Local dignitaries and members of the Porter family were on hand on Jan. 10 for the unveiling of the new Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility on the USF Tampa Campus.
Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter says that athletics have always been important to his family, so when the chance came to play a significant role in helping the University of South Florida add a state-of-the-art training facility, Porter said it was impossible for him to resist.
On Jan. 10, Porter and his family were on hand to celebrate the opening of the Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility on USFâs Tampa campus. The 88,000-sq.-ft. facility features a 100-yard turf field, an observation deck, scoreboards, locker rooms, a reception lobby and more.
âWe think itâs going to be a difference maker,â said Porter, echoing the sentiment of everyone involved.
For decades, the lack of quality on-campus facilities has been a detriment to recruiting, particularly for football, which also has been saddled by the lack of an on-campus stadium.
But, the Porter familyâs $5.1-million donation is the first step towards correcting those deficiencies, and a new on-campus football stadium is right around the corner, perhaps as soon as fall 2026.
At the event on Jan. 10, new USF football coach Alex Golesh said that not having this type of training facility is a huge disadvantage, âbut I think a facility like this puts you on a level playing field.â
The Porter family has steadfastly supported USF. The James H. and Martha M. Porter Endowment for Alzheimerâs Research was established to benefit the USF Health Morsani College of Medicineâs pursuit of collaborative Alzheimerâs research with the USF Health Byrd Alzheimerâs Institute. In addition, the Porter family started the James H. & Martha M. Porter Alzheimerâs Research Equipment Operating Fund to support equipment purchases for use in that collaborative research.
Porter said his family, which founded a branch campus of Pasco-Hernando State College in Wiregrass Ranch and donated the land for the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, was happy to help, and applauded the team that helped make it happen, which included Wesley Chapel resident (and former Speaker of the Florida House) Will Weatherford, who currently is the chairman of the USF Board of Trustees.
âIt was a natural fit,â Porter said. âAthletics and education have always been important to our family, and this was just a great opportunity. Knowing that the right team was at the helm to actually execute the plan made it a fairly easy decision for us.â
AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (AHWC) marked its 10th anniversary late last year, but due to bad weather that canceled its big party, the hospitalâs administration and staff, and the Wesley Chapel community, never got to celebrate the big event.
On Sunday, February 5, the official ten-year celebration will finally be held. The hospital, Wesley Chapelâs first, promises a âfree, fun-filled day of family-friendly activities and health & wellness for every ageâ from 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
The celebration will be held in the parking lot behind the hospital, which is located at 2600 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
AHWC has been a well-known and active fixture in Wesley Chapel, since opening in 2012 as Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, coming along at a time when there was not nearly as much in the area.
âI think we were really the catalyst for the growth here in Wesley Chapel,â Connie Bladon, the director of community outreach for AHWC, told us last October when the hospital turned 10. âYou always want a good hospital, (as well as) good schools, safety and security, things like that….Everything (else has) sprung up around us.â
Since opening in 2013, the hospitalâs popular 100,000-sq.-ft. health & wellness center building, which is now called the AdventHealth Wellness Plaza Wesley Chapel, also opened, and a major expansion in 2016 saw the number of beds double (from 83 to 169) and the hospital went from having just four operating rooms to its current 12, and from 20 emergency room beds to 35.
There is still room for AHWC to expand to 300 total beds. Since it opened, the hospitalâs doctors have performed more than 56,000 surgeries and delivered more than 5,000 babies.
In 2021, AHWC teamed up with the Moffitt Cancer Center on a new three-story, 100,000-sq.-ft. medical office building, a new oncology unit with 24 in-patient rooms and two new operating rooms.
To register to attend, visit AHWesleyChapel.com/Events. â JCC
BayCare Preview Feb. 18!
Meanwhile, BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, an 86-bed, state-of-the-art hospital that will open in March is hosting a Community Event preview of the new hospital on Saturday, February 18, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel will contain comprehensive medical services and health care resources including: Breast health, diabetes and endocrinology, diagnostic services (including imaging and lab), ear, nose and throat, emergency room, gastroenterology, heart and vascular, intensive care unit with virtual-monitoring beds, interventional radiology, orthopedics, primary care, pulmonology and respiratory, rehabilitation, surgery (including robotic surgery), urology, wound care and more.
The family-friendly event will include hospital tours, cuisine from local restaurants, wellness screenings, a local market, live music and entertainment and a kids village with games, activities, puppets and more.
For more information, and to register to attend, visit baycare.org/baycare-is-growing-in-wesley-chapel. â GN
More than 18 months after The Grove teased a new grocery story in an online post, the mystery about which one would be moving into the development may be over.
It appears Super Target is, well, targeting the parcel of land on The Groveâs main property, right across Pink Flamingo Ln. from Cost Plus World Market (see map).
While nothing had been officially announced prior to our deadline (but probably will be shortly after we go to press and before you receive this issue), Target Wesley Chapel-The Grove has applied to the Southwest Florida Management District (aka Swiftmud) for an environmental resource permit (ERP), which is required before any construction can begin. Detailed plans for the construction also have been submitted.
Representatives from The Grove said nothing has been signed with Target, only. that it is one of a number of companies with which it has been negotiating with and it expects to make an announcement soon.
While it may be disappointing to those hoping for a Whole Foods or Trader Joeâs to open a store in the space, itâs not that surprising that Super Target, a popular retail-grocery hybrid, was the choice. A pre-application meeting was held with Pasco County planners on Oct. 18 where plans for a 147,000-sq.-ft. retail building, with nearly 500 parking spots, was presented by an unnamed party (most likely Target or The Grove).
Due to the size of the proposed building, it was clear it would not be any of the trendy grocery stores desired by locals, and likely would be a Super Target or Walmart.
There already is, of course, another Super Target in Wesley Chapel, located at the corner of County Line Rd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., although proximity to their other stores doesnât stop big names like Publix, Walmart or Starbucks. And, considering the future growth planned in the S.R. 54 corridor, itâs not like the area canât handle a second Target store.
Traffic on Oakley Blvd., however, should be interesting, considering that new apartments and townhomes will soon be completed in the area, and will be adding hundreds of more cars per day to the already-congested road.
The Super Target is the second new grocery store planned for Wesley Chapel. Just a few miles east on S.R. 54, plans have been filed with the county by Publix for a new 60,548-sq.-ft. center, which would be anchored by a 48,848-sq.-ft. grocery store that also will include a 2,100-sq.-ft. liquor store and 9,600 square feet of retail space.
As weâve previously reported, the new Publix will be located behind the Bank of America, Advance Auto Parts and Starbucks-anchored Pleasant Plaza on S.R. 54.
Most Saddlebrook residents are aware the once-prime development they live in is showing signs of age, and has been badly in need of a refresh for years.
However, what new owners Mast Capital have planned for the resort and surrounding community isnât quite clear, residents argued on Jan. 5 at a Pasco County Planning Commission meeting in New Port Richey.
While Mast Capitalâs plans to redevelop Saddlebrook by changing the countyâs comprehensive plan and producing a new Master Planned Unit Development (MPUD) managed to pass the planning commission by a 5-2 vote and will eventually require approval by the Board of County Commissioners (BCC), most of the 100 or so opponents that showed up to the nearly four-and-a-half hour meeting left scratching their heads.
The issue for most of them was clarity.
What the plans were clear about was adding apartments, townhomes and more than 100,000 sq. ft. of retail and commercial space outside the gates of the resort, on the undeveloped land along S.R. 54. However, the details were murkier regarding what is actually going to happen inside the gates of Saddlebrook, particularly with the renowned golf courses, tennis courts and resort.
âWe were very disappointed,â said JoAnn Barbetta, who along with husband Larry formed the Save Saddlebrook Coalition last month. âI was really surprised that they (the Planning Commission) could move forward to recommend something that seems so lacking in detail.â
Eran Landry, the managing director of Mast Capital, told the Planning Commission members that the resort would receive a significant upgrade âand be much more upscale than what itâs been.â
Plans include 5,000 sq. ft. of retail, a new 12,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse, renovated restaurants, new outdoor amenities, improved dorms and additional parking.
Landry mentioned ice cream shops, splash pads and a more family-friendly environment, upgrading the âunderwhelmingâ pool and improving resort rooms âthat just arenât competitiveâ in todayâs market.
But, the plans for the two Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses and driving range (which is currently located near the entrance of the resort and serves as the training center for Saddlebrookâs golf academy) riled opponents.
âWe love nature and it hurts my heart when developers come in and mow down every tree to get every dollar out of every inch of land,â resident Jacqueline May said. âThatâs why we bought in Saddlebrook.â
While Mastâs original plans to add 60 single-family homes and 100 townhomes over one of the golf courses were scrapped, Landry said the 36 total golf holes would be reconfigured to 27 holes, and the driving range would be relocated.
He did not say who was going to redesign the newly configured golf course, saying Mast was in talks with the late Arnold Palmerâs design company and another golf course designer, and did not say where the driving range would be moved.
Also, there were questions over what would fill any space remaining in the aftermath of reducing the number of holes, and how that would affect home owners who bought their homes for the golf course views.
Jacqueline May, a teacher at Pasco-Hernando State College, held back tears as she told the Planning Commission members that her and her husbandâs home was their retirement nest egg, and that they purchased it because of the view and the natural beauty surrounding it.
âWe love nature and it hurts my heart when developers come in and mow down every tree to get every dollar out of every inch of land,â she said. âThatâs why we bought in Saddlebrook.â
There also was no mention by Landry about whether or not there were any plans for the tennis courts in the same area. Saddlebrook has notably been the training ground for professional tennis stars like Martina Hingis, John Isner, Jennifer Capriati, Jim Courier and many others.
Changes Along S.R. 54
Plans for the two outer parcels were clearer.
Mostly west of the main entrance at Saddlebrook Way on S.R. 54, a 35-acre parcel will include 75,000 sq. ft. of commercial, 465 apartments and 35 townhomes. An additional road, the long-rumored Vision Rd. which is eventually supposed to connect to both Wiregrass Ranch Blvd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd., will be built to accommodate additional traffic in and out of the new development.
Justina Gale of Florida Design Consultants told the Planning Commission this area would become a true mixed-use integrated and multi-story project, with retail on the bottom and offices above it, with the apartments further back off S.R. 54. It will include trails, neighborhood parks, plazas and will âcreate a sense of place.â
An additional 19-acre parcel further west will include another 25,000 sq. ft. of commercial as well as 120 townhomes.
Opponents cited traffic as a concern â there is only one way in and out of Saddlebrook, which they say will create traffic jams. They also said replacing the green space along the resortâs entrance with apartments and restaurants was incompatible with the nature theme the resort has cultivated for more than 40 years.
âSaddlebrook is a gem and needs to be treated that way,â JoAnn Barbetta said. âGrowth and development is a part of our life and I understand that. But, there comes a time when we need to take a pause, step back and ask whether we want to completely alter the character of a beloved, historic community like Saddlebrook.â
The Planning Commission had concerns with the lack of detail in the plans, as well as a few errors and omissions. Chief assistant county attorney David Goldstein, who did not have a vote, questioned whether that lack of detail âwould put the Board in a bad spot.â
Planning commission member Jon Moody was the most outspoken against approving the plans. He had originally flagged them when they hadnât been seen by residents and somehow ended up on a consent agenda, which recommends approval without debate, leading to the Jan. 5 meeting where residents could hear about and finally see the plans and voice their concerns.
âI will tell you I would not feel comfortable today denying this application,â Moody said. âBut I would feel more comfortable if it were brought back to us with more detail at a later date.â
Planning Commission chair Charles Grey sympathized with the concerned residents, especially those who fear losing the golf course views they paid a premium for decades ago, but also told them they needed to understand that, âif you donât do something, your beautiful development is going to die.â
He voted against forwarding the plans to the BCC, but urged the residents to work with Mast.
After some consternation, the Planning Commission moved the plans forward, with a hopeful request that more details are provided will be by Mast Capital in the proposed MPUD before the BCC has its say next month.
Itâs been nearly 20 years in the making, but the long-anticipated interchange at I-75 and Overpass Rd. is officially opened.
The Florida Department of Transportation announced Wednesday morning that the project, which began in October 2020, was now open to traffic
The interchange, at the new Exit #282 off I-75, is located halfway between S.R. 54 (Exit 279) and S.R. 52 (Exit 285) and provided drivers in and around Wesley Chapel another option to enter and exit S.R. 75.
The Overpass Rd. Interchange (Photo: FDOT)
According to FDOT, the new interchange will address the projected increase in traffic in the area and âsignificantlyâ reduce the volume of traffic on S.R.s 52 and 54.
The diamond-shaped interchange includes a flyover ramp for those traveling west on Overpass Rd. and seeking access onto southbound I-75. It is expected to be a boon for the area, which is growing quickly and already includes Cypress Creek High School on the west side and to the east the Connected City and neighboring Villages of Pasadena Hills projects, which upon completion could add roughly 40,000 homes and hundreds of thousands of square feet of commercial projects to the area.
The Overpass Interchange project, first studied in 2005, cost $64.6 million. It first received federal approval in 2014 and overcame a roadblock in 2017, when then-Governor and current Senator Rick Scott vetoed $15 million for the project. However, the request was re-inserted into the budget in 2018 and spared another veto, pushing the project forward.
The interchange is only part of the project, which includes the widening of Overpass Rd. from two lanes to four lanes between the interstate and Old Pasco Rd. to the west and six lanes (including two auxiliary lanes) between the interstate and Boyette Rd. to the east.
Also, Blair Dr. has been realigned to connect with Old Pasco Rd., and McKendree Rd. has been realigned to connect with Boyette Rd.
A 10-foot wide sidewalk has been constructed on the north side of Overpass Rd (next to the westbound traffic lanes), and a 6-foot wide sidewalk is open on the south side (next to the eastbound traffic lanes).
