter, if that’s what you want, but it should still look natural.”
Dr. Sana graduated Summa Cum Laude — in only three years and at the age of 20 — with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Biology from the University of Detroit Mercy (MI). She earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degree four years later from Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine in Downers Grove, IL.
After earning her D.M.D. degree, Dr. Yusuf joined the U.S. Army as an Active Duty Captain and worked as a general dentist. She is an honored recipient of the Army Commendation Medal.
She, her husband, and three children live in Wesley Chapel. Dr. Sana is invested in her community, where she has served as the president of the Board of Directors at Sunrise of Pasco County, a center for victims of domestic and sexual abuse.
Dr. Sana says she wants to bring back the concept of a family dentist.
“Growing up, everyone went to the same dentist,” she says. “The dentist knew everything about your family, your kids and grandkids. I want you to bring your whole family here.”
Dr. Sana sees patients of all ages, including babies as young as six months. She says as soon as babies get their first tooth, you should bring them to the dentist. At that age, she checks to make sure development is appropriate and focuses on educating parents on how to care for their children’s teeth.
Glenda Torres was one of Sana Dental Studio’s first patients and now brings her entire family to the practice. She, her husband and their two kids, plus her brother and his wife see Dr. Sana. Glenda says she’s referred friends to the practice, as well.
“Everything is amazing,” she says. “It’s beautiful. I love the aesthetics, like the chandeliers, and the women there are phenomenal. They know me by name and ask about my family. It’s so nice to have a familiar feel when you walk in.”
Glenda says the friendliness extends outside the doors of the dental office, as well.“I see Dr. Sana and her family out and about,” Glenda says. “They’re people from the neighborhood.”
Sana Dental Studio + Med Spa is unlike any other dentist office Glenda has been to, she says. She looks forward to her appointments and enjoys going to special events at the office. “I missed the ‘Galentine’s Day’ event, but I went to ‘Friendsgiving,’” Glenda says. “It’s like girl time, hangout time. They have cocktails and mocktails, plus representatives there to talk with you about what your next skin care treatment might be, so it’s a great way to get information.”
Med Spa Services
If you have pigmentation, freckles, uneven skin tone or rosacea, try the Lumecca IPL treatments at Sana Dental Studio + Med Spa.
Dr. Sana says she keeps adding to the array of aesthetic services on the office’s aesthetic side, which now offers Botox®, fillers, microneedling, hydrafacials, laser skin resurfacing and laser hair removal, all provided by aesthetic nurse practitioners under Dr. Sana’s guidance. Facials are performed by licensed aestheticians.
For those who want ongoing care for their skin, the med spa recently began offering unique “Sana Squad” memberships, with discounts for members. For a low monthly membership fee (or, you may pay in advance for 11 months and get one month free), members receive special access to discounted rates, first priority to new services and perks such as entries into giveaways.
Whether you’re looking for a dentist, an aesthetician, or both, Dr. Sana says her small business offers an educated staff that is dedicated to giving their patients a high-quality experience. She is proud that her business is veteran-owned, woman-owned, and minority-owned.
Dr. Sana says while her décor is very spa-like and relaxing (photo above), her personality is not. She likes to have fun and hopes you’ll enjoy the experience at her dental studio, too.
“People don’t like the dentist,” she says, “but if you like me as a person, maybe that can help overcome your fear of going to the dentist.”
Dr. Sana also has appeared on the “Bloom” and “Daytime” shows on WFLA-TV News Channel 8.
Sana Dental Studio + Spa (5728 Post Oak Blvd.) is open Mon.-Thur., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., for general dentistry. Additional hours are available for aesthetic services by appointment. Upcoming events include a Mother’s Day event in May and a “Moms’ Night Out” in July or August. For more info & reservations, call (813) 694-2278, visit SanaDentalStudio.com.
If you’ve driven recently on S.R. 56 east of Wiregrass Ranch, you may have noticed the signs for Valencia Ridge, a new age 55+ community being developed by GL Homes, which also has developed both The Ridge at Wiregrass and the new Winding Ridge community on S.R. 56.
Speaking of Winding Ridge, the signs for Valencia Ridge lead you into Winding Ridge, as the 55+ community’s Sales Center is located near the community clubhouse in Winding Ridge.
However, Valencia Ridge isn’t part of Winding Ridge — it’s a separate community that actually will be located north of Winding Ridge and Chancey Rd. (see map). Valencia Ridge will have its own multi-million-dollar clubhouse, with pickleball and tennis courts, multiple pools, a resort-like lifestyle with dozens of clubs, from Rock Band to poker, cardio, table tennis club and many more clubs.
The GL Homes Crown Collection floor plans in Valencia Ridge range in price from $449,900 for a 2-bedroom, 2-bath Camelia model with 1,674 sq. ft. of air conditioned space to the 4-bedroom, 4-bath Emerald model with 3,139 air conditioned sq. ft. starting at $819,900.
For more information, call (813) 228-6300 or visit GLHomes.com/Valencia-Ridge and please tell them we sent you!
