We are giving you another chance to win a FREE dining prize of $100, $60 or $35 to the restaurant of your choice! One entry per person, per question. Please vote for your Favorite Asian Restaurant in (or near) New Tampa & Wesley Chapel by clickingHERE!
Even if you have already entered before, you can still enter and win free dining by also telling us your Favorite Asian Restaurant — which can be Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Indian or serve a fusion of more than one of those cuisine types — in (or near) New Tampa & Wesley Chapel.
Each time you answer a different Dining Survey question, you’ll receive an additional chance to win one of our FREE dining prizes — to the restaurant of your choice located anywhere in the Tampa Bay area! You all love free dining, right?
Note — Please don’t forget that we include restaurants located in Lutz (either on Wesley Chapel Blvd., S.R. 56 or S.R. 54, within two miles of I-75) as Wesley Chapel eateries; and those located in the Palms Connection Plaza on E. Bearss Ave. and the Oak Ramble Plaza on BBD Blvd. (both are located in zip code 33613) as acceptable places to vote for in New Tampa.
Please also be sure to completely fill out the entry forms, whether from our print publications, on our website or by email, because we have had a few people — out of more than 1,000 total entries so far — try to enter with just their first name only, and another who took the time to send us an entry without naming any restaurants.
Despite those issues, it definitely appears (as we expected) that more of you like this year’s format — with individual questions for you to answer in each issue — than in the recent past, when we asked you to answer the same full page of questions across multiple issues.
Remember, whether you enter by mail, email or on our website, there is never any purchase necessary to enter and win, but we do need your first AND last name, the community you live in, your daytime telephone number and a valid email address to be eligible to win any of our FREE dining prizes — and please enter all of your Survey entries by no later than November 1 to be eligible to win prizes!
As always, there’s no purchase necessary to enter or win a prize. All we ask is that you follow the following rules:
1. Enter by filling out the entry form in the issue or HERE!
2. You can mail us your filled-out entry form (send it to “2023 Neighborhood News Dining Contest,” 2604 Cypress Ridge Blvd., Suite 102D, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544) or email it to us at Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com. *Note-Entries filled out on our website do not need to be mailed or emailed to us.
3. Please check the addresses and zip codes of the restaurants you choose, as we will only consider votes for restaurants in zip code 33543, 33544 and 33545 (Wesley Chapel), 33647, the portion of zip code 33559 (Lutz) and in the Oak Ramble Plaza (33613) as valid votes.
4. In order to be eligible to win any of our free dining prizes to the restaurant of your choice, your entry form with a response to at least one of our questions over the next five months must include your full name, the community you live in (Hunter’s Green, Grand Hampton, etc.), a daytime phone number where you can be reached and your valid email address.
We look forward to seeing how this year’s contest shakes out. Good luck! — GN
A rendering of the buildings at The Townes at Cross Creek.
If you drive on Cross Creek Blvd. regularly, you probably have seen the signs for what appears to be two separate new townhome communities by Lennar Homes that are both being called “The Townes at Cross Creek.”
Well, despite the distance between them, the two separate communities are actually being developed as one, with 60 three-bedroom, 2.5-bath, two-story townhomes in nine buildings in the western section of the development (east of the New Tampa Dance Theatre, or NTDT on the map below) and 35 similar townhomes with the same model names in six buildings due east of The Parq at Cross Creek apartments.
The map of the two halves of the community.
The three model sizes currently being shown in The Townes at Cross Creek at Lennar.comare the 1,597-sq.-ft. Allegiance model, the 1,760-sq.-ft. Constitution model and the 1,807-sq.ft. Liberty model.
In the Townes at Cross Creek West (also known as “Cross Creek- Parcel B”), there will be 16 Allegiance, 26 Constitution and 18 Liberty units among the 60 total.
In the Townes at Cross Creek East (also known as “Cross Creek-Parcel D”),, there will be 9 Allegiance, 14 Constitution and 12 Liberty units among the 35 total. It appears that all of the units have attached garages, and lanais or porches.
The sign announcing that The Townes at Cross Creek townhomes are coming. (Photo by Charmaine George)
According to what we could find in both the site plan and on the Lennar website, we don’t believe The Townes at Cross Creek will have any amenities — no clubhouse, pool, etc. — but it also will not have a Community Development District. According to the site plan by Halff Associates, Inc., on behalf of the property owner — the SDD Trust — the roads inside both sides of the community are private, so we believe they will both be gated, although no one at Lennar had returned our phone calls or emails at our press time to address any of the questions we had about this new community.
For example, because the vertical construction of the new townhomes has not yet begun, the Lennar.com website also did not mention any price points yet for The Townes, nor did it address when construction on the communities will actually begin or when it is expected to be completed.
Although there are other ways to determine the boundaries of an unincorporated community, the Neighborhood News has always considered the boundaries of Wesley Chapel to be the communities within zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545 only.
One of the debates that has raged for at least ten years in our area has been over the boundaries of the community we love — Wesley Chapel.
According to us, and how we direct-mail this publication, Wesley Chapel has, for nearly 30 years now, included only the communities within zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545. The mail delivery of all three of those zip codes is still handled by the Zephyrhills Post Office, even though most of Wesley Chapel is 20-30 minutes (or more) from it. Our version of Wesley Chapel now includes more than 33,000 homes, apartments and businesses and, according to the Post Office, a little more than 90,000 people.
However, our editorial researcher and current Realtor (with Florida Executive Realty in Tampa Palms) Joel Provenzano, who previously was a transportation engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), says that the zip code map on this page isn’t the only way to determine the boundaries of Wesley Chapel.
In fact, Joel was put smack-dab in the middle of this controversy ten years ago when, as part of his job with FDOT, he was responsible for placing a road sign that said simply “Wesley Chapel” on the east side of Wesley Chapel Blvd., a little bit north of S.R. 56.
The problem was that since the zip code of the land upon which the sign sat was in Lutz’s 33559 zip code (as is everything west of I-75 on both sides of S.R. 56, including the Tampa Premium Outlets, see map), our friends from Lutz basically insisted that FDOT remove the sign — which today no longer sits at that location.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, all of the Pasco areas in orange on the map above are considered to be part of Wesley Chapel, even though everything in orange located west of I-75 is in Lutz’s 33559 postal zip code. (Neighborhood News map by Valerie Wegener)
However, Joel says that although the zip code in that area says Lutz, the U.S. Census Bureau’s list of Census Designated Places (CDPs) includes portions of both Lutz and Land O’Lakes within its Wesley Chapel boundaries (see map, left). Interestingly enough, there also are portions within zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545, which is what I always have called “Wesley Chapel proper,” that aren’t included in the Census Bureau’s Wesley Chapel CDP. In fact, according to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population within the boundaries of the Wesley Chapel CDP was only about 60,000 people, because of the communities that are and are not included in the CDP boundaries.
So, depending upon whose boundaries you use, one person’s Wesley Chapel is another person’s Lutz and vice-versa.
Although the name “Wesley Chapel” seemed relatively new to those of us whose families haven’t lived in this area since before “The Chap” became one of the fastest-growing communities in the U.S., according to the super-interesting book Images of America: Wesley Chapel by historian Madonna Jervis Wise, the name “Wesley Chapel” actually dates back to before the Civil War and much of the land that today is known as Wesley Chapel was at one time owned by a land trust headed by none other than the financier John D. Rockefeller.
Although it became more commonly known as “Wesley,” as shown on the map below from 1917, Wesley Chapel was a small community located due west of Zephyrhills and east of the adjacent town of Godwin. It extended south basically to the Pasco/Hillsborough county line, where it met up with the community of Branchton, or what we more commonly refer to as New Tampa today.
Historic map of Wesley Chapel & Godwin (Source: History of Pasco County: Wesley Chapel, Fivay.org, Aug 2020)
In fact, according to a map in Wise’s book, most of the area west of what is now called Old Pasco Rd. likely wasn’t considered part of the original town of Wesley Chapel as, dating back to the 1840s, the property owned by four families — the Boyett(e), Gillett(e), Godwin and Kersey families (see marker signs below) — only encompassed the area between Old Pasco Rd. to the west, the county line to the south (when all of what is now Pasco County was considered to be part of Hernando County), “Over Pass Rd.” to the north and Handcart Rd. to the east were included in the homesteads of those families.
But, in the mid-1900s, several other ranch/farming families ended up buying up most of the land the Rockefeller-Weyerhauser Trust owned, including 15,000 acres purchased by James Barney Porter, the father of James H “Wiregrass” Porter, in 1937.
But, it wasn’t until former publishing magnate Tom Dempsey purchased (around 1979) a few hundred acres on the south side of S.R. 54 (which was, at the time, nothing more than a two-lane country road that connected New Port Richey on the west side to Zephyrhills on the east side) to develop into Saddlebrook Resort (which opened in 1981) that anyone other than those ranching old timers really used the name Wesley or Wesley Chapel at all.
The only other part of Wesley Chapel already developed before Saddlebrook was Williamsburg, a small community with still fewer than 300 single-family homes that was originally intended (in the 1970s) to be a retirement community to be called “Levittown Florida,” after developer Abraham Leviitt, (and his sons), who developed the original (and much larger) Levittown on Long Island, NY.
The two-sided marker sign near what is now the First Baptist Church of Wesley Chapel (formerly Double Branch Church) on S.R. 54 tells part of the story of Wesley Chapel’s history.
Fast forward almost two decades later, as other portions of the former ranch lands in Wesley Chapel began developing (beginning with Meadow Pointe in the early 1990s), the name Wesley Chapel still didn’t really catch on. In fact, the first shopping center built in Meadow Pointe was called “The Shoppes at New Tampa,” as the developers tried to capitalize on the more-developed and better-known community located south of the county line. The shopping center’s name was changed to “The Shoppes at New Tampa of Wesley Chapel,” as people who lived in the newly burgeoning community north of the county line resented being referred to as “New Tampa.”
Is it Lutz Or Wesley Chapel?
But, the reason there’s even a story to tell here is primarily because the developers and the businesses located within those developments had different goals than the people who already lived in those areas.
The greatest example of this had to do with the long-awaited construction of the Cypress Creek Town Center, which is located west of I-75. To that end, the mall and all of the businesses that have popped up around it have Lutz zip codes, even though those businesses often referred to themselves (and still do) as being located in Wesley Chapel. This problem was definitely exacerbated by the fact that not only did many of the people who lived in the more rural Lutz not want their community to become part of the sprawl they saw happening in Wesley Chapel, there also were two chambers of commerce serving that area — the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber (which was renamed and rebranded as the North Tampa Bay Chamber, or NTBC, in 2018) and the Central Pasco Chamber (which was renamed the Greater Pasco Chamber, or CPCC).
The Central Pasco Chamber fought along side the long-term residents of Lutz to not only prevent anything located in a Lutz zip code from being considered part of Wesley Chapel, they also resented that what had long been referred to as “Old C.R. 54” being renamed Wesley Chapel Blvd., and that the sign saying “Wesley Chapel” had been placed on property with a Lutz zip code.
But, according to both our editorial researcher Joel Provenzano, who worked for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) at that time, and Hope Kennedy — who was the president and CEO of the former Wesley Chapel Chamber who now holds the same titles with the NTBC — neither of them had anything to do with the sign being placed at that location.
“FDOT put the sign where it was on Wesley Chapel Blvd. because the U.S. Census Bureau said that everything east of Old 54/Wesley Chapel Blvd., was part of the Wesley Chapel Census Designated Place (or CDP),” Joel says. “In fact, the Census Bureau never recognized that the community of Lutz, which was historically only part of Hillsborough County, as even extending north of the Pasco County line. The Pasco portions of Lutz are part of the Central Pasco CCD, or Census County Division.”
In other words, just as the people who lived in Wesley Chapel didn’t want to be part of New Tampa, the people of the Pasco-based portions of Lutz did not want to be thought of as Wesley Chapel, no matter what the Census Bureau, the county or the State of Florida thought about it.
In fact, Hope says she remembers when the Central Pasco Chamber tried to not only get the name “Wesley Chapel Blvd.” removed from the roadway that currently provides some of the zip code boundaries between Lutz, Wesley Chapel and Land O’Lakes, but also from the Wesley Chapel Blvd. extension that one day will extend to the Pasco-Hillsborough county line (as we reported in the Feb. 12, 2016 edition of the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News), with new developments already planned in that area (that we plan to update you about in a future issue).
The Central Pasco Chamber and Lutz community also fought against a plan for Wesley Chapel to incorporate as its own city that never gained enough traction to be brought before the Pasco Board of County Commissioners (BCC). Hope says that part of the reason that idea failed was because neither side could get the county to come to an agreement as to what areas the boundaries of the “City of Wesley Chapel” should include.
Hope also says that she was told that the Census Bureau tries to use “natural” boundaries whenever possible to create census tracts, but even that methodology failed when it came to establishing the Wesley Chapel CDP.
Although it is not shown on the map above, Cypress Creek runs from south of where I-75 meets the Pasco-Hillsborough county line, to the north and slightly to the west of Wesley Chapel Blvd. But, if Cypress Creek was used to establish the Wesley Chapel CDP boundaries, Lexington Oaks and The Grove, which have Wesley Chapel zip codes, would be included within its boundaries, instead of in the Central Pasco CCD (see map).
Speaking of not being included, also not within the boundaries of the Wesley Chapel CDR are Chapel Crossings and New River Township/Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. At our press time, we had no idea why these Wesley Chapel communities are not included in the Wesley Chapel CDP.
We also were surprised that other communities located north of S.R. 54 and east of Curley Rd., especially Watergrass, are considered by the Census Bureau to be part of the Pasadena Hills CDP. I always thought of Pasadena Hills as being more of a Zephyrhills-area development, with most of the CDP located east of Handcart Rd./Eiland Blvd., and had no idea that Watergrass was considered part of it, even though Watergrass does extend all the way east to Handcart.
The exclusion of these large-scale developments from the Wesley Chapel CDP boundaries explains why the Census Bureau believes there are so many fewer residents — 60,000 compared with our zip code count of just over 90,000 in 33543, 33544 & 33545.
What it unfortunately doesn’t clarify is where the boundaries of Wesley Chapel really are or should be. So, I admit that this article has been something of an exercise in futility, even though it definitely has been an extremely interesting one — at least to yours truly.
BayCare Health’s proposed YMCA (two black outlines at center left) and medical office building (top rectangle close to BBD).
As reported by Kelly Gilroy on her outstanding “Pasco County Development and Growth Updates” Facebook page on Aug. 24 — after no updates since representatives from the YMCA first started attending local meetings a couple of years ago — BayCare Health Systems is having a pre-application meeting with Pasco County staff to propose 52,391-sq.-ft. YMCA and a 100,000-sq.-ft., two-story medical office building. The plan includes parking lots, a “New Drive” roadway and a curb-cut connection at the southwest corner of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Eagleston Blvd., next to the new BayCare Wesley Chapel hospital. We’ll update this story once we have additional information.
Home Sense Opens Next To Bealls
On Aug. 10, a new Homesense store opened in the Shoppes at New Tampa of Wesley Chapel, between the also-still-new Bealls Outlet and Flip Flop Shops stores in the plaza on BBD Blvd. south of S.R. 56.
Homesense — the off-price home store featuring high-quality furniture and accessories that is the newest retail banner of The TJX Companies, Inc. — now operates 50 stores in the U.S. TJX is the leading off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S. and worldwide. The company operates nearly 5,000 total stores in nine countries, including 1,304 T.J. Maxx, 1,189 Marshalls, 901 HomeGoods, 81 Sierra, and now 50 Homesense stores.
I visited the new store the day it opened and it was packed with not only people, but as-advertised great prices on everything from couches to wall art to Halloween knickknacks (photo above). For more information, visit us.homesense.com or call (813) 991-0249.
Subaru’s Grand Grand Opening!
Although the dealership has been open for several months, we want to thank Subaru of Wesley Chapel (located at 26570 Silver Maple Pkwy., just south of S.R. 56) owner Scott Fink and his entire staff for hosting one of the greatest Grand Opening and North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting (top photo) events in recent memory on Sept. 7.
An estimated crowd of at least 300 people attended the dog-friendly event (the dealership is a supporter of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay), which included three food trucks, lots of amazing raffle prizes (including a mountain bike, kayak and paddleboard) and lots of happy dogs, some up for adoption, others with their owners and some with their Pasco Sheriff’s Office handlers (photo, below).
“Scott Fink and his Fink Auto Group definitely know how to throw a party,” said NTBC president & CEO Hope Kennedy. “We appreciate the opportunity to be here to cut the ribbon.” For more information about Subaru of Wesley Chapel, call (813) 618-5051 or visit SubaruWesleyChapel.com.
Paul Spalvieri and his fur babies Max and Missy invite you to check out any of the three Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon locations in our area. (Photos by Charmaine George)
Since launching in September 2019, Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon has garnered a positive reputation — with glowing Google reviews — thanks to its exceptional customer service and expertise.
Founder Paul Spalvieri and his wife Martina live in Watergrass in Wesley Chapel with children Matthew, Martinka and Kristinka, and fur babies Max, a Bichon Frise, and Missy, a Havanese.
Paul opened the original Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon to create a place where Max and other pets would have the safest, vetted holistic products, foods and grooming, an antithesis of big-box corporate companies. Named after Max, each of Paul’s three locations — soon to be seven in 2024 — boast experienced staff who can help pet parents find what they need for their dogs and cats.
“We found our first location in Wesley Chapel, and Max and I went into business together.”
Paul ensures he is up-to-date on the newest developments in pet technology, nutrition and retail products by attending global conventions twice a year. The core philosophy underlying Max’s is centered on functional, purpose-driven foods. Whether raw or gently cooked for pets with sensitive stomachs, with Ketogenic or fermented choices, the focus is on human-grade, biologically appropriate, organic nourishment sourced from pasture-raised animals, primarily within the U.S.
Max’s offers a wide variety of other nutrition products, like probiotic goat milk and cow kefir that help with Leaky Gut Syndrome. Their dry kibble selection is USDA-endorsed for human consumption and is free from feed-grade ingredients, aligning with Paul’s dedication to quality.
Paul highlights the connection between a poor pet diet and the recent surge in pet diseases, often traced back to non-organic kibble laden with pesticides. He cites numerous instances where dietary changes have positively improved pets’ health.
You can bring your pup in to choose his or her own toy at Max’s.
“Our staff is highly educated on holistic natural nutrition, how dogs and cats should eat, how to mitigate disease and how to prevent certain conditions from advancing. There have been cases where we have helped reverse pancreatitis, different stages of kidney failure and diabetes through nutritional interventions. We follow that science versus Western (veterinary) medicine and the way they treat illnesses. We take digestional health and nutritional health very seriously. If it’s in my store, I feed it to my own pups.”
A success story from customer Amanda Medina underscores the transformative ability of the raw food diet that Max’s advocates. Paul shares the story of Medina’s dachshund, Max. Previously overweight, bloated, inactive, and battling severe pancreatitis, Max’s health changed through diligent efforts, trial and error and identifying a suitable raw protein. Amanda told Paul that Max’s progress was remarkable in terms of weight loss, restored energy and improved vet test results.
Fast forward to last month. Paul says, “Amanda opened the passenger side door, and out jumped Max, who came running into the store.”
Amanda confirms the transformation, “Paul ordered proteins until we found one that worked. We recently returned for his vet follow-up, and his numbers are within the normal range. I recommend Max’s. The customer service is amazing, and the people there are helpful and knowledgeable. I try to keep Max off medication, keep it natural and holistic. Paul has been great at keeping Max holistic and working in conjunction with our regular veterinarian.”
Great Grooming & More!
All of the Max’s locations also excel in pet grooming with award-winning groomers and Master Groomers, setting itself apart through cage- and kennel-free grooming environments. Whether it’s a standard bath, an OPAWZ brand pet-color-safe purple mohawk (photo below), a holiday-inspired color-safe fur design, or a soothing TheraClean microbubble spa treatment, the salon’s professionals ensure stress-free grooming experiences.
The TheraClean spa add-on works wonders on pets with skin disorders and allergies. Unlike regular shampooing, this specialized process detoxifies the skin layers, removing deeply embedded dirt, yeast and bacteria allergens. A pleasant side effect of oxygenating the skin’s capillaries is that it helps relieve arthritis and joint stiffness. Paul says some customers report senior dogs behaving like puppies after treatments. Even the groomers have benefited from having their hands in the oxygenated water.
Paul’s commitment to pet education extends to his stores’ three-level Learn to Groom course, covering Bathing, Grooming, and Styling, as well as a five-week dog-training program for Puppies and Beginners, as well as private training sessions.
Paul says that since opening, many of Max’s more than 10,000 customers have asked him to expand his services into daycare and pet boarding. He has now responded by adding a Luxury Pet Hotel with in-suite services and amenities and a fun Enrichment Pet Doggy Daycare.
“They asked, ‘Why aren’t you opening a daycare, a place we can board our pets safely, where we can feel confident that they will be looked after with the same compassion and caring we see on your retail and grooming side?’ We’ve had a great response from the communities we serve, and it makes sense to have our business evolve this way because the community has been asking for it.”
He adds, “For those parents who work or want to travel, we’re creating a luxury pet hotel where the suites are oversized and monitored by cameras. In other places, the dog is in a kennel on their own (while you’re away). Our pet parents can dial in on the internet and see their fur babies. We have services like dinner and a movie. They’re getting brushed and played with. They have physical time with their caregiver and an interactive toy. The pets have filtered water, bedding changed daily, and we have a customized meal plan available, or pet parents can bring their own food, and we’ll follow their meal plan.”
And finally, he says, “They also have regular activities, so they’re not just sitting in a kennel while you’re on vacation. I don’t want that for Max, so I don’t want that for our customers’ dogs. We’re doing it differently and properly. Whether with us for a day or two weeks, they’ll be exercised and have a chance to play. They also can chill out and relax.”
Animal-friendly pets enjoying the Pet Hotel can join the Enrichment Doggie Daycare area to play and socialize with other dogs. Cats aren’t forgotten, either. They’re spoiled in their Kitty Condo Suite with a climbing tree, plenty of organic catnip toys and a filtered water fountain.
“Our main goal is for your pets’ experience to be the best it can be,” Paul says. “I want to see tails wagging coming into our doors and tails wagging when they leave. That experience is important in retail, grooming, boarding and daycare.”
Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon has three locations open daily from 8 a.m.–7 p.m. The Wesley Chapel Max’s is at 28838 S.R. 54 and can be reached at (813) 649-3939. The New Tampa store (6431 E. County Line Rd.) can be reached at (813) 591-5368 and the Mirada (30945 Mirada Blvd.) can be reached at (352) 437-6677. Max’s also has franchise opportunities available. For more info, visit MaxsPetMarketandSalon.com. Paul says his Fort Myers and Starkey Ranch locations will open this year.
