At a July meeting at Compton Park, roughly 75 people showed up to discuss the New Tampa business climate.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will be on hand as the findings of a New Tampa business climate study by the University of South Florida School of Public Affairs — triggered last year by concerns over the number of businesses closing in our area — will be revealed at a community meeting on Monday, February 3, 6 p.m.
Castor was briefed on the results of the study on Jan. 27, and will deliver introductory remarks at the meeting, which will be held at Compton Park (16101 Compton Dr.) in Tampa Palms.
Tampa District 7 City Council member Luis Viera will host the meeting, which he first helped spearhead last year after he said he received phone calls and emails from constituents — as did Castor — who were concerned about the closing of local businesses.
In early 2019, the Neighborhood News, after receiving many of those same calls, addressed the issue of the closings since 2017 of stores like HH Gregg, Staples and Bed Bath & Beyond in the Market Square at Tampa Palms Plaza, as well as restaurants like Casa Ramos in Tampa Palms and Ruby Tuesday on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd just north of I-75, also have been shuttered, and two Mexican restaurants have failed at the site of the one-time Romano’s Macaroni Grill.
Others, including popular local restaurants like Las Palmas (which reopened in a different location in New Tampa) and Café Olé, as well as former local staples Beef O’Brady’s, Boston Market and Dairy Queen also have shut down over the past few years.
USF’s School of Public Affairs and its director Ron Sanders agreed to take on the project of studying New Tampa’s business climate, along with graduate students working towards their Master’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning.
“The meeting will reveal those findings, and then those in attendance can weigh in,” Viera said. “It will be interesting to see what they found, and if we have a challenge, how to face it.”
Four students volunteered to conduct the study. At a meeting in July, they heard from close to 100 people who attended a meeting with Viera, District 2 Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and District 63 State Representative Fentrice Driskell.
While some community members expressed worry, others were confident New Tampa would bounce back, in part due to the sometimes-cyclical nature of business.
Since that meeting, in fact, a number of the local businesses that had been vacated have announced new tenants. The Brunchery (Boston Market), Urban Air Adventure Park (HH Gregg), Taza Market (Staples), Regina Margherita, which was formerly Chefs of Napoli (Beef O’Brady’s) are either open or close to it, while Aldi is looking into taking over the old Ruby Tuesday location.
And, as we reported last issue, even the long-vacant Sweetbay supermarket could have a new tenant signed up by the end of 2020.
“We have seen some positive changes,” Viera says. “I still think there’s some cause for concern, but at the very least, this is something that tells us about the business markers and growth in New Tampa, and what we need to do to keep the momentum going. We want to make sure our area does not deteriorate.”
Viera says the study also should provide some insight into some of the transportation challenges local businesses face, as well as how the design of New Tampa, especially along BBD, plays into commercial success.
To RSVP to attend the community meeting since seating is limited, you can email brannon.jordanlazo@tampagov.net.
I’m betting that most Wesley Chapel residents have never eaten an actual meal at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel, located off S.R. 56, less than a mile east of I-75.
And, that makes me a little sad.
For those who have never stepped foot inside this beautiful, award-winning (the year-old hotel won the New Business of the Year honors at the North Tampa Bay Chamber’s 2019 Awards of Excellence gala in Nov.), 124-room hotel, much less enjoyed a meal there, I hope this article will help you decide to go.
Even if you don’t have relatives visiting or need a night in a local hotel room yourself, the Hilton Garden Inn’s restaurant — also known as the Garden Grille — serves outstanding food and drinks at great prices and will find its way into my top-10 favorite restaurants in Wesley Chapel when I release my list of favorites for 2019 in our March 13 issue.
I also hope that you’ll sit down with the hotel’s market director of sales Lisa Moore to discuss the possibility of hosting an event for 8-to-200 (and more) people at this contemporary hotel that still has that great new hotel smell.
Lisa, an ambassador with the NTBC who also is a member of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, is a fellow New Yawka who will make sure that your event comes off without a hitch and will send everyone home happy afterward.
For example, when my stepdaughter Kristen’s best friend Sami needed an affordable location last month for a bridal shower, Lisa sharpened her pencil for me, knowing that I was planning to write this story shortly afterward.
Sam and her fiancé Tyler were definitely on a budget, and they knew they would have roughly 40 people at the shower, so Lisa helped them come up with a nice brunch menu — including a unique French toast casserole, fresh breads and muffins and a mimosa bar, plus fresh fruit, mini-quiches and more. And, best of all was the service — the trays and mimosa bar were all constantly refilled and everything was delicious and well worth the price tag.
The Hilton Garden Inn’s spacious ballroom (above) is easily subdividable to fit the size you need to host a variety of amazing events.
“Just tell me what you need and we can make it happen,” Lisa says. “We have a set menu for dinner, but we have an extensive catering menu and a great chef (Frank Skalitza) on the premises who can make pretty much anything you want.”
Jannah and I were on hand for the Grand Opening of the hotel in October of 2018 and we were so impressed (as was everyone who was there) with the filet mignon carving station and the four different pastas (top right) that also were created in front of the guests that we figured it must have been an outside catering company that was brought in for it.
“Nope,” said Lisa, “that was all in-house. Pretty good, right?”
Actually, I would go so far as to say excellent, and the deliciousness doesn’t end there. Although the Garden Grille only serves buffet and cooked-to-order breakfast (that I haven’t tried yet) and dinner (I wish it was open for lunch), I have to say that virtually everything we’ve sampled there has been delicious.
My favorite appetizers so far are the bruschetta (above), the spicy meatballs with fresh mozzarella and the wings “your way” (my way is extra crisp with the sweet chili & sesame sauce on the side). My favorite entrées so far are the grilled 12.-oz ribeye steak and the fusilli carbonara. The burgers and sandwiches (my favorite is the yummy bistro chicken sandwich) are great, too, as are the variety of flatbreads.
In other words, there’s a good reason why the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel is going to make my Wesley Chapel top-10. The hotel is beautiful and has great amenities (nice pool, fitness center, etc.) and, even though we’ve never stayed there, we have toured some of the beautiful rooms, too.
For info about the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel (26640 Silver Maple Pkwy.), call Lisa at (813) 591-6907 or visit TampaWesleyChapel.HGI.com
The real estate professionals at the new Real Living Casa Fina Realty office in the Shoppes at Amberly in Tampa Palms want to help you buy, sell, rent or manage your home or property.
It sounds like something they might hear from one of their clients — “We’ve outgrown our current place.”
The team at Real Living Casa Fina Realty has always loved the office’s Tampa Palms neighborhood, but needed more space than at the office in the Tampa Palms Professional Center.
So, in 2020, the agents will help people in New Tampa and surrounding areas buy and sell homes from a larger, more modern workspace in The Shoppes at Amberly, located on Amberly Dr., also in Tampa Palms.
Nick Parrinello, the Broker/owner of Real Living Casa Fina Realty, moved his company into its new digs on Dec. 17. “As we have continued to grow,” he says, “we needed more space and wanted a little more visibility.”
Casa Fina Realty began as an independent real estate brokerage in Tampa Palms in 2003. Nick came to work for the company in 2007, shortly before it became a franchise of GMAC Real Estate, which was rebranded as Real Living in 2011.
Nick bought the company in 2014. In the past few years, Nick says Casa Fina Realty has grown to be the third largest brokerage in New Tampa.
While the company has expanded from 15 agents, and Nick is excited to own a larger firm, he says he won’t let his Casa Fina outgrow its boutique feel.
“We have the same culture and our core values haven’t changed,” he says. “Some agents have been with us from the beginning.”
And, while the company serves 10 counties, and focuses on Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties, Nick says the heart of Casa Fina is right here, a few minutes south of Wesley Chapel.
“We have just one office and it’s always been in Tampa Palms,” says Nick. “We want to keep our roots here.”
He says many of the agents and staff live in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel, and the company sees the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. corridor as its home and primary market.
While real estate agents typically work from anywhere — whether it’s driving around neighborhoods, meeting clients in restaurants or coffee shops, or making phone calls from home — Nick is optimistic that Casa Fina’s new space will be a place his agents will want to be.
“It’s a great location, in the same plaza with five spots to grab lunch without having to get in the car and drive,” he says. “We expect it to have a lively, vibrant atmosphere.”
Instead of cubicles, the new space offers agents shared private offices, where they can close the door for privacy, but have the efficiency of sharing the space with other agents.
The new location also features a large conference room for company meetings, or where agents can present seminars or classes to the community. Nick is planning to see that space used for customer appreciation parties, new homebuyer seminars and other events that bring people together, as well as to share valuable information.
While Nick says Casa Fina Realty serves about 700 families a year, the goal is to provide the best possible customer service to each one.
“We want to empower agents by ensuring they are well-trained and giving them the tools they need,” he says.
He describes himself as “a stickler for knowing the contract,” saying that having a license in real estate is just the bare minimum when it comes to being prepared to buy and sell homes.
“We’re not attorneys, but we are responsible for our clients,” he says. It’s a big responsibility, especially when contracts start at 12 pages and often grow from there.
He adds, “We all started out inexperienced and there’s nothing wrong with that, but inexperienced agents need the backing and support of management if something goes wrong.”
One Satisfied Customer’s Story
Lisa Souza is a Cross Creek homeowner who worked with Casa Fina agent Seena Allen when she and her family moved to the Tampa area from New York this past summer.
“It was extremely challenging, because we knew nothing about the Tampa area,” Lisa explains. “She honestly helped us get our dream home, and we’re so happy. It’s even better than what we hoped.”
Lisa says Seena was professional, patient and kind, and worked hard when things got complicated.
“We made an offer on a house but then found out there was lots of work that needed to be done after the inspection,” Lisa explains. “Our house in New York was sold, the one we wanted to buy fell through, and it was an extremely stressful time. But, Seena was such a pleasure to work with that it took the stress out of it.”
Lisa says that when issues popped up, Seena would call on her colleagues if she had questions or wanted another opinion about how to handle the issues. “They all got back with her almost instantaneously with text messages,” she says.
Nick says his agents work hard to ensure they are able to be a network of resources for their clients, whether they are in the middle of a transaction, or they are a past client from years ago.
“We try to be the go-to person if you need something,” Nick says. “Maybe you bought a house three years ago, but now you need a plumber. We think of ourselves as local guides or resources.”
This Wesley Chapel home is just one of the many sold by Real Living Casa Fina Realty along the Bruce B. Downs corridor in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel in 2019.
He says that even in the days of Google and Yelp, people still prefer a personal recommendation. No matter what you need, someone in the company has a connection and a personal experience they can share.
Another way the firm provides added value to its clients is by serving as a full-service brokerage, with agents who specialize in commercial services and property management.
“If you need help finding a tenant or you need full management of your property, we fully cover New Tampa and Wesley Chapel and some of the surrounding areas,” Nick explains.
Casa Fina Realty also can help anyone who may need to move but isn’t sure if they want to sell.
“It gives us the flexibility to offer different options,” he says. “I can’t tell you how many houses we put up for sale and for rent at the same time and then see which happens first.”
He says sometimes people relocate and then move back, or sometimes they choose to sell after their home has been rented for a few years.
No matter what your personal situation is, Nick and the agents at Casa Fina want to help you determine what’s best for you and help make it happen.
Lisa’s experience with Casa Fina Realty has led her to recommend the company to both her mom and sister — both of whom she hopes will move to New Tampa — and an acquaintance who already lives in the area.
She says she told them, “The details will be handled thoroughly, things will be done quickly, and there will be a level of professionalism that comes from the heart.”
Real Living Casa Fina Realty is located at 15343 Amberly Dr. in the Shoppes at Amberly. To learn more, visit CasaFinaRealty.com, call (813) 569-6294, or see the ad on page 29.
It won’t be long before Wesley Chapel has its own “trampoline park” at The Grove, and it’s own bowling and laser tag center at Main Event on S.R. 56, but Urban Air Adventure Park will beat both of them to the punch when it opens next week in Tampa Palms.
Urban Air Adventure Park will hold its Grand Opening on Saturday, January 25, 10 a.m. The entertainment center is located at 6250 Commerce Palms Dr. in the Market Square at Tampa Palms shopping center anchored by BJ’s Wholesale Club.
Similar to openings at new Chick-Fil-As and Wawas, assistant general manager Chris Schade says the opening of the 28,000-sq.-ft. facility will be an “event.” At other Urban Air openings, he says people have camped overnight for a chance to be one of the 200 to win free access to the adventure center for a year. Schade says a DJ will be on hand the morning of the Grand Opening, and there also will be donuts and other goodies.
Urban Air Adventure Park is a Texas-based entertainment center franchise with locations all over the U.S.. The New Tampa location will be the company’s 10th in Florida, which includes centers in nearby Lakeland and Port Richey.
While broadly described by many as a “trampoline park,” Schade says the label really doesn’t do the new facility justice.
While there will be trampolines for jumping, the Tampa Palms Urban Air Adventure Park also includes a timed warrior course, bumper cars, dedicated dodgeball courts, rock walls and a kids area for youngsters that includes a 25-foot spiral slide.
There are also two rides that require harnesses — a Sky Coaster that circles high above the guests, and a ropes course.
“We’re able to give the little kids their own little area, and still let the bigger kids do what they want to do,” Schade says.
The Adventure Park’s on-site café will offer pizza, chicken wings and tenders, as well as beer and wine, including local craft beer favorites.
“We really want to get rid of that stigma that we’re just a trampoline park,” Schade says. “We can cater to everyone from toddlers all the way up to companies doing team-building exercises.”
CRYSTAL CLEAR SHOPPING?: According to preliminary plans filed with Pasco County, a grocery store, six retail stores and a fitness center are being planned for the area around the entrance to Epperson, home of the country’s first Crystal Lagoons® amenity.
Filed by Minneapolis-based commercial real estate developer Ryan Companies, the plans for the northwest corner of the Overpass Rd./Curley Rd. intersection don’t specifically name any tenants but show a large health/fitness center abutting the easternmost end of the Crystal Lagoon, with a medical/emergency building to the south.
Closest to Curley Rd. is a planned grocery store, with one large retail space and five others about half the size and 996 total parking spaces for the development.
Ryan Companies and Metro Development Group had a scheduled meeting with Pasco planners to discuss the commercial development on Dec. 10, 2019.
Metro Development is developing Epperson, which will have roughly 2,000 homes, as part of the Connected City project, which will be the nation’s first gigabit community. The community’s prime amenity is the 7.5-acre lagoon, the first of its kind constructed in the U.S., although the area just north of Wesley Chapel along I-75 is getting an even larger lagoon (scheduled to open this year) in Metro’s Mirada development.
MORE CARS, TOO: Representatives of the Morgan Auto Group are scheduled to meet with county planners on Jan. 27 as Morgan moves forward with plans to build a new BMW dealership on S.R. 56.
According to plans filed with the county, the seven-story, 133,000-sq.-ft. dealership will abut the west side of Morgan’s MINI of Wesley Chapel dealership on S.R. 56, just east of I-75.
BMW had previously filed paperwork with the county, and scheduled a pre-application meeting, in the hopes of building a 32,758-sq.-ft. showroom at S.R. 56 and Mansfield Blvd.
The BMW dealership would join other luxury dealers that have opened in Wesley Chapel in recent years, like Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Lexus.
Plans are still working their way through permitting for a Volkswagen dealership right across S.R. 56 from MINI of Wesley Chapel. Those plans call for a 27,845-sq.-ft. dealership.
And, plans for a 21,232-sq.-ft. car dealership at the southwest corner of Eagleston Blvd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Seven Oaks — just east and across Eagleston Blvd. from Wesley Chapel Toyota and Lexus of Wesley Chapel — also is under review by the county.
Developer Mark Gold isn’t exactly sure what made him settle on creating a one-of-a-kind shipping container park as part of his next big project.
He says he knew he wanted something green, and he wanted something small, and he wanted something unique.
“I wanted it to be different than everyone else,” he says.
It sure looks like that will be the case.
Conceptual plans for the park, which will officially be named Krate by Gold Box and be home to nearly 100 tenants running their businesses from modified shipping crates, were officially filed with Pasco County last month.
Krate is just one part, but perhaps the crown jewel, of The Grove project, which is transforming the old, worn-down retail center into a major Wesley Chapel hub. Mishorim-Gold Properties, a partnership between Gold and Mishorim Real Estate, bought the 200+ acres, including all of the existing structures in The Grove, for $62.7 million last year.
Phase 1 of Krate will be built on nearly 7 acres of land just west of I-75 and east of The Grove’s big box retail stores like Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Krate plans to have 87 tenants (many using multiple crates), 172 parking spaces, and a stage for bands and competitions that will be flanked by a pavilion and a children’s playground.
But, the biggest selling point, says Gold, is the opportunity for local residents to open their own businesses.
“We are building small spaces to give big opportunities to people,” Gold says. “We want this to be more mom and pop.”
He has 27 restaurants already with signed leases, although he says he is hoping for more service-based businesses. Most of the crates are already under contract and will start arriving in a few weeks.
He expects Krate will be up and running in 6-8 months.
“People are going to drive one hour, one-and-a-half hours to see this concept,” Gold says. “If I had built a shopping center, people would say ‘What is the big deal?’ But this is a shopping center built with containers with parking and lights and sidewalks and activity, lots of activity.”
While often compared to Sparkman Wharf at the Channelside Bay Plaza in downtown Tampa, Gold says he has visited the Tampa crate park and says “they do not compare.” He compared Sparkman Wharf to food trucks with no wheels where you eat outside, whereas Krate’s containers will be actual restaurants with many offering indoor and outdoor seating.
“This concept, I think, is the only one like it in the world,” Gold says.
At The Grove, where Gold is filling once empty buildings with fitness and yoga studios, a craft brewery, a dueling piano bar, Italian eateries and even an axe throwing bar while dubbing it “The Village,” variety is the spice of life, and he takes great pride in what Krate will offer.
Among his 27 restaurants are zero chains and places offering Cajun, Chinese, Colombian, Cuban, Dutch, French, Japanese, Italian, Puerto Rican, Thai and Vegan food, as well as other places serving cupcakes, ice cream, falafel, sandwiches, juices and even a mojito lab.
“People will drive here just for the variety,” Gold says.
He is so confident the concept is ready to take off, he says he already has plans to develop other Krate by Gold Box container concepts across the country. His second site, in Raleigh, NC., where he has two other developments, already has been picked out.
Meanwhile, here in Wesley Chapel, Gold’s office, in the heart of The Grove property that he is confident will one day be considered downtown Wesley Chapel, is bustling. He moves from one meeting to another, exchanging info with daughter Keren, the property’s leasing representative. There seems to rarely be a time where a prospective tenant isn’t talking to one of them, or waiting their turn.
“I love it,” he says. “People want something else, something different, and we are going to give it to them.”
