In 2025, the premiere residential ‘talk of the town’ in eastern Pasco County was Two Rivers — a community we covered numerous times in this publication, given its massive scale, located just outside the southeastern edge of Wesley Chapel.
Now that we’re in 2026, however, the excitement has shifted just outside of Wesley Chapel’s northeastern edge, to an even bigger development, the Villages of Pasadena Hills (VOPH) — and one new community inside VOPH has positioned itself to literally be at the top of housing market.
If you think our area is fully flat, think again. What if we told you that this new community, known as Pasadena Ridge, delivers not only the views one might expect — water and conservation — but also adds stunning (for Florida) high-elevation ridgeline views, all visible from the same lots!
Previously, some of the best new development views you could get were from the limited number of lots inside Epperson overlooking King Lake — truly million-dollar views. Those are all occupied now, but in our opinion, the views from Pasadena Ridge are on another level — and are coming available on a first-come, first-served” basis.
On Dec. 4, we attended an event for real estate agents at the adjacent Handcart Garden Center, which is providing all of the landscaping for the community. We were taken on a tour of Pasadena Ridge in buses that looked just like trolleys.
Located on the east side of Handcart Rd., north of the rear entrance to the Watergrass community, Pasadena Ridge is shaping up to be something very unique. Honestly, we were so impressed with the brief views from the tour, that we drove back on Dec. 12 to get proper photos to share.
Not What We Expected
The Villages of Pasadena Hills (VOPH) area is building fast, REALLY FAST, with multiple communities currently under construction.
Back in our September 2025 article, “Where Are The Villages Of Pasadena Hills & Why Should You Care?,” we first talked about Pasadena Ridge as an upcoming community in Pasadena Hills (Villages G & H), that was proposed to have 579 single family homes.
The ‘Ridge’ name has become very popular around Wesley Chapel; however, this “Ridge” community is not being done by GL Homes like the “The Ridge at Wiregrass,” “Winding Ridge,” and “Valencia Ridge” (all off S.R. 56), but is instead a new WestBay Community — with the creative tag line “Elevated Living.”
Very fitting, as Pasadena Ridge is located on top of a large (and somewhat steep) sprawling hill, which reaches a maximum height of 250’ above sea level. That might not seem like much to some from “up north,” but with the adjacent land to the north, east and west dropping away by 100’, new houses at the top of the hill’s ‘ridge’ will have the equivalent view of a 10-story building at sea level.
This means you can literally have a view that is unobstructed for miles — and those views are a breath of fresh air in what can seem like a monotony of perfectly flat new developments.
The community’s 250’ maximum height is actually pretty impressive, considering that the highest elevation in the entire region is only 305’ above sea level — a point on Clay Hill Rd, nearly 10 miles north of this Pasadena Ridge — and only 95’ shy of the state’s highest point, Britton Hill, located in the panhandle just south of the Alabama line.
The expansive ridge view photo (top photo) was taken at ground level, so you can imagine how much more impressive the view will be from a second story balcony, which is being offered by WestBay on some of their models (above photo).
The builder representatives at the event stated that these premium views will never change, as most of the land nearly a mile north of the development is protected wetland conservation (for the adjacent Buddy Lake).
If you’re interested in a house in Pasadena Ridge, you’ll definitely want to see the actual lots in person (not just on a map), as the elevations, grading and views from each lot vary wildly, but the best view we identified was looking north from the backyards of the lots along Peak Willow Trace — it honestly didn’t even feel like Florida.
The builder knows what they have, so their representative told us, “Expect to pay a substantial lot premium for the absolute best ones,” but unfortunately, pricing on those premiums have not been released yet.
What We Do Know
Pasadena Ridge offers homes by three builders — Homes by WestBay ($600k-$1M), Casa Fresca Homes ($300k-$500k) & Mattamy Homes ($300k+). Since this community is part of a VOPH model, parcels leading into the community off Handcart Rd. will be future commercial, and there is a future school site set aside within the development. The plan also shows a future Pasco County park site immediately to the west.
The development also promises to provide an amenities “club” and, while it does advertise a large resort-style pool, dog park, fitness center, pickleball courts, playground and event space, the cost of this club is not being absorbed by the CDD fee, as a separate club membership fee ($44.94/month) and club expenses fee ($115/month) will be charged once the club opens in 2027.
Add that to a $90.67 monthly HOA fee (which DOES include high-speed, 2-gigabit internet and trash) and up to a $217.66 monthly CDD fee for Casa Fresca, the only one we could currently find (Note-those fees could be higher for the WestBay homes, based on lot width), and monthly association fees could stack up quickly to $467/month ($5,610 annually), which is a little on the high side considering there’s no lagoon, restaurants or other standout amenities.
The only ones we’ve seen higher in a similar category, are the total association fees for Two Rivers West, due to the required “Landing Private Club” membership. But, when comparing, Two Rivers offers substantially more in a true club sense, including personal/poolside food & beverage service and a full restaurant, along with tennis clubs, spin instructors and other things not mentioned for Pasadena Ridge.
For more information about Pasadena Ridge, visit PasadenaRidgeFL.com.
