Category: Featured

Downtown Avalon Park To Host Groundbreaking

Three major projects promising to transform Wesley Chapel have been in the works for years.

One of them, the KRATE container park at the Grove, launched last month to great reviews and is, arguably, the hottest spot in Wesley Chapel at the moment. Another, the Town Center area in Wiregrass Ranch, is still more than a year off.

Next up: Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

Avalon Park Group/sitEX announced in June it has entered into an agreement with Lema Construction to start construction at Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. The budding community will break ground on Thursday, July 14, on the first phase of its downtown area.

The groundbreaking ceremony, to be held from 4 p.m.-6 p.m., will feature refreshments as well as performances and entertainment by Jazz Under the Starz, The Wesley Chapel Theater Group and the Pasco County Fine Arts Council.

The three-story, 73,067-sq.-ft. mixed-use building will include 40 multi-family apartments and 23,720 SF of commercial/retail space on the ground floor.

The commercial/retail space will include a 12,000-sq.-ft. food hall to be called the Marketplace at Avalon Park, as well a co-working space called “The 5th Floor.”

Both concepts already exist at the flagship Avalon Park Orlando. The 5th Floor in Orlando includes 22 private offices, 12 dedicated desks, unlimited virtual offices, three conference rooms, and presentation/event, wellness, podcast and mail rooms, as well as a café.

“This phase of construction really helps us move even closer to that vision of building a place where families can build memories and traditions together in a town they can call their own,” said Beat Kahli, the CEO of Avalon Park Group/sitEX, in a press release. “And, while this may not be the most cost-effective time to begin construction, we feel like it is important to continue on to the next step in developing our vision for Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.”

Additionally, a 2-acre community park with an amphitheatre will begin construction later this summer, following permitting. Construction of both the mixed-use building and the park are scheduled for completion in late 2023.

Kahli says he is investing more than $700 million in the downtown project — with a $33-million incentive package from Pasco County.

Upon completion, Avalon Park Wesley Chapel will include more than 1,800 acres hosting roughly 400,000 square feet of retail and 100,000 square feet of office space in its downtown area.

Construction of Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel actually began in 2018, with the addition of the Pinecrest Academy K-8 Charter School, which is currently under construction in its second phase. With nearly 600 students already enrolled, the current construction will add approximately 600 6th-8th grade student stations.

For more information about Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, visit AvalonParkWesleyChapel.com.

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel

Two Nearby Projects & Nearly 10,000 Jobs, Get BOC’s Green Light

The Pasco Board of County Commissioners (BOC) was busy in June.

During meetings on June 7 and June 28, the commissioners voted unanimously, and without any debate, to approve performance-based incentive deals for two large projects expected to completely transform the one-time sleepy I-75/S.R. 52 intersection known previously for its truck stops.

The first deal approved was the big one — on June 7, the BOC paved the way for a new development on 965 acres at the southeast corner of 75/52.

The project, called the Pasco Town Centre, is expected to generate 5,988 jobs and will include 4 million square feet of industrial uses, 725,000 sq. ft. of office uses and 400,000 sq. ft. of retail uses, plus room for 300 hotel rooms and 3,500 homes.

According to the agreement, the mixed-use project will be, “The I-75 corridor’s gateway project into Pasco County.”

The county is contributing $55.8 million in incentives to project developer Columnar Holdings, $46.2 million from ad valorem tax rebates and $9.6 million from the Penny for Pasco fund. All of the payments will be deferred and accrued in a county escrow account for the company until 1 million square feet of industrial/office space has been built.

Thanks to the Pasco Town Centre project, the county is expected to gain more than $386 million in estimated property tax revenue through 2061 (40 years) and a total economic output of $604 million.

The benefits to the county are “profound,” David Engel, Pasco’s director of the Office of Economic Growth, told the BOC.

“This is the most productive agreement that I’ve brought forth to date to the Board,” he said.

Engel said this project comes in at $9.60 per square foot, while the Rooker project, two 200,000-sq.-ft. Industrial warehouses approved for I-75 and Old Pasco Rd. in San Antonio that broke ground in 2021, was $9.80 a square foot.

As part of the deal, Columnar will have to provide $70 million in infrastructure, like roadways and sewer and water lines.

“When you put it all together — the road, the utilities — that’s well over $200 million before the developer can even get $1 out of the escrow account,” Engel says. “That’s a very significant gesture and a commitment to the project the developer is making.”

County commissioner Ron Oakley calls the projects a “win-win” for the county.

Engel also said the new development will be a boon to the area and to companies that are looking to move to Pasco County. The county is eager to accelerate the project because, “We do not have suitable space for companies to come in to that area right now, and we have tremendous demand for that,” he said.

The Pasco Town Centre is within the Connected City at the north end of Wesley Chapel, and Michael Wolf of Columnar Holdings said the goal is to make his project synergistic with the Connected City when it comes to local travel.

“We think it’s so important to truly get that activation, to have folks be able to run, bike, golf cart, what have you,” he said. “If we don’t have those components, we won’t be able to activate that space.”

The Town Centre still has to go through the rezoning process, but Phase One is expected to be completed by June 30, 2024, with the final two phases finishing up by the end of 2026 and 2028, respectively.

Northpoint Project

A second, smaller project was approved by the BOCC on June 28, with commissioners voting unanimously in favor of a $6.3-million incentive package for a project on roughly 218 acres near the northeast corner of Interstate 75 and State Road 52.

Northpoint Development LLC is building a 1.4-million-sq.-ft. build-to-suit site expected to yield 2,400 jobs when completed.

Build-to-suit projects are typically facilities specially constructed to meet the specifications of a particular user, who currently is unnamed.

According to Clark Hobby, who represents Northpoint, the original site was smaller but the developer acquired an additional 56 acres to the north.

With nearly $10-million in costs just for road improvements, the developer asked for $6.3 million in assistance.

“This is an exciting project,” Hobby said. “It is being designed and will be constructed for a major regional distribution center that will include a significant number of jobs.”

If the end-user backs out, the county won’t lose any money. But, Hobby said his client is so confident in the deal, “we’re planning on starting construction in late August, to early September.”

Hobby said the building will be a half-mile wide, and Engel said the total size will be roughly equivalent to two football fields.

The county’s Office of Economic Growth calculates that the Northpoint project will generate $19.1 million in ad valorem taxes over 20 years, and inject $282 million into the Gross County Product (GCP) during construction.

Once completed, the county says the annual recurring benefits to the GCP will average $227 million, and the return on investment is 195:1 for every dollar the county is providing in assistance.

Both 75/52 projects are in Commissioner Ron Oakley’s District. He supports both projects and called them a win-win for the area.

BOC Wesley Chapel

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY TO THE ROUSH TWINS!

Leukemia may have kept John Roush (far right) from school and his friends since his diagnosis in May, but it wasn’t going to spoil the drive-by 7th birthday celebration he shared with his twin brother Donald (left), as the Wesley Chapel community turned out in force out to wish the boys well from a distance.

Robert Roush knew a traditional birthday party was out of the question for his twin sons Donald and John, after John was diagnosed with leukemia in May.

So, Robert took to Facebook and crossed his fingers. A 26-year resident of Wesley Chapel, he hoped he could rally enough people willing to drive by his home and offer a happy seventh birthday wish for the boys from their vehicles.

Wesley Chapel didn’t let him down. More than 100 vehicles drove by the Roush home in two hours in Fox Ridge, honking and hollering birthday wishes, including fire trucks, a motorcycle club and some classic cars. Many waved elaborate signs wishing the twins a happy birthday, others handed out gifts for them.

“Honestly at first, we were apprehensive,” Robert said. “We’ve lived in Wesley Chapel for 26 years and I’ve seen how much it has changed with so much growth (and new people) the last two years and worried maybe it was losing that sense of community…but I was overwhelmed in a very good way. We saw that, at the core, the community is still there.”

Donald and John waved back from the front lawn of their home. They posed with firefighters, who brought gifts. John got to see teachers and his classmates from Quail Hollow Elementary, who he never got to say goodbye to this school year due to his untimely diagnosis.

“That was a big deal for him,” Robert said. “Missing the last weeks of school was really, really tough for him.”

John will not be able to attend classes in the fall, and will be home schooled by Robert. John’s mother Laura is a teacher’s assistant at Quail Hollow and is taking classes to become a teacher.

In May, John, who hadn’t been himself for months, was taken to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with leukemia.

He spent the following 11 days in the hospital. The doctors say there is a two-year battle ahead of the family, but Robert says people who have children with leukemia or have already been through it have told him that two years “is a pie in the sky” prediction.

“We think we’re looking at 3-4 years of chemotherapy and other treatments,” said Robert, a self-employed counselor and pastor. “We’ll just have to take it one month at a time, and pray for the best.”

On the twins’ actual birthday — June 24 — John had a bone marrow draw and a spinal injection, where he had to go under anesthesia and have chemotherapy directly injected into his spine.

As a result, he was worn out 45 minutes into his birthday drive-by celebration the following day, but not before he was able to enjoy a reprieve from the loneliness of his illness.

“It absolutely was good for him, not only seeing how many people were supporting him and rooting for him, but it also gave him closure for the end of school,” Robert said. “It really helped him.” — JCC

Note – On July 1, Robert Roush posted the following on Facebook:

“After a wonderful birthday, due to the love and support of the community, John has had a few setbacks. He had to undergo an additional bone marrow draw…and his blood counts have dropped, requiring him to be admitted back into St. Joseph’s. His spirits are high, but his energy is low. Please pray for our little man and our family…God willing he may be home for the 4th (of July).”

Check our Facebook page for updates.

Happy Birthday Roush twins

MP Connector To K-Bar Ranch Closed…For Now

It was open.

Now it isn’t.

However, it will be open again. Really.

That’s basically where the Meadow Pointe Blvd. connection to K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. saga stands at the moment, after a few weeks of confusion for Wesley Chapel and New Tampa residents.

The long-awaited connector is currently closed. According to Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, who represents the New Tampa area, the roadway is “technically private property until the Tampa City Council approves the plat later in July 2022.”

Following that approval, the roadway will have to pass an inspection by Pasco County, which will then officially approve it. The City of Tampa has already inspected the connector.

Until all of that red tape has been completed, developer M/I Homes will retain ownership of the roadway and the barricades will stay up.

Viera was under the impression that the connector was completed when he noticed that the barriers had been removed and contacted the Neighborhood News on May 30.

A few weeks after driving the road a few times and posting a story online about the connection finally being made, the Neighborhood News received more than a dozen inquiries via email and social media asking why it was suddenly closed again.

After a number of social media conspiracy theories were floated, Viera says he was told by City of Tampa staff that the connector was only meant to be open to provide utility access to fully complete the work, as well as removing old signs like the dead-end sign on Meadow Pointe Blvd.

However, the thirst for a connection heading north from New Tampa to Wesley Chapel was bound to attract K-Bar Ranch residents, who have been clamoring for years for additional points of egress. Currently, the only way out of the western end of K-Bar Ranch is via Kinnan St., or by driving through busy neighborhoods and past Pride Elementary on Bassett Creek Dr.

“This was absolutely important,” said Cindy Gustavel, a K-Bar Ranch resident since 2015. “I think some people saw this as a way to get to malls and restaurants, but most of us just saw it as a way to make living here safer.”

The City of Tampa will organize a formal opening ceremony when the roadway has been completed, likely later this month or in early August.

That keeps with the original schedule that City of Tampa chief traffic management engineer and head of the Smart Mobility Division Vik Bhide laid out in March. Bhide said then that the roadway would officially open in July.

The Meadow Pointe Blvd. connector is one of four connection points originally planned on K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. for the K-Bar Ranch community. The first, where Kinnan St. meets Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe II, was denied by Pasco County and continues to only be open to emergency rescue vehicle and police traffic. Meadow Pointe Blvd. is the second, and the other two — at Wyndfields Blvd and Morris Bridge Rd. — are at least two years away, according to Bhide.

So, while a new connection is something to be happy about, many K-Bar Ranch residents still strongly believe the Kinnan-Mansfield connection should still be opened to vehicular traffic as well.

“There’s a huge appetite for that,” says Gustavel, who serves on her neighborhood’s HOA board as well as on the K-Bar Ranch CDD board. “I don’t think that will ever go away.”

k_bar Ranch Meadow Pointe Connections

NTPAC Ribbon Cutting Just One Upcoming County Event

The decades-in-the-making New Tampa Peforming Arts Center (NTPAC) should be ready to open this fall, says Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan.

Hagan, who represents New Tampa in District 2, said a ribbon cutting is tenatively scheduled for September 22 or 23.

“Nothing is set in stone yet,” Hagan says. “But that’s what county staff is looking at right now.”

The 20,000-sq.-ft. NTPAC, which can be expanded later to 30,000 sq. ft., will have a 343-seat theater with retractable seating, a stage, a catwalk and an orchestra pit. There will be four multipurpose rooms and parking for 215 vehicles. The facility, located behind the Village at Hunter’s Lake shopping plaza, across from the entrance to the Hunter’s Green community, is expected to be used for community performances and arts training of all kinds.

No one has been selected to run the facility yet, a responsibility the county may end up assuming. It had originally chosen The Florida Cultural Group, formerly known as The Manatee Players, Inc., but some of the commissioners objected and said they preferred a local group be hired to manage the NTPAC.

A new company was expected to be chosen to run the programs at the PAC by March but nothing has yet been announced.

But, the NTPAC ribbon cutting isn’t the only thing the county has planned for September in our area — Hagan says he also expects the new Branchton Regional Park to break ground that month.

The park, which will be located on Morris Bridge Rd. just south of Cross Creek Blvd., will have pickleball and basketball courts, a splash pad and a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) substation in its first phase, to name a few of the amenties.

“County staff is finalizing plans and getting the final permits,” Hagan says.

And, prior to the NTPAC and Branchton events, Hagan said there will be a public meeting held in August so local residents can weigh in on a proposed public recreation center, which would be the first such county-run facility in New Tampa.

The recreation center will be located at Cross Creek Park, adjacent to Pride Elementary just off Kinnan st.

The facility will include indoor basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts and be available for other sports, and there will be community meeting space as well.

The basketball courts and playground already at the park will be upgraded, and a splash pad also would be part of the improvements.

Hagan says he has secured $1.5 million for the project, and is looking at the rest of the funding to come from the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) federal funding. Hillsborough County has received $285 million from the federal program.

The recreation center’s proposed location, near Pride Elementary, could be an issue for many K-Bar residents without major road improvements in that area.

At various townhalls and meetings with city officials, residents have expressed safety concerns about school traffic in that area, due to the unusual configuration of the road leading past the school and into K-Bar Ranch, which has created logjams for years.

New Tampa Performing Arts Center