Category: Featured

Metro Development Communities Lead The Way In New Home Sales

Metro Development Group, which brought the country’s first Crystal Lagoon amenity to Wesley Chapel and will soon unveil a second one at the Mirada development (technically located in San Antonio, but just north of Wesley Chapel), continues to experience growth in the area.

In fact, according to housing market analysts Zonda.com, the Wesley Chapel area has five of the Top 20 fastest-growing new home communities in the Tampa Bay area, and three of them — Epperson, Mirada and Union Park — are Metro properties.

Epperson is the fastest-growing, according to Zonda, which was formerly Metrostudy, with 705 new home starts and 493 closings from September 2020 to September 2021.

Epperson also ranked No. 21 in Zonda’s national rankings for new home starts in that same timeframe.

The other Metro Development properties located in Wesley Chapel that made the Top 20 include:

• Mirada, ranked No. 8 on the Tampa Bay-area list, had 333 new home starts and 308 closings. The community includes Medley, an active adult community, and plans for a 15-acre Metro Lagoon, which will be the largest Crystal Lagoon amenity in the nation.

• Union Park, ranked No. 14, had 258 new home starts and 206 closings in the community, which is now almost completely built out.

Metro also is developing the No. 11 community (Southshore Bay in south Hillsborough, which is also getting a Crystal Lagoon as its primary amenity) and No. 15 (Cypress Creek in Ruskin) community on the list.

“Homebuyer interest in our Metro Places communities continues to be extremely strong, thanks to the convenient locations, the quality of our builder team, and the extensive and unique amenities we offer,” said Vaike O’Grady, VP of Marketing & Communications for Metro Development Group. “Our communities are simply a great value for homebuyers.”

Two other Wesley Chapel communities also were on the list, with Wiregrass Ranch at No. 5, with 433 home starts, but ranking No. 4 on closings with 360.

Watergrass was No. 6, with 388 home starts and 304 closings.

Pasco County continues to be hot, with New Port Richey’s Starkey Ranch and Land O’Lakes’ Bexley communities also ranking in the top 10.

With south Hillsborough county going through its own growth spurt, don’t expect to see any slowdowns in the near future.

“Demand in the suburban areas of Pasco and Hillsborough counties is coming from homebuyers moving to Florida from other areas of the country, from renters deciding to buy, and from people who simply want a new home,” said Tony Polito, Zonda’s regional director for Tampa and Central Florida. “We see this strong demand continuing into 2022.”

Wildcats Just Miss State Volleyball Finals (with photo gallery)

The Wesley Chapel High volleyball team won its first District title since 2004, won two Regional playoff games for the first time in program history and played in its first-ever Region championship, but fell short of a State finals appearance when the ‘Cats dropped a heartbreaking 25-27, 25-17, 25-23, 25-20 decision to Ocala Vanguard on Nov. 6 in the 5A-Region 2 title game.

But Wesley Chapel, which finished with a 19-6 record and made the playoffs for the second straight year under coach Brittany Collison, will be expecting to better their historic season next year, as they will return the core of the team and the leader in every statistical category.

Junior hitter Chloe Danielson, who set a school record with 375 kills, including 20 in the Region championship match, and is a contender for Pasco County Player of the Year honors, is the biggest piece of the puzzle.

But, the Wildcats also should return junior setter Jenna Ly (631 assists and 46 aces, both team highs), sophomore libero Brooke Ashkenase (school record 367 digs) and sophomore hitters Grace Korta and Lizzy Ekechi, who each had more than 100 kills. You’ll get ‘em next year, girls! — JCC

wesley chapel volleyball

Falabella Family Bistro Unveils Its Delicious New Menu!

Wesley Chapel’s Favorite Restaurateur Upgrades His Bistro With A New Chef & New Menu Items!

*(Above, l.-r.) Steve, Giulia and Micaela Falabella. Missing from the pic is Steve and Micaela’s other daughter, Mavi.*

Earlier this year, as owner Steve Falabella was getting ready to open his Falabella Family Bistro in The Grove, and started telling me about some of the menu items he was planning, I was already excited about it.

After all, Steve already had one of the best pizza places in Wesley Chapel (which is saying a lot because I think The Chap has a lot of really good pizza) — his 900º Woodfired Pizza in the Shops at Wiregrass — and as a true Italian raised in New York, I knew he could create a great bistro experience.

But, when Falabella Family Bistro did open in early June, the only thing I told Steve he could use was a little more diverse menu and maybe to add some fresh veggies.

Just a few short months later, as Steve was reunited with his new Executive Chef Chance Drake (who started with Steve as a dishwasher at 900º Woodfired ten years ago but who honed his chef skills at Noble Crust and Lake Jovita Country Club), he promised me that a revamped menu was on the way — and boy has Wesley Chapel’s favorite restaurateur delivered again, in a big way!

Although Chance will continue to offer a weekly special Friday-Sunday only (like the amazing rigatoni with broccoli rabe and sausage), only the most popular of Chance’s specials and other often-requested dishes have been added to the actual new menu at the Bistro.

My favorite new pasta dishes and entrées so far are the chicken piccata, the beef short rib ragu and the crispy fried zucchini, which is unlike any I’ve ever sampled, as the zucchini is cut into thin slices, rather than in traditional “sticks,” and the Roma tomato aioli dipping sauce also is a change from the always-popular marinara.

Other new “piattini” (small plates or starters) on the menu are the garlic baguette (garlic bread with a pomodoro dip and fresh basil), the broccoli and ricotta toast (with roasted broccoli, whipped ricotta, hot honey and fresh basil) and a ravioli flight I can’t sample because it includes lobster in the flight (along with sasuage, broccoli and five-cheese ravioli, all of which I can try).

I haven’t yet tried all of the new pastas and entrées, but look forward to sampling the Bistro’s new veal Marsala (I’ve had the chicken Marsala, which is yummy). I also can’t eat the garlic shrimp Alfredo (I hate allergies!), but Steve says it’s been extremely popular already.

And of course, among my already-on-the-menu favorites are the Vongole (spaghetti with clams), the classic spaghetti with meatballs, the chicken parmesan, the lasagna (with bechamel, instead of ricotta) the gnocchi Genovese (with house-made pesto sauce) and starters like the bruschetta, burrata caprese, the Caesar and Mediterranean salads and the crispy calamari.

Although I know a lot of Steve’s regular customers go crazy for the antipasto boards shaped like Italy and I do enjoy some of the panini sandwiches (my favorite is the pesto chicken), I honestly haven’t sampled many of either because I have so many favorites on the rest of the menu. I’m sure it’s my loss though.

Don’t Skip Dessert!

While Jannah and I are usually trying not to eat dessert, it’s hard to skip the decadent desserts available at Falabella Family Bistro, especially knowing that they are supplied by Evelyn Barreno of Seven Layers Bakery. I’m particularly partial to the chocolate mousse cheesecake, the equally creamy tiramisu, the cannolis and the turtle and triple chocolate cheesecake options. I’ve yet to sample the affogato (vanilla ice cream “drowned” with hot espresso) or Macedonia (fresh fruit salad topped with whipped cream) desserts.

I have sampled the Bistro’s outstanding cappuccino and Peroni beer on tap, and Jannah is partial to glasses of pinot grigio and prosecco. And, though his red wine list isn’t extensive, it’s also not too expensive, as the Casa Migliaccio Barolo is only $49.95 per bottle and there are two Nero d’Avolas for only $29.95 per bottle. Bottled beers, hard seltzers and wine cocktails and a reasonably priced kids menu are available.

Falabella Family Bistro (6027 Wesley Grove Blvd.) is open for lunch (at 11 a.m.) & dinner (until 9 p.m. Sun.-Thur., 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat.) every day. For more information, visit FalabellaBistro.com or call (813) 428-6957.

TECO Is Busy Replacing Those Pesky Purple Lights

All across Tampa, purple (or blue) street lights can be seen amidst rows of white and yellow lights. Take a ride down Cross Creek Blvd. and you’ll see almost a dozen of them.

Curiosity about why these lights have randomly popped up has led to a number of television stories and a few Reddit and NextDoor.com threads.

And, even a few conspiracy theories. So let’s clear the air:

* The purple lights are not a super secret crime deterrent.

* The lights are not a super duper light pollution fighter.

* The light are not there to make it harder for heroin users to find a spot to shoot up.

* They are not collecting your vital information through some new technology.

* They are not an homage to Prince on the fifth anniversary of his death last April, and Tampa Electric just hasn’t gotten around to replacing the lights.

(Sorry, the last one was our own conspiracy theory)

Nope, nothing like that.

The purple lights are just, well, good lights gone bad.

According to TECO spokesperson Cherie Jacobs, the lights have merely fallen prey to a manufacturer’s defect that turns them from white to purple.

“We are almost done, but we are replacing all of our street lights with new energy-efficient LED technology,” Jacobs says. “The model that was made in 2019 had a manufacturing defect, and that has affected a small percentage of the lights.

“But, they are very noticeable.”

Indeed they are. The lights cast a purple hue across the road, and turn everything under the light poles a purple color. It has been explained in other stories that each light contains red, yellow and blue filters, but the yellow filters are the ones that have been malfunctioning, and the red and blue filters then create a definite purple tint.

The lights are so noticeable that Jacobs jokes that she is getting as many media requests for explanations than just about anything else these days. Concerned residents are calling television stations to get answers — News Channel 8 WFLA-TV and WTVT-TV Fox 13 recently did stories on the lights — and we’ve even received a few emails about the them.

“We are working with the manufacturer,” Jacobs says. “They are under warranty and we are replacing them as we are learning about them.”

Considering that we are living in the age of crazy conspiracy theories, it should be no surprise that those purple lights have sparked a few, including this doozy — the lights are used to identify if you have been vaccinated against Covid-19, making you glow, and therefore keeping you out of FEMA camps that the government will be setting up for the unvaccinated where you see the lights.

No, not true. At least we don’t think so.

And, the purple lights aren’t just a Tampa thing, or a TECO thing. All across the country, purple lights have been popping up in South Carolina, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Wisconsin, drawing the same kind of scrutiny from residents.

Just a few days after this story went to press, Jacobs informed us that TECO is patrolling its entire system and will replace all purple lights. It should take several months, she wrote, so after originally setting up a web page for residents to report the location of the purple lights, no need to report the lights anymore.

“See a purple light? No further action is required of anyone,” Jacobs says. “We’ll fix it as soon as we can.”

purple lights teco

Plan To Reduce Tampa Palms Blvd. To Two Lanes Scrapped

*ampa Palms Blvd. has been labeled a failing road, and is getting repaved starting sometime next year, but bigger plans to reduce it to two lanes and add roundabouts have been shot down.*
***(Photo Charmaine George)***

Plans to convert four-lane Tampa Palms Blvd. — which circles through the Tampa Palms community — into two lanes have been soundly rejected.

After revealing its preliminary Complete Street Project plan at a Sept. 28 virtual presentation and Q-&-A session, the city received near-unanimous opposition from residents. They filled out hundreds of questionnaires for the city demanding that Tampa Palms Blvd. not be downsized to accommodate things like bike lanes, additional school pickup lanes for Tampa Palms and Chiles elementary schools, roundabouts and other safety features, some of which they felt could be accomplished with four lanes.

“I read in total disbelief what the City of Tampa has proposed for Tampa Palms Blvd,” said one questionnaire. “To quote former tennis icon John McEnroe: ‘YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!’”

Tampa planners heard the complaints and have decided to change course.

“We are preserving the four lanes,“ says City of Tampa chief traffic management engineer Vik Bhide, “and we will make (smaller) modifications.”

The $3-million repaving of Tampa Palms Blvd., currently funded in next year’s city budget, will go forward in two segments — the south loop (or Segment 1), which runs from the north intersection of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. to the south intersection through Tampa Palms Areas 3 and 1), and the north loop, or Segment 2, which runs from the south intersection of BBD to Ebensburg Dr. in Tampa Palms Area 2.

Some of the modifications mentioned by Bhide include narrowing the lanes in an effort to lower driving speeds, and making improvements at some of the intersections by installing Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs), also known as pedestrian-activated warning devices.

Bhide also says that more pedestrian crossings will be introduced, and there will be an effort to address the traffic challenges around the schools during the busy morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up.

Roundabouts, which cost about $800,000 and aren’t funded at the moment, “are off the table,” as residents seemed extremely opposed to them.

Asked if he was surprised at the quick repudiation of the initial plans, Bhide said it was all part of the process.

“We tried to work with the community and what the community provides with their feedback,” Bhide says. “And we also rely on hard facts and data.”

That data, according to Cal Hardie, P.E., the City of Tampa’s capital projects manager, indicated that both segments of Tampa Palms Blvd. being repaved are great candidates for a “road diet,” due to the number of daily trips on the road.

Hardie said anything under 10,000 is considered a great candidate for reduction, and 10,000-15,000 is considered a good candidate, and Tampa Palms Blvd. currently falls in that range.

But, the residents were clear — “Do not take away any of our lanes!”

roads tampa palms