When Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan tossed his shovel of dirt at the groundbreaking of the new and improved Branchton Regional Park last month, he did so with one thing in mind โ this is going to be more than just a park. Itโs going to be a destination.
Work has begun on the areaโs latest county park project, bringing a host of activities to 43 acres just off the southwest corner of Morris Bridge Rd. and Cross Creek Blvd.
The current Branchton Park โ a large patch of nature with a trail, basketball court and small playground โ is being re-created just south of its current location.
โCurrently, itโs a very beautiful, picturesque park,โ Hagan said, โbut really, it only has a small playground and basketball court, with a shelter. Weโre going to turn it into a destination.โ
That will involve a larger playground, four pickleball courts, all-sports courts for basketball, volleyball and other sports, a splash pad and walking trails, to name a few of the amenities.
And, thatโs just the start.
โIt gets even better, because thatโs only Phase 1,โ Hagan said. โThe next phase will have a dog park for both large and small dogs, an event pavilion, additional walking trails with a boardwalk, and a really coolโฆzipline, which will be the first one in Hillsborough County.โ
The zipline is expected to be a private-public venture, and Hagan said he hopes to add more private-backed amenities in the future.
Hagan also has broached the idea of adding a Hillsborough County Sheriffโs office substation to the area. He says he has already secured the $6 million needed to complete the first phase of the parkโs upgrades, which could be completed by sometime in 2023.
Two years ago, the county polled local residents about their preferred amenities. More than 500 people responded online to the survey, and the county has incorporated many of those requests into the new parkโs design.
โWhen we build this park, there will be something here for everyone,โ said Rick Valdez, director of the countyโs Parks & Recreation Department. โFrom birth to 90 years old, thereโs going to be something that you can come out and enjoy at this park.โ
When District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore argued for his apartment moratorium, he promised people that there were more than enough multi-family projects coming. He was opposed to land zoned for commercial and retail being turned into land slated for sprawling apartment complexes, saying there were plenty of entitlements for multi-family projects already in existence.
Moore may have had a point.
At the moment, there are more than 20 apartment complexes, ranging from the usual to those promising โluxuryโ and even โelegantโ living locations in Wesley Chapelโs three zip codes โ 33543, 33544 & 33545 (see map on pg. 7), that are either making their way through permitting, under construction or recently completed.
If you count other projects just outside the border of the Wesley Chapel area, that number grows. There are apartments coming to the Zephyrhills side of Eiland Blvd., just across the street from Wesley Chapel. In Land OโLakes, Zephyrhills and San Antonio, that number exceeds 30 rental communities.
All in all, Wesley Chapel could be home to nearly 10,000 apartment dwellings in the next two years, if not sooner.
And, there are more projects not even in permitting yet, large multi-family communities headed to Wiregrass Ranch, the Two Rivers area on S.R. 56 and Epperson.
โThe message I was attempting to send is justified by the number weโve seen either come out of the ground or that are already (in permitting),โ Moore says. โAnd thereโs a ton more parcels that already have the multi-family zoning. Thereโs people holding out or not ready to develop and are holding on to those entitlements. Thatโs a lot more.โ
While Moore continues to worry about apartment oversaturation, the debate still goes on in the County Commission. As recently as Oct. 11, members sparred over whether apartments were more important than jobs.
The Silverslaw Apartments (above) are being built just north of the Hyatt Place Wesley Chapel on the north side of S.R. 56 near I-75, and are one of many large rental complexes on the Wesley Chapel schedule over the nest 2-3 years. (Photo by John C. Cotey)
District 3 Commissioner Kathryn Starkey argued that the county has โhundreds of thousands of jobs coming…these people will need someplace to live.โ District 2 Commissioner Ron Oakley, who represents the northern and easternmost parts of Wesley Chapel, agreed.
Eric Garduรฑo, the government affairs director for the Bay Area Apartment Association, says Pasco County has always been near the bottom of statistics when it came to apartments per person. And the Tampa Bay area in general has always adopted zoning ordinances that favored single-family home developers over apartments.
โI think thatโs starting to change in the sense that you canโt build single-family and single-family only to meet the housing needs as a community and a nation,โ he says.
Wesley Chapel Blvd., which has expansion plans, is home to a number of large incoming complexes. The area around the bustling Grove Entertainment has close to 1,000 units on tap, including many that are already taking lease applications, and the corridors on S.R. 54 and 56 towards Zephyrhills have already attracted a number of projects.
โI think, generally speaking, policy makers really need to look at attracting jobs, and how that goes hand-in-hand with housing,โ Garduรฑo says. โYou are starting to see it in a lot of places.โ
On Oct. 18, roughly MP 30 residents gathered to ask Pasco County for solutions to traffic problems on County Line Rd. and near the schools on Mansfield Blvd. (Photo: John C. Cotey)
Kyle Molder tried a few years back in 2019 to draw attention to the unsafe crosswalks along County Line Rd. in Meadow Pointe Areas I and II, with minimal success.
But, as time went on, the danger only seemed to grow. In 2020, there was a car crash that killed the driver and led to the speed limit being reduced from 40 miles per hour (mph) to 35 mph, but it didnโt stop the speeding. The sounds of revving engines can be heard in the early hours of the morning, say residents who gathered at an Oct. 18 meeting at the Meadow Pointe I Clubhouse.
Another accident, back in September, involved three cars and, while no one died, it was just another example of County Line Rd.โs local reputation as a โdrag strip.โ Molder, who is running for Seat 2 on the Meadow Point II Community Development District (CDD), filmed his daughter trying to cross at one of the crosswalks, only to be stuck at the median as cars whizzed by and refused to yield.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) Statistical Report requested by Molder, there have been 37 (FHP only) accidents in 2022 on County Line Rd. between Bruce B. Downs (BBD) and Mansfield Blvds. through Sept. 9.
With nearly four months to go in 2022 when that report was compiled, the total crash number is already more than in any other year going back to 2016.
This accident on County Line Rd. in Sept. was the latest in a string of speeding incidents that have concerned Meadow Pointe residents who live near the roadway. (Photo courtesy of Kyle Molder).
Molder organized the Oct. 18 safety meeting, and invited Pasco officials to attend, in order to shine a light on what they deem is a public safety hazard, as well as help deal with the traffic on nearby Mansfield Blvd., which is home to a preschool, three public schools and a college.
โThe school zones need to be reinforced,โ said Alicia Willis, the Vice-Chair of the Meadow Pointe I CDD (in Seat 3), who helped run the meeting.
Venkat Vattikuti, P.E., PTOE, the traffic operations manager for Pasco County, was more than an hour late to the 90-minute meeting but managed to squeeze a lot of good news in a short period of time to the 35 or so residents who attended.
Vattikuti said there is little the county can do about ending speeding. Even after reducing the speed limit on County Line Rd., a study showed that speeding had actually increased.
โDid we slow them down? No,โ Vattikuti said. โWe canโt fix the stupids. And we know all those stupids are in our neighborhoods.โ
What the county can do, Vattikuti says, is fix the crosswalk issue. Currently, there are 19 crosswalks along County Line Rd. between Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and Mansfield Blvd.
Vattikuti said that is too many. He said the county is recommending consolidating 19 crosswalks into four, each spaced a half-mile apart.
Kyle Molder (left) and Venkat Vattikuti, P.E., PTOE, the traffic operations manager for Pasco County, talk to a gathering on concerned Meadow Pointe residents last month. (Photo: John C. Cotey)
Those crosswalks would have flashing beacons that are activated by pedestrians. According to Vattikuti, studies show that the percentage of drivers yielding at crosswalks goes from 20 percent to 90 percent when there is a flashing light.
Vattikuti said that Pasco County is willing to pay for two of the crosswalks, with the Meadow Point I and II CDDs having to pay for the other two. Once installed, however, the county would maintain all four at no cost to Meadow Pointe.
If Meadow Pointe puts in a request for the enhanced crosswalks, Vattikuti promised they would be installed in early 2023. โThat I can guarantee you,โ he said.
And, since speed tables are not allowed on County Line Rd. because the roadway exceeds 3,000 daily trips, Pasco is experimenting with raised crosswalks โ which would serve nearly the same purpose as a speed table โ in New Port Richey. If those prove to be productive, they can be employed on County Line Rd. as well.
Molder said he was pleased with what Vattikuti told the crowd. โI think it will help,โ he said. โItโs a good start.โ
As for the tangled Mansfield Blvd. school zones, Vattikuti said the county would be installing a 4-way light at Oakwood Preserve, in the hopes that it will break up the congestion. Additional signage already has been installed to help keep the sidewalk free for kids walking and riding to school.
Because the county did away with courtesy busing within two miles of the schools in that area โ which include Wiregrass Ranch Elementary, John Long Middle School and Wiregrass Ranch High, foot and bike traffic in that area has doubled, according to those in attendance at the meeting.
โWe have to keep it going now,โ Willis told the residents. โKeep emailing. Keep calling. Donโt stop.โ
As weโve reported before, Wesley Chapel is getting a new Publix off S.R. 54, right across Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. from the Wesley Chapel Walmart.
And, guess where the old Publix, which is just a skip, jump and a hop away in the nearby Hollybrook Plaza on S.R. 54 and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., is headed?
Nowhere.
In fact, starting next year, the Hollybrook Plaza Publix will be beginning renovations.
That will probably be news to you, and a good many others, including us. After years of being told, and dutifully reporting, that the Hollybrook Publix would be โmovingโ or โrelocated,โ to make way for the new store, we, well, stand corrected.
โYou (wrote) that the current location was closing,โ says Hannah Herring, the marketing manager for Publix Supermarkets Inc., โand that is actually not happening. Weโre keeping that one (in Hollybrook) open, and weโre opening another.โ
That is definitely new news. We reported in September that the new Wiregrass Ranch Publix had filed plans with Pasco County for a new 60,548-sq.-ft. center, which would be anchored by a 48,848-sq.-ft. grocery store, which is correct.
But, the opening of the new store does not mean the end of the larger (60,632-sq.-ft.) Hollybrook location, which was built in 1997.
The store closing was something we had reported many times over the years. In 2015, we were told by developers at an old Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC)โs Economic Development Briefing that the Hollybrook Publix would be โrelocating.โ It has been repeated and reported a few times since.
โThat was the story,โ says Hope Kennedy, the CEO of the old WCCC and now of the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC). โThat was my understanding.โ
Heck, there was even a rumor floating around that the whole plaza might be razed once Publix was gone in an effort to design an intersection at S.R. 54 and BBD that actually works and would decongest traffic.
Instead, it appears that S.R. 54 in Wesley Chapel will be home to two of the closest Publix grocery stores (to each other) anywhere. According to Google Maps, thereโs only about a half mile between the two grocery stores if you take the roads, or a 10-minute walk.
โAs it stands, weโll have two locations, and one is going to be fairly close to the other one,โ Herring says. โIโm not sure if itโs the closest, but we do have some locations that are really close to each in some areas.โ
New Tampa, for example, has three Publix stores of its own. The New Tampa Blvd. location on BBD is less than five miles from both the Morris Bridge Rd. and Tampa Palms locations.
And, according to the Publix website, there are 15 Publix stores within 12 miles of the 33544 zip code in Wesley Chapel. Considering that Publix has 836 locations in Florida and is known almost as much for its level of saturation as is Starbucks, it does make sense.
Jim Hoff, who owns the Sonnyโs BBQ just in front of the Hollybrook Plaza (on the BBD side), said he always thought the day would come that the Publix behind his restaurant would be replaced by the newer Publix once it was built.
Heโs glad to hear that is not the case.
โThis is the first Iโm hearing that it is staying,โ says Hoff. โWeโre pretty established where we are, but would it have hurt a little? Yes. Publix is Publix. Having it there can only help us.โ
Ken Hagan (right photo, center) talks to K-Bar Ranch residents at a recent town hall held in the community.
In 2002, when Ken Hagan first entered politics, north Hillsborough County, including New Tampa, was a Republican stronghold.
But the times, they have-a-changed.
Nowadays, not only is Hillsborough County blue, with 50,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans, but New Tampa also has followed suit.
But, thatโs not all. In addition to New Tampaโs already blue-ish tint, Hagan was dealt a blow when District 2 was redrawn earlier this year, moving out some of the more reliable Republican voters. As a result, Hagan is feeling the pinch as the General Election on Tuesday, November 8, draws nearer (with early voting running from October 24-November 6, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.).
His campaign to hold onto his District 2 seat, which represents most of the New Tampa area he used to live in, has been the most difficult of his career.
โThe district has shifted,โ Hagan says. โBut, weโre still confident we will win.โ
Hagan, who grew up in Carrollwood but lived in New Tampa for more than a decade, won his first election for the District 2 seat in 2002 by more than 17,000 votes. In 2004, he defended that seat with a victory margin of nearly 30,000.
In 2010, he ran for the countywide District 5 seat, and defeated Linda Saul-Sena by 32,000 votes.
A prolific fund raiser who quickly became one of Tampa Bayโs most powerful politicians, Hagan ran for the District 2 seat again in 2018 and was expected to win easily.
However, he was nearly washed out in a blue wave. Political neophyte Angela Birdsong was outspent $500,000-$30,000 but only lost by 6,000 votes, or 52%-48%.
It was shocking, and so was this: Hagan only won two New Tampa precincts, and Birdsong received 3,000 more votes overall from New Tampa residents.
Hagan, however, continued to push for some big ticket items in New Tampa. The New Tampa Performing Arts Center held its ribbon cutting last week, and Hagan has been working on that project for two decades.
Branchton Park off Morris Bridge Rd. is getting a massive upgrade, and the county broke ground on that project last month. And, Hagan is pushing forward with plans to build New Tampaโs first indoor recreation facility in the Cross Creek area, hoping to break ground early next year.
Hagan has a beefed-up resume to show New Tampa voters.
Angela Birdsong (center), with Hillsborough County commissioners Mariella Smith (left) and Pat Kemp.
And, he has raised $397,560 โ far more than any other county commissioner running this election cycle โ while Birdsong has raised only $65,590. Hagan also had outspent Birdsong through Oct. 7 by a $56,000-37,000 margin.
But will it be enough?
New district maps may provide Birdsong with the last little push she needs to knock Hagan off the County Commission, which is controlled by Democrats.
The map proposed by Commissioner Pat Kemp โ which despite objections by commissioners Hagan, Republican Stacy White and Democrat Gwen Myers โ passed by a 4-3 vote earlier this year and removed GOP-voting areas in Seffner, Valrico and Thonotosassa from District 2, while adding a large swath of the more Democratic-leaning University of South Florida area.
Hagan says the whole process was โoffensiveโ and called it โthe most partisan political exercise Iโve gone through.โ
Birdsong, 61, acknowledges that the new maps helped her make the decision to run again, with the district shifting from +2 percentage points for Republican voters to +7 percentage points for registered Democrats.
โItโs going to be a footrace,โ she says. โBut, we like our chances. It looks very good for us.โ
An insurance agent and mother of one, Birdsong said she has campaigned on many of the same issues she did in 2018, namely transportation, workforce training and affordable housing.
She has also made a concerted effort to reach out to minority groups that she feels are growing in northern Hillsborough County but are unrepresented in the county.
She has met with Caribbean-Hispanic, Muslim and LGBTQ groups, and continues to try and draw as many different underrepresented voters into her campaign as possible.
โI really would like to do more to help minority businesses do business with Hillsborough County,โ Birdsong says. โI really want to work with minority young people entering high-paying union jobs. You know who can pay the rent? People with high-paying jobs.โ
Birdsong has lobbed familiar charges at Hagan โ that he is beholden to developers, for one โ and says itโs time for a change. Hagan has served as a county commissioner for 20 years, and Birdsong says she will bring a fresh perspective to the areaโs changing landscape and needs.
โHeโs a career politician,โ Birdsong says. โItโs time for him to retire.โ
Hagan, however, says his experience has yielded a number of improvements in his district, especially for New Tampa. A longtime advocate and key player in the widening of Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Hagan always has been active in our area.
While larger issues involving inflation, immigration and abortion dominate the national landscape and make separating Democrats and Republicans easy, the effect county commissioners can have on those issues is minimal. Thatโs why Hagan says blue wave or red wave, local voters should focus on results.
โThe reality is, with local government, people shouldnโt look as hard at partisanship,โ Hagan says. โThe governor, President, Congress, I get it. But locally, it should be, man, who is going to deliver the goods? And Iโve done that.โ
