Seven Oaks Mixed-Use Apartment Project Moves Closer To Reality Next To Sam’s Club

Seven Oaks Parcel S-19 Multifamily, located between Sam’s Club and S.R. 56, east of Ancient Oaks Blvd., may finally be ready to move forward with a mixed-use residential/commercial project. (Map source: Pasco County, modified by NN) 

More than three years after it was first reported that a developer had finally secured approval for the long-discussed Seven Oaks mixed-use apartment project just north of S.R. 56 and east of Ancient Oaks Blvd., new details indicate that construction on the long-vacant land next to the Wesley Chapel Sam’s Club could begin at any time. 

The mixed-use development, currently referred to in county documents as “Seven Oaks Parcel S-19 Multifamily,” is planned for the still-empty lot immediately adjacent to the Sam’s Club parking lot (see map). 

While the project does not yet have an official marketing name, its scope and design are now firmly in place. 

According to recently submitted plans, the developer applied for a site development placard in November 2025, signaling that the project has cleared most major hurdles and is eligible to move forward. 

Final construction plans were submitted to the county at the beginning of 2026, another key milestone that positions the project for an imminent groundbreaking. 

The Seven Oaks Parcel S-19 project will span approximately 10.6 acres and feature a blend of residential and commercial space designed to complement the rapidly developing S.R. 56 corridor. 

Plans call for two four-story buildings containing a total of 320 apartments — 188 one-bedroom/studio, 113 two-bedroom and 19 three-bedroom apartments. Similar to The Flats at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel project, the apartments will all sit above ground-floor commercial space, creating a walkable, truly mixed-use environment. 

The commercial component will include approximately nine flexible retail or office ground-floor suites, located on the north side of Building 2A, totaling 26,099 square feet. These spaces are expected to attract a mix of small shops, professional services or (hopefully, at least from our standpoint) dining options that will cater to both residents and nearby shoppers. 

A number of amenities are a major part of the project’s design. A central swimming pool will be located in the middle of Building 1, providing a shared outdoor space for all residents. Building 2A will include a four-story parking garage, helping to manage traffic and reduce surface parking. 

In total, the site will provide 610 parking spaces, exceeding minimum requirements to accommodate residents, visitors and commercial tenants alike. 

The land has remained vacant for years, despite its prime location, just steps from Sam’s Club and minutes from I-75. 

When the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News first reported on the project in November 2022 in an article entitled “Developer Finally Gets Approval for Seven Oaks Project,” many residents expressed cautious optimism that the property would finally be put to use after it was met with significant pushback — after the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners had placed a moratorium on new apartments in the Wesley Chapel area. 

Now, with permits for the project advancing and construction authorization in place, that optimism appears increasingly justified. 

While no official groundbreaking date has yet been announced, county records suggest construction could begin at any time, now that the site development placard has been requested. 

Once under way, this mixed-use project is expected to bring new housing options, additional commercial services and increased activity to one of Wesley Chapel’s already-busy central intersections. 

And, as growth along S.R. 56 continues, the Seven Oaks Parcel S-19 development represents another significant step in the area’s transformation from suburban crossroads to a denser, more urban-style commercial and residential hub. 

Residents can expect to see additional updates in these pages as construction begins and leases for the commercial tenants are announced. 

Here’s What’s Expected To Open In Wiregrass Ranch in 2026!

There’s no doubt that the Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital will be the single largest addition to Wiregrass Ranch this year, but there are multiple other projects that also are expected to be completed and open before the end of 2026 in the 5,000-acre property owned by the Porter Family Trust. 
We told you about the 46,000-sq.-ft. Wiregrass Medical Plaza (left photo) being developed by Flagship Healthcare Properties (in conjunction with the Porters’ Locust Branch Development) last issue, which will have Florida E.N.T. as its anchor tenant. 

What we didn’t know about at that time, is the two-story, 50-bed in-patient injury rehabilitation facility that will be called Encompass Health Rehab Hospital being constructed by Brasfield & Gorrie (top photo), across from the Wiregrass Medical Plaza, closer to S.R. 56. Both of these buildings are separate from the Orlando Health hospital’s medical buildings. 

We also told you back in October about the Arcadia at Wiregrass Ranch apartments, the 320- unit luxury rental community now under construction behind the planned Publix near the intersection of S.R. 54 and Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., across from Walmart. As you can see in the photo right, those apartments have now gone vertical. 

Much closer to completion, however, is the 50,000-sq.-ft. Post Acute Medical (PAM) Rehabilitation Hospital (below) directly to the north of the Amberlin apartments on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. We first told you about PAM Rehab back in March of 2024 and although the building is looking pretty close to being completed, we were not yet able to find out a planned opening date for it, but we’ll keep you posted. 

Also not too far from being completed is the Ace Medical Plaza (bottom photo), a 15,000-sq.-ft. medical office building located between the entrance to Amberlin and BBD, across from Eagleston Blvd. 

What we sadly don’t have yet is the information everyone wants — the name of the upscale restaurant(s) that will be built next to Cooper’s Hawk and when the selection of the contractor and the construction of Legacy at Wiregrass Ranch, the community’s “downtown hub” will begin. Hopefully, we’ll have that information by sometime later this year, but we’re pretty sure that those highly-anticipated developments will not be completed by the end of 2026. — GN

Wesley Chapel 2026 — Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital

Hospital That Will One Day Be The Largest In Wesley Chapel Gets Ready To Open Apr. 21 With A Hiring Event 

Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital — Opening April 21! 

With everything that’s coming to Wesley Chapel this year, perhaps the biggest addition is the Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, which has tabbed Tuesday, April 21, as its scheduled opening date. 

The new hospital — the third in Wesley Chapel (AdventHealth WC and BayCare WC are the others) will open with 102 beds, with room to expand to 300 beds in the future, which would make it Wesley Chapel’s largest. 

In anticipation of the hospital’s opening, Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, located less than a half-mile away from the facility, hosted a hiring event which attracted hundreds of potential employees — everyone from nurses and nursing support professionals to allied health and support staffers. 

We also got to meet many of the hospital’s team leaders, including (l.-r. in the right photo) talent acquisition manager Richard Pelaia, chief nursing officer and assistant vice president Susan Dolezal, chief financial officer and assistant VP Tanya Knepp, director of human resources Jennifer Alexander and Richard Matte, the assistant VP of business development & non-clinical operations. 

Charmaine also got drone photos of the cleared land for the two large medical office buildings to be built on the hospital’s campus (above left), which should begin going vertical soon. 

What’s Happening With Morris Bridge Rd.? The Big Changes At 3 Key Intersections

Construction at the intersection of K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. at MB Rd. (Photo by Joel Provenzano)

If it feels like Morris Bridge Rd. (MB Rd.) has been in a constant state of change lately, you’re not imagining it. From New Tampa through Wesley Chapel, this important north–south corridor, once considered little more than a two-lane country road, has seen closures, construction crews, and long-awaited reopenings — with even more changes on the horizon. 

As Neighborhood News has reported over the past several years, MB Rd. is gradually transforming from a quiet rural connector into a critical link between several fast-growing communities in Hillsborough and Pasco counties. 

Here’s a closer look at what’s recently been completed, what’s under way, and what’s still to come — with a focus on three intersections that are shaping the future of the MB Rd. corridor. 

MB Rd. At Future K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. 

As we first reported in April 2024, the final phase of K-Bar Ranch in Hillsborough County is more than just another residential expansion — it’s a long-planned transportation connection that will finally open all of K-Bar Ranch to MB Rd., benefiting both New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents alike. That vision is now becoming reality. 

Construction is under way on the eastward extension of K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. past Easton Park to MB Rd. Once completed, this connection also will allow access from Wesley Chapel, including from Union Park and Meadow Pointe, via the planned Wyndfields Blvd. extension to the south and the existing Meadow Pointe Blvd. extension. 

The map of the planned K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. extension we ran in Apr. 2024. (Source: NN) 

Although the Neighborhood News first told our readers the story of this future connection about a year and a half ago (see map), crews are now actively building the new phase of K-Bar Ranch, and the collector road that will extend Wyndfields Blvd. south into the New Tampa development. For Union Park residents in particular, this means a new and more direct route into Tampa — and fewer bottlenecks on already-crowded roads. 

Turn lanes are currently being added along MB Rd. at the future K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. intersection (top photo), and a traffic signal will follow. The signal is required under the developer agreement and will help manage the increased traffic once the road opens. 

According to the K-Bar Ranch III CDD Preliminary Engineer’s Report (Jan. 2025), construction on the overall final build-out is planned to run from Mar. 2025 through December 2028, and is broken into two phases. 

Phase 1 includes 471 single-family homes, followed by 188 townhomes in Phase 2. Based on issued permits and the pace of construction, it’s likely the road connection will be completed before Phase 2 even begins — possibly even this year. 

In short, the long-anticipated direct connection between K-Bar Ranch, Union Park, Meadow Pointe and MB Rd. is now closer than ever. 

MB Rd. At Bonnet Hole Dr. 

Just north of Cory Lake Blvd. (less than two miles south of Cross Creek Blvd.), the Hillsborough County section of MB Rd. reopened the week of Christmas after a full closure that frustrated many residents — particularly those still remembering the road’s prolonged shutdown following Hurricane Milton in Oct. 2024. 

The Dec. 8-Dec. 22 closure was necessary to complete stormwater drainage repairs between Apache Dr. and Bonnet Hole Dr., as Hillsborough County explained in a public release. To put it plainly — collapsing and aging culverts under the roadway had to be fully replaced. 

Although only a small segment of MB Rd. was actually shut down, detours were lengthy due to the lack of alternative routes. During our communications, county officials acknowledged the inconvenience to residents. 

Typically, fully closing the road allows crews to complete the work much faster than staged lane closures would have, especially on two-lane roads where it’s harder to shift traffic and breakup the digging into two phases, due to limited space. 

Chris Wilkerson, senior media relations strategist for Hillsborough’s Public Works Dept., told us this single stormwater project cost approximately $240,000. When asked if more closures are coming, Wilkerson confirmed that two additional stormwater-related closures are expected on MB Rd. in 2026 — one just north and one just south of the recent work area — so residents will need to keep an eye out for when those closures are announced. 

MB Rd. at Chancey Rd. (Pasco) 

Meanwhile, in Pasco County, the long-closed intersection of MB Rd. between S.R. 56 and Chancey Rd. finally reopened just before Christmas, ending months of detours and speculation about what went wrong. 

Despite early rumors of the closure being caused by a “sinkhole,” Pasco officials clarified that the issue was actually a damaged, buried 16-inch water main. When the main failed, it washed away soil beneath the roadway, creating a large underground void that looked like a sinkhole, but was not a traditional limestone collapse. 

The unexpected discovery of the water line — struck during routine work — complicated the repair. Replacement parts had to be specially ordered, delaying construction for months. Pasco officials had warned residents back on Sept. 19 that delivery and installation of the water main alone could take at least eight weeks, followed by another five to eight weeks to rebuild the road. 

In the end, the project was completed almost exactly within that extended timeframe. 

But, while the intersection is now open, some residents have been disappointed to see no new left-turn lanes added. According to Pasco officials, those improvements are part of a larger widening project that is still in development. 

The county’s current Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) list, adopted in June 2025, shows plans to widen MB Rd. to a four-lane divided roadway between S.R. 54 and S.R. 56. Construction is tentatively scheduled in two phases: 

2028 – From S.R. 54 south through the Chancey Rd. intersection 

2029 – From south of Chancey Rd. to S.R. 56 

Of course, the project has already been delayed once and timelines could change again. 

The Big Picture 

Taken together, these three intersections tell the story of MB Rd. today — a corridor under pressure from rapid growth, environmental challenges and aging infrastructure — but also one that’s steadily being improved. 

Some work is finished, some is still under way and more is coming in the next few years. For residents of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel alike, the changes along MB Rd. promise better connectivity in the long run, even as the short-term disruptions unfortunately continue. 

As always, the Neighborhood News will keep you updated with what’s happening with the MB Rd. corridor — one closure, one construction zone and one reopening at a time. 

Charlene Joyce Files To Run For State House District 54 Seat Against Randy Maggard

Local Realtor and registered nurse Charlene Joyce is a conservative Republican running in Nov. 2026 for the Florida House District 54 seat currently occupied by Rep. Randy Maggard. (Photo by Charmaine George)

Charlene Joyce has filed to run in the Nov. 2026 mid-term elections for the State House District 54 seat which covers parts of Pasco County, including Dade City and some of Wesley Chapel, and is currently held by fellow Republican Randy Maggard. 

Charlene is a conservative Republican who lives in Dade City and says she disagrees with legislation Rep. Maggard filed in November to prohibit counties and cities from adopting their own rules related to water quality, wetlands, and pollution control. 

“The State House is trying to put more emphasis on [its own] power,” Charlene says, “rather than trying to let the people make the decisions for where they live.” 

She says overdevelopment is a big issue, and that Pasco County needs smarter ways to grow. “It shouldn’t take an hour to get somewhere that’s 20 minutes away,” she says. 

And, while she says she has nothing personally against Maggard, “God put it on my heart that I need to try to make a change, and make a difference in the lives of others.” 

Charlene says it’s important to her to listen to her future constituents, and to maintain the beauty of Pasco County. 

“I listen more than I talk,” she says. “I want to ask people questions, [find out] what’s important to them, keeping it grassroots, conservative, and helping others protect their rights as parents and landowners.” 

Charlene grew up in Wesley Chapel and is a single mom of two children, ages 6 and 3. She attends Life Church in Wesley Chapel, and says faith is central to her campaign, which she sees as a calling. 

She also is a licensed registered nurse and obtained her R.N. degree through Rasmussen College in Tampa in 2018. She is the health care administrator for a residential facility in Hillsborough County for the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), where she cares for female residents, ages 12 to 18. 

“One of my pushing points for running was when I started working at DJJ,” she says. “I saw a lot of things that could be implemented through legislation and a lot of loopholes that could be closed.” 

For example, she says, while DJJ employees are drug tested before they are hired, there is no Florida statute that requires testing throughout employment. 

“I’ve encountered people who came to work smelling like marijuana,” she says, “and that’s unacceptable in a place with youth.” 

However, she says, since residential facilities are contracted out to third party providers, they stick closely to legal requirements. 

“They do what they have to do,” she says, “but not anything extra, because it’s money out of their pocket.” 

She says her experience working with the youth in the facility where she works has been moving. On the weekends, she volunteers there with a team from a ministry called Set Free out of Pinellas County. 

For kids who want to participate in the Set Free program, Charlene and the team bring Christian music and Bible teaching. She says she brings hope to the youth in her facility, most of whom have experienced trauma such as physical, sexual and emotional abuse. 

“No one is hopeless,” she says. “God always finds a way, letting them know they are loved and valued. It’s so important for a child to thrive and to walk a different path. These children may have made some bad decisions that put them in a position that might alter their lives for the worse, but I want to take that opportunity to change it for the better.” 

Charlene also is a licensed real estate agent who obtained her Florida real estate license in 2024. 

She says she is looking forward to the election, which will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. 

For more information about Charlene’s campaign for State House, visit CharleneforStateHouse54.com, or follow her on Facebook or Instagram @CharleneforStateHouse54. She can be contacted at (813) 333-8612. For more info about Charlene’s real estate business, visit CJoyceHomes.com.