Category: News

There Are Some Interesting Listings In Wesley Chapel!

They say Wesley Chapel has a little something for everyone.

Newly buily communities? Check.

Homes with land? Check.

Crystal clear lagoons? Check.

A house that can survive a missile strike? Check.

Wait…What?

Yes, you read that right. Built on a 4.5-acre lot and located right off Quail Hollow Blvd. at 25910 Queen Sago Pl., this $500,000 listing has just what someone expecting the end of the world could want.

The listing, which was active when we went to press but is now off the market (and expected to be re-listed eventually), actually sounded pretty peaceful — the home “provides the luxury of being close to all the shopping centers, biking trails, and hiking routes while living in a peaceful wooded abode.”

Then, you get to the part about the 8-inch-thick, 4,000 pounds per square inch (psi) concrete roof, and you realize, that these folks weren’t messing around when it came to home security.

The home, or fortress if you prefer, was built in 1982 by David VanDercar, a survivalist, and his wife Candy. It is 3,000 square feet, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and, naturally, a bunker.

Oh, and did we mention that the master bedroom doubles as a panic room, which features a thick bulletproof picture window and steel door? Check.

The VanDercars were quite thorough, however, in prepping for that missile strike.

The property has a hidden trail through the heavily-wooded area to ensure “adequate area land and wildlife in the nearby vicinity,” according to the listing on Realtor.com, plus a 10-foot deep pond “stocked with several species of fish,” a well and water source “designed and installed to avoid contamination and ensure an independent water supply, in case of local services shutting down.”

Secure living lifestyle, indeed!

And, to answer your obvious question —yes, there’s even a hot tub, too.

But, this isn’t the first listing in the area to generate some serious buzz. Back in May, the manufactured home (photo above) at 3650 New River Rd., with 1,089 square feet of living space, was listed for a whopping $450,000 (it can now be had for $399,000).

That may still seem outrageous, until you considered that the garage is twice the size of the home and can accommodate six cars, and probably more important for whoever built it, a Class A motor coach.

While the 2BR, 2BA living area may be small — and the garage a tad oversized — for most of us, the property is located on more than an acre of land gorgeously landscaped with flowers and bamboo trees, and also featured a botanical garden and beautiful rock-scaped pool with a tiki hut.

But, that garage though!

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Looking For Places To Celebrate the Fourth of July?

Here’s some spots to catch a party and some fireworks:

Avalon Park continues to be the best spot in Wesley Chapel to celebrate Independence Day. The annual Fourth of July Festival will be held from 5-9 p.m., and features face painters, caricature artists, a wet/dry bounce park, community performances, an apple pie bake off, vendor booths and a bike parade. The fireworks are held at 9. The celebration will be held at 5060 River Glen Blvd. Avalon Park is located 3.5 miles east of I-75 on S.R. 54.

The 6th Annual Zephyrhills Summerfest and Fireworks Show is just a short drive from Wesley Chapel and has a day of family-free fun planned, beginning at noon with live music, hot dog and watermelon eating contests, kids dance off, live music, vendor market, bounce house and water slides, food trucks and more. Fireworks are expected to begin around 9:30 p.m. The event will be held at Zephyr Park in Zephyrhills at 38116 5th Ave.

Boom By The Bay is the City of Tampa’s big bash, and kicks off with a boat parade along the Tampa Riverwalk at 5 p.m. The public can take part in a number of family-friendly events, food vendors and other entertainment at six locations: Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park (starting at 7 p.m.), Armature Works (5 p.m.), the Tampa Convention Center/The Sail Pavilion (5 p.m.), Sparkman Wharf (3:30 p.m.), Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park (7 p.m.) and Bayshore Boulevard (7 p.m.). Fireworks will be coordinated from each location beginning around 9:15 p.m.

The 46th annual City of Temple Terrace Independence Celebration is a great option for New Tampa residents looking to put some Boom! into their celebration. A parade through Temple Terrace starts at 10 a.m., with the actual Fourth of July festivities kicking off at 6 p.m. on the first fairway of the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club, with live music, children’s activities and food trucks. Fireworks start at 9:15 p.m. The golf course is located at 200 Inverness Ave.

Busch Gardens has been doing nightly fireworks since Thursday, but on the Fourth of July will hold an Independence Day Extended Fireworks Show. The 9:15 presentation of “Spark!” promises an “an extra patriotic finale.” Busch Gardens is located at 10165 N. McKinley Dr.

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Diverging Diamond Looking For New Contractor

Unable to meet the milestones set forth by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), D.A.B. Constructors has been defaulted and removed from the diverging diamond intersection (DDI) at S.R. 56 and I-75.

One of the milestones needed to be met by June 28, and was not. In addition, on June 25, “DAB notified FDOT they were demobilizing from the project,” according to FDOT spokesperson Kristen Carson.

Carson said FDOT will work with the surety company, which is required to provide a replacement contractor, to complete the project.

A message left with DAB vice-president Bill Bachschmidt was not returned.

The DDI construction has been ongoing since early 2019, and had an original schedule of 800 days, resulting in a finish date of April 2021. That did account for delays due to rain and holidays, but Covid-19 made a major impact when it caused delays and shortages of materials for the project.

But last fall, Pasco County and FDOT addressed issues with DAB, when county commissioner Mike Moore, who represents District 2 where the diverging diamond is located, delivered a harsh attack on what he saw as lackluster progress.

Moore criticized the lack of urgency and number of workers he noticed when driving through the construction site, and the Cypress Creek Town Center Property Owners Association (POA) — which includes the Tampa Premium Outlets, Costco and more than 20 other businesses located west of the interchange — made their concerns known as well.

David Gwynn, the FDOT secretary for District 7, imposed penalties on D.A.B. Constructors and threatened more if the deadlines could not be met.

According to Carson, in November 2020, FDOT issued a Notice of Intent to Default (NOI) to the contractor due to concerns they were not proceeding at the pace required to meet the contractual completion date.

“DAB Constructors’ response included a recovery schedule showing a project completion date of October 2021,” Carson said. “From this schedule, (FDOT) established interim milestone dates that the contractor would need to meet in order to avoid being defaulted.”

Moore said after the public admonishment, he had seen some improvements early in 2021, but once again was noticing a lack of workers at the DDI site. The news this week was not shocking, and the project will likely not be completed until 2022, and by another company.

“I’m not surprised, I’m disappointed,” Moore says, “because they stated on multiple occasions they would be able to meet the deadlines.”

More than 100,000 vehicles pass through the interchange on a daily basis. The long-awaited DDI is designed to create fewer conflict points at the interchange, and despite looking more confusing, similar interchanges (like Florida’s first DDI at Exit 210 off I-75 in Sarasota) has been lauded for being safer and more efficient than your traditional junctions.

Carson says FDOT is empathetic to impacts any project delays may cause to motorists, residents, and businesses, and will make adjustments to traffic signals and any other traffic control devices to accommodate extra traffic volume during the upcoming holiday season.

Mission To Feed The Hungry Leads To Congressional Award

*Nitya Anne could have 2,000 volunteer hours by the time she graduates high school.*

It was a Sunday tradition — pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and travel to THORN Ministries in Riverview to feed the homeless.

What started in fifth-grade for Nitya Anne sparked a lifelong goal to never see another person go hungry.

“You feel like you’re doing something in the community that has a purpose,” Nitya says. “This motivates you to become a better person.”

Nitya has accumulated more than 800 volunteer hours from fund raising, tutoring and other initiatives she started. The 17-year-old junior, who lives in West Meadows but attends King High’s IB program, made a commitment in 2019 to volunteer more than 400 hours to her community. After setting proactive goals to enrich both herself and the community, she will accept a Congressional Award Gold Medal later this year.

The Congressional Award is given to individuals who complete personally challenging goals in voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness and expedition/exploration. The award ceremony, which is usually held in Washington D.C., will occur either over Zoom or next year, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Nitya has spent most of her volunteering career at food pantries and hospitals, with a single goal in mind: to help people. She has raised more than $3,000 in the pursuit of providing the basic necessities for individuals.

Nitya’s mother Rajani, who took her to her first volunteering event, told her daughter she should apply for the Congressional Gold Medal.

“I’m really, really proud,” Rajani says. “I hope other kids get motivated by this and do more community service.”

“No Girl Left Behind” is an initiative Nitya created after her 2016 visit to India, where she saw a lack of educational opportunities for girls in the country. When she returned home, she started fundraising at local community events by selling Indian cuisine in exchange for donations towards education in India.

“I felt like the spreading of education is really important,” Nitya says. “I started helping two girls in India by giving funds from my fund raisers and this gave them the opportunity to go and learn.”

In high school, she is an active member of her school’s Speech and Debate Club, where she created a Speech and Debate camp for middle schoolers interested in learning key public speaking techniques and participating in mock competitions.

Nitya also started a tutoring club at her high school to help students of all ages struggling in their classes due to the pandemic.

Her advisor for the Congressional Award is Jessie Peña, who also is her homeroom and English 3 teacher.

“She’s really going above and beyond,” Peña says. “It’s just about who she is and the care that she has for the homeless and for other people who are in need.”

Nitya has gained new skills as a result of her volunteer efforts, such as better time management and project planning. Peña says she asks questions and contributes her ideas more.

“She’s been growing a lot as a result of her participation in this volunteer work,” Peña says. “She’s a great example of what can happen to yourself in terms of personal growth and development by giving to others.”

Nitya plans to continue volunteering and her advisor says she will most likely have 2,000 volunteer hours completed by the time she graduates from high school.

“I want to dedicate my time to helping the community as much as possible,” Nitya says. “I feel like it’s really important to continue to volunteer, even if it’s not for an award.”

Congressional Award Nitya

K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. Receiving Safety Upgrades

With more than 1,000 homes scheduled to be built in the coming years in the sprawling K-Bar Ranch development in New Tampa, District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera has been keeping a close eye on the transportation issues already plaguing the community.

Whether it’s poorly marked roads, unsafe crosswalks or simply ways to get in and out of K-Bar Ranch, the infrastructure needs to keep pace.

By the end of this year, a number of improvements along K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. are expected to be completed.

The parkway itself is still under construction and less than half complete, but when completed, it will be the spine road of the growing community. At that point, it will run from the Kinnan St. entrance all the way east to Morris Bridge Rd., to an exit/entrance just a little north of the current entrance to the Easton Park subdivision.

Residents have complained about the lack of definitive striping on the completed portions of K-Bar Ranch Pkwy., resulting in some near-accidents. Two auto-related deaths, in 2012 and 2019, were both blamed on speeding.

Viera says he has experienced the concerns first-hand. After conducting one of his community meetings at K-Bar Ranch, Viera says a vehicle almost hit him on his way out.

“Me and my son were driving out on the same K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. residents had just been complaining about, and, lo and behold, I had to swerve out of the way of another car in what could have been a tragic accident,” Viera says.

Viera requested that the City of Tampa take immediate action. He also plans on holding a K-Bar Ranch workshop at a City Council meeting in September to address other issues related to public safety.

Improvements now planned for K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. include:

• Departing Kinnan St. eastbound, the existing 30-mph speed limit signs will be upgraded with enhanced and more visible panels above.

• Approaching Kinnan St. westbound, upgraded stop signs and bright sticks will be added.

• Departing Hawk Valley Dr (private road) eastbound, adding a two-way traffic warning sign.

• Departing Redwood Point Dr. east- and westbound, installing new 30-mph speed limit signs and with enhanced conspicuity panels above.

• The skipping yellow center line along the original section of K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. will be updated with a double yellow center line and raised pavement markers.

• Departing Laurel Vista Way (private road)/Wild Tamarind Dr. east- and westbound, new 30-mph speed limit signs and more visible panels above will be installed.

• Approaching Paddock View Dr. eastbound, end-of-road marking signage (red diamonds) and an advanced T-intersection warning sign will be added, as well as a refreshing of all markings as needed and adding raised pavement markers.

• Departing Paddock View Dr. westbound, new 30-mph speed limit signs will be installed with enhanced conspicuity panels above.

“It is pivotal that the City of Tampa and local governments invest in the requisite infrastructure, roads and public safety systems, as a community grows,” Viera says. “K-Bar Ranch is a growing community and needs this constant attention. Transportation is pivotal.”

CONNECTION COMING: Another primary improvement along K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. will be a connection to Meadow Pointe Blvd. into Wesley Chapel. However, the developer, MI Homes, has targeted Dec. 31 as a completion date, although there are still some permitting issues to resolve that could stretch that completion date into 2022.

The Meadow Pointe Blvd. connection will be the only northbound way out of K-Bar Ranch (other than Morris Bridge Rd.) when K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. is completed.

The Meadow Pointe Blvd. connection is the consolation prize for those who wanted to see Kinnan St. in K-Bar and Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe connected to give residents on both sides of the border easier access and to reduce congestion on BBD.

But, as we’ve reported previously, after years of negotiating with Hillsborough County, Pasco County commissioned a study that recommended connecting the roads only for emergency use, and instead agreed to connect K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. to Meadow Pointe Blvd. and Wyndfields Blvd. for vehicular traffic.

K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. is being constructed in segments, and once each road segment is completed, it will permit the developers to build more homes in that area.

Segment C, starting at the Kinnan St. entrance, is currently completed. Segment D, which is partially completed, will connect to the Meadow Pointe Blvd. extension, which also is under construction right now.

Segment F also is under construction, and will take the parkway almost to the westernmost part of Easton Park.

Completion is targeted for Dec. 31 for those segments.

The remaining segments to complete the parkway are pending permitting, meaning that completion will most likely not happen until 2022.

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