There is no shortage of anticipation of what is coming next to Wesley Chapel, but rarely is there the level of consternation that there has been for previously reported projects involving Chick-Fil-A, Wawa and Aldi.
We’ve got one word for you: relax.
All three are still coming.
For those of you beginning to lose faith in the long-awaited Chick-Fil-A on S.R. 54, just east of Bruce B. Downs Blvd., the never-open-on-Sunday-but-always-delicious chain received its final approval for its second Wesley Chapel restaurant on July 27. While ground has been broken for a while, the constant sight of a dirt lot the past many months has been making a lot of people nervous, according to Facebook.
In between the Walgreens and Chick-Fil-A, Wawa should soon be going vertical as well. The popular gas and convenience store filed permit requests for store signs last week. With a Dunkin Donuts planned a few hundred feet to the east, and a Starbucks right across the street, we might soon be dubbing that stretch Coffee Corner.
And all you Aldi fans can let out a sigh of relief. After moving planned locations twice, the discount supermarket chain has settled on the southeast corner of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd., and the project is currently under review.
(Left to right) Jon Karthaka, Ansh Bhatt, Aaryan Sharma and Nusheen Immen lead the Catalyst Club at King High, where they are all juniors in the school’s IB program.
While many students recognize the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts and some join robotics or science clubs, it is likely that there are some kids who haven’t been exposed to STEM in a way that is fun and engaging.
Aaryan Sharma, a 16-year-old International Baccalaureate (IB) student at King High on N. 56th St. in Tampa wants to change that.
“We want to reach out to kids who are not already interested in STEM,” the Arbor Green resident explains.
Last year, Aaryan started the “Catalyst Club” at King with a goal to teach STEM to middle school students.
Middle schoolers, says Aaryan, are the perfect age — not too young to comprehend the subjects, and not too old that it is too late for them to become interested.
“Middle school kids are mature enough to grasp advanced concepts,” explains Aaryan. “High school students might be apathetic,” especially if they’ve already determined their path, and aren’t really open to being introduced to a new passion.”
So, Aaryan and fellow club members and officers worked last year to get the Catalyst Club up and running. This summer, their efforts took off.
Catalyst Club members reached middle school students, mostly through the HOST (Hillsborough Out of School Time) program, which provides care for students after school and during the summer.
They visited Liberty Middle School once a week, and Turner/Bartels K-8 School twice a week this summer.
Using presentations, hands-on activities and friendly competitions, Catalyst Club members teach STEM concepts to middle school students at Turner/Bartels K-8 school.
Each visit included a new lesson, first taught via a PowerPoint presentation, which was then followed up with a hands-on activity.
Jon Karthaka, the club’s director of information and content, explains a recent lesson last month.
“We’re teaching about non-Newtonian fluids, using oobleck,” he says. Oobleck is a mixture of cornstarch and water that has properties unlike a typical liquid. “We put oobleck in a Ziploc bag, then put an egg in. The kids can drop it and throw it, and the egg won’t break.”
He explains that the hands-on activities piqued the students’ curiosity and gave them the opportunity to learn in a fun way.
“We always have a demonstration and try to have competitions,” Jon explains. “They love it.”
He says the competition aspect of the club captures the middle school students’ attention. For example, at one lesson, club members gave the students popsicle sticks and tape to make a boat and see which one could hold the most quarters without sinking. This helped teach engineering, buoyancy and other principles.
“If we just teach the theory behind it, kids might be confused,” says Aaryan. “Having hands on activities, it clicks. The concept makes more sense.”
Along with Aaryan, Ansh Bhatt is the club’s vice president, and Nusheen Immen, who lives in Tampa Palms, is the club’s director of outreach and communications.
All are 16 years old and juniors in King High’s IB program.
They’re doing the typical things other high school students do, too, but are making time in their schedules to teach younger kids STEM concepts.
“We’re busy studying for SATs, too, but this is a way for us to give back,” says Aaryan. “That’s our core motivation.”
Not only do they want to volunteer and help those around them, they also are hoping to plant seeds that will lead to more students pursuing STEM careers.
They call it their “macro goal” — not just to impact some students here in New Tampa and surrounding areas, but to “bolster innovation and scientific progress in society,” Aaryan says.
“We hope to ignite a spark to create a beautiful chain reaction,” Nusheen adds.
Working with the HOST program has been a great match so far, and that is expected to continue, now that the students have returned to school. The lessons from the Catalyst Club members don’t conflict with the school day, where teachers might not have time to incorporate them.
Catalyst Club members also can attend their full day of school and go to HOST to teach after their school day ends.
“Another thing we love is it gives us opportunities to reach all kinds of students,” says Aaryan, not just students who are already gathered together because they’ve joined a STEM-related club. Catalyst Club officers say they hope to expand their lessons to more schools — and students – via the HOST program or other means.
They also emphasize that they’re not limited to just schools. So far, in addition to schools, they have also presented to Girl Scouts and are open to working with other organizations.
They hope more high school students will start their own Catalyst Club chapters at their schools, too, to increase their impact.
Aaryan says the middle school students he met this summer asked them to come back, and look forward to their visits.
“It’s so good to see the kids and develop a relationship with them,” he says.
Catalyst Club officers emphasize that they do all the work and don’t charge for their services. When they work with a school or organization, they agree on dates and times, then club members plan everything.
To learn more about the Catalyst Club, to request a presentation for a middle school group, or for high school students to find out more about starting their own chapter of the club, visit CatalystClub.TK.
Beaches, crystal clear water and cabanas are some of the highlighted features of the soon-to-open Crystal Lagoons® amenity in the Epperson community off Curley Rd. (Photos: Gavin Olsen)
Metro Development Group says its widely-anticipated, first-of-its-kind in the U.S. Crystal Lagoons® amenity should finally be available to residents of the Epperson community in August, although work will continue through the summer.
The general public will have to wait a little bit longer, but will be allowed in for reduced rates once the gates open.
According to Eric Wahlbeck, the 200 or so residents already living in Epperson will get first dibs to enjoy an amenity that features crystal clear water, sandy man-made beaches, recreational aquatic activities and pool-side bars and cabanas, but has been maligned this summer because of an issue with permitting that stalled construction and made some residents unhappy.
“For the first two weeks following the opening date, admission will be exclusively for Epperson Resident Members, and a limited number of resident guests,” Wahlbeck said. “After the initial two-week period, the lagoon will open to the public by making a limited number of tickets available to non-residents for a short-term discounted rate of $10 per person.”
Once that term, which is likely to be determined by demand, expires, tickets for the public to enjoy the lagoon will cost $25 per person per day.
Pricing was an issue for some residents and potential residents, some of whom chose to get out of their contracts.
Meanwhile, current residents — many of whom remain stalwart supporters of Metro — were told they would enjoy discount prices to use lagoon amenities like kayak and paddleboard rentals, but the discounts will be phased out over three years and could end up costing larger families thousands of dollars a year to be able to access all of the lagoon’s features.
Metro also had to suspend construction when it was discovered in May that 19 buildings at the lagoon had been built without proper permits.
“We have secured all relevant permits necessary to complete work and are currently testing and adjusting the mechanical systems,” Wahlbeck says.
The lagoon, beaches, the giant inflatable waterslide (the same slide as at the Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete Beach) and bar areas are all expected to open as part of the first phase. Wahlbeck says the lagoon will be “fully open, pending any unforeseen issues,” following the late summer 2018 opening. Other features will open as soon as they are completed in later phases.
Wahlbeck says in addition to the roughly 200 residents currently living in Epperson, another 150 future residents are currently under contract.
“Yes, people remain excited about the Lagoon and the Epperson community is tracking to become one of the fastest-selling communities in the Tampa Bay area — something that in part we attribute to the ‘Lagoon Effect,’” he said.
A sign (see top photo on next page) on the building indicates that Bahama Breeze Island Grill, which is getting ready to open just east of Chuy’s Tex-Mex on the north side of S.R. 56, will open to the public on Monday, July 16. We’re trying to make sure we get an invite to the friends & family pre-opening, so look for a sneak peek on WCNT-tv before Bahama Breeze opens. Fresh seafood + live music one mile from where we live means Jannah and I will be frequenting Bahama Breeze…frequently.
•Also opening in July, next to Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt in the Shops at Wiregrass, is Nothing Bundt Cakes, which has been among the favorites at each of the last two Tastes of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel. At our press time, those amazingly moist bundt cakes with perfectly creamy icing still seemed to be weeks from being made or sold at this location, but a spokesperson for the store said “definitely in July.”
If you’ve still never tried Nothing Bundt Cakes, visit the N. Dale Mabry or another location before this store opens and have a couple of samples and please tell them the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News sent you!You’ll be waiting with baited buttercream breath for Nothing Bundt Cakes to open here, too.
•Not enough for you? Pomodoro Pizza, which is opening in the space previously occupied by Kwan Ming Bistro in the plaza on S.R. 56 that also is home to Wolf’s Den, also is expected to open in early- to mid-July.
Pomodoro is the first local pizzeria to admit that it has New Jersey-style pizza — which I’ve tried to tell quite a few New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents over the years — is similar to, but slightly different (in most cases) from New York-style. I’ll let the Pomodoro owners give you their take on the differences, but new pizza is never a bad thing for me to try.
•And last, but not least, another newcomer to the same plaza as Mellow Mushroom on the north side of S.R. 56, across from the Tampa Premium Outlets, is Sweetea Café, which is still mostly a shell inside and doesn’t look like it could possibly be open before the end of July, but we’ll keep you posted.
We’ll also have updates on Earth Fare (which looks ready to go vertical), Mod Pizza (in the getting-much-closer-to-completion building next to Starbucks on S.R. 56, in front of Costco) and the three hotels set to open in the next next issue.
Have You Tried Bayscape Bistro?
I’m sure most residents of that community have heard that the restaurant at the Heritage Isles Golf & Country Club off Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa has changed hands again, following a $1.3-million investment by the Heritage Isles Community Development District (CDD) to revamp the club house and the restaurant that rarely has been much more than a place for hungry golfers to stop and have a sandwich and a cold beer.
No matter how nice the renovations may be, unless the CDD found the right operator for the restaurant — one that could attract people who don’t live in Heritage Isles to check it out — it was likely to fail again.
Well, not only is the new Bayscape Bistro & Bar at Heritage Isles significantly more attractive looking than anything else that has occupied the space before, some of you may recognize the name of the guy who owns and operates it — and who has provided a much more restaurant-like menu than any of his predecessors.
Edward Bujarski, who ran one of the first and most successful high school culinary arts programs in Hillsborough County at New Tampa’s Wharton High for 17 years, is genuinely excited to bring real, fresh food to Cross Creek Blvd. near Morris Bridge Rd. and to be able to hire some of his former students to work at Bayscape.
I first visited Bayscape few days before we went to press with this issue, but the Bayscape chef salad I started with combines greens, roasted chicken, mojo pork, cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers and four crispy seasoned pieces of grilled toast that I assure you are better than any croutons you’ll have anywhere.
Look for more about Bujarski’s new venture in a future issue, but go check it out and tell the happy crew we sent you!
Bayscape Bistro & Bar (10630 Plantation Bay Dr.) is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For more info, call (813) 994-3445 or visit BayscapeFlorida.com.
I also spoke with Cary Anderson of Streetfront Commercial Properties, who is now leasing out the space in the Shoppes of Amberly plaza in Tampa Palms, which does have a few vacancies, including the 6,400-square-foot space previously occupied by Casa Ramos Mexican Restaurant.
Anderson says he has been close to closing a deal for the space, but that he is still looking for “something special, like a sit-down Italian or seafood restaurant or even a great sandwich place for that Casa Ramos slot.”
Amici Pizza Reopens…And The Crowd Goes Wild!!
It took so long to open that many fans on the Wesley Chapel Community Facebook page of Amici Pizza — previously located in the Grand Oaks Square plaza on Wesley Chapel Blvd. in Lutz but which has been closed for a few months— was never going re-open in its new, freestanding building located less than a mile north of its old location.
Well, our Neighborhood News Facebook page and WCNT-tv — Wesley Chapel & New Tampa Television — were among the first to announce last month that brothers Vincent and Rick Mannino had finally reopened at 26602 Wesley Chapel Blvd./S.R. 54, also in Lutz.
The result of our announcement was one of our most popular Facebook posts and WCNT-tv videos of 2018 — with a reach of nearly 26,000 people, 15,000+ views on YouTube and Facebook and 1,600+ likes, loves, shares and comments.
Happy Amici patrons across the area were raving about the layout and look of the new place, the food (like the true NY-style meat pizza above; photo by Gavin Olsen) and about the return of a 16-year-old local favorite. We wish the Mannino brothers luck, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to need it. We also wish Rick’s wife Tracy much success in her also-new Salon Tré Anne hair salon which shares the building with Amici.
Amici Pizza is open every day for lunch & dinner. For take out & more info, call (813) 973-9734 or visit Amici-Pizza.com and please tell ‘em the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News sent you! For Salon Tré Anne, call (813) 994-3553 or visit the salon’s page on Facebook.
Old Pasco Rd. (above) might be getting a fresh look in the near future, as a new middle and high school, new home and apartment developments and a business park threaten to add significant cars to the two-land road. A study (map to the right) will soon take a look at safety improvements for Old Pasco Rd. (Photo: Giuliano Ferrara)
The two Pasco County commisioners who represent the largest portions of Wesley Chapel — Ron Oakley in District 1 and Mike Moore in District 2 — have had their fair share of complaints from residents about area roads, and the traffic on them.
So, as Moore, Oakley and their fellow commissioners took up the debate about a proposal clearing the way for a new business park on Old Pasco Rd., they both were in favor of taking a closer look at whether or not the two-lane road should be widened first.
That is not going to happen, however, as the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) voted to approve a re-zoning request that clears the way to allow 2,250,000 sq. ft. of office and light industrial entitlements on roughly 91 acres of land on the east side of Old Pasco Rd. about 290 feet south of Overpass Rd., near the new Cypress Creek Middle High School.
The BOC is hoping it attracts future businesses and brings more jobs to the county.
Moore was in favor of the re-zoning request, but considering there is a widening project already in the works for Overpass Rd., near where the new business park will be located, he said he was only suggesting, no pun intended, that the BCC look further down the road.
“I just asked why not do the whole (widening) thing at once instead of piecemeal,” said Moore. “It would be nice if it was widened all the way down to S.R. 54. You always want to be prepared for the future. Putting the infrastructure in place first is important to me.”
Oakley agreed. The Overpass Business Park, which was formerly known as the Vibrant SUN Business Park, is in his district and was approved by the Board of County Commissioners vote on May 22.
Moore’s concerns about Old Pasco Rd.’s ability to handle the additional traffic, especially from trucks, that a business park might add was assuaged by the assumption that many of the trucks and additional traffic will use the future Overpass Rd. interchange to get on and off I-75.
However, he still has concerns about the road, which will see increased traffic from the addition of middle school students to the Cypress Creek Middle/High School campus, a potential Performing Arts Center on that campus, 400 new homes in Quail Hollow, and the 264-unit Arbours at Saddle Oaks residential development at the intersection of Old Pasco Rd. and Country Club Rd.
Moore said plans to widen Old Pasco Rd. were at one time in the county’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) but were removed during the 2008 economic downturn. He said he was going to try to get the project put back into the LRTP.
He said the county is looking into applying for state infrastructure grants to pay for any potential widening project.
Pasco commissioners recently approved $89,788 for HDR Engineering, Inc. to conduct a road safety audit (RSA) and study for Old Pasco Rd. from S.R. 54 to north of Overpass Rd., a 3.32-mile stretch.
While the RSA is unrelated to the BCC’s approval of the business park, Moore said it could determine that such a need to widen Old Pasco Rd. exists.
However, the study, expected to take four months, is focued more on road safety issues and safety improvements than widening.
That study will take a look at the Old Pasco Rd. intersections with S.R. 54, Post Oak Blvd., Foamflower Blvd., Dayflower Blvd., Country Club Rd., Bonnie Blue Dr., Deedra Dr., Sonny Dr., Lindenhurst Dr., and Overpass Rd.
There is no shortage of anticipation of what is coming next to Wesley Chapel, but rarely is there the level of consternation that there has been for previously reported projects involving Chick-Fil-A, Wawa and Aldi.
In between the Walgreens and Chick-Fil-A, Wawa should soon be going vertical as well. The popular gas and convenience store filed permit requests for store signs last week. With a Dunkin Donuts planned a few hundred feet to the east, and a Starbucks right across the street, we might soon be dubbing that stretch Coffee Corner.
