Editorial: Quail Hollow Residents Oppose Converting Golf Course Into Residences

Quail Hollow meetingWhen I got the call from my friend and Quail Hollow resident Bill Sanders, who works at the New Tampa Postal Station in Tampa Palms, it was Friday afternoon, a few hours before I went to press with this issue.

I told him I didn’t think I could attend an impromptu meeting at the home of Quail Hollow HOA president Mark Patterson (who also goes by “Dan”) at 7 p.m., because it was too close to my midnight deadline and I didn’t think I could find space for it in this issue, as I had another editorial all ready to go and precious little other space left at that late hour.

“But, we really need some help,” Bill told me. “Did you know that they’re going to close the golf course (Quail Hollow Country Club, or QHCC) and replace it with more than 400 residences?”

I had actually read an article on TampaBay.com in May of last year about the possibility that golf course owner Andre Carrollo was “considering” rezoning the 175-acre property but that it wouldn’t be “anytime soon.” I also heard rumblings at my Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon meeting two days before Bill’s call to me that the course either had been sold or was going to be sold for development.

“I just don’t understand how we can be sold ‘golf course view’ lots at a premium (of the 30 or so Quail Hollow residents, who attended the meeting on March 4, all of whom live on Gentle Ben Cir., most paid at least a $10,000 lot “premium” to build their home with a view of the Quail Hollow golf course),” Bill said, obviously exasperated. “If you could attend the meeting, maybe you could get the word out that most of our neighbors are opposed to this.”

To his credit, Carrollo has invested millions in renovating the course and the clubhouse after buying it for $1.7 million about two years after QHCC was declared bankrupt and shut down. Carrollo has the right to try to finally turn a profit on his investment, and he already has approvals in place to build a little less than 300 single-family homes without going for a rezoning, but his in-house development division, which is a separate Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) from the course itself, wants to increase that total to more than 400 townhomes or attached houses.

“That means that many of us could have new homes in our backyards,” Patterson told the crowd. “I know some people think that the new homes will add value to our homes, but we don’t believe it’s true.”

All told, Gentle Ben Cir. has about 116 homes, at least 60 of which included those $10,000 lot premiums (totaling more than $800,000 that community residents paid to have “golf course views”). One resident told me that there are about 100 other homes which currently border on the golf course and about 400 total homes in all of the neighborhoods around the course.

“Those new homes are going to cause a lot of runoff,” Patterson said. “About 70 percent of what is now golf course will be impermeable land. They’ll have to build those homes up several feet, and the water will run off into our neighborhood.”

In addition to traffic and safety concerns, several residents noted that during the rainy seasons, the roads throughout Quail Hollow already flood badly. Patterson agreed that although the Southwest Florida Water Management District (aka “Swiftmud”) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers don’t allow water from one development to be “dumped” onto another, those entities won’t even get involved in looking at the project until after the rezoning hearing, which had not yet been scheduled at our press time

(Note-The rezoning application was submitted to Pasco County on Feb. 6, and representatives of the developer were set to meet with Pasco zoning officials the week of March 7.)

The meeting at Patterson’s house was primarily for informational and organizational purposes. He said that state law prohibits HOAs from using association funds to pay to fight rezonings, so he and a couple of other attendees were forming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and trying to raise money as individuals to retain an attorney. There’s even a GoFundMe page up and running. I told them I would try to get the group a meeting with Dist. 1 Pasco commissioner Mike Moore (who is a member of my Rotary Club) to at least apprise him of how they felt about it, even if there ends up being no way to stop it.

I’ll keep you posted. I also apologize in advance for any factual errors in this story because I threw it together so quickly.

Wesley Chapel High Hosts Relay for Life

Relay for Life
Last year, 28 teams raised more than $50,000 at the Wesley Chapel/Wiregrass Ranch Relay.

The Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch Relay for Life to raise money for the American Cancer Society (ACS) will be held from Friday, April 1, at 6 p.m., until 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 2, at Wesley Chapel High on Wells Rd. The annual event will be fun for families while it’s open to the public Friday evening until 10 p.m., and event organizers invite everyone to attend.

Last year, 28 teams raised more than $50,000 at the Wesley Chapel/Wiregrass Ranch Relay. The money is used for cancer research, to support cancer patients (with rides to chemotherapy, help paying medical bills, information about cancer treatments and more).

This year, there are 32 teams signed up, and more than $30,000 already has been raised to date. The event organizers’ goal is to raise $65,000. Of the 32 teams signed up, eight are from local schools. Multiple teams are registered from both Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools, and elementary schools including Watergrass, Wesley Chapel, Veterans and Quail Hollow also are supporting the effort.

Each team will display a booth exhibiting this year’s theme, Dr. Seuss. Each booth will be decorated to reflect one of Dr. Seuss’s books. There will be food vendors, plus drinks, snacks and treats available for purchase at some of the booths. Crafts, jewelry, scarves and other items also will be available for sale, and there will be face painting and other fun for the kids. There also are always plenty of prizes, and many baskets will be raffled off. All proceeds raised will benefit the ACS.

Parks Ford of Wesley Chapel will be there with new cars available for a test drive from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Everyone who is 18 or older is invited to test drive a Ford at the event, and Parks Ford will donate $20 to the Relay for each test drive, up to $6,000.

“It’s not too late to join a team, form a team, or donate to a team,” says Barb Chenoweth, a member of the event’s leadership team. She adds that organizers are still looking for sponsors, which will receive benefits such promotional signage at the event, names on t-shirts, and on the event website. “We need the community to support the cause of finishing the fight to end all cancers from claiming people we love,” Chenoweth says.

The cause is dear to Chenoweth’s heart, because she herself is a cancer survivor. She will participate in the kickoff to the evening’s events, which is the “survivor lap,” where all cancer survivors and caregivers walk a lap on the track together. The survivors and caregivers are then treated to dinner.

All cancer survivors in the community are invited to register and participate in these events. To register as a survivor or caregiver, please e-mail amanda.aufiero@cancer.org or call 949-0291.

At 9 p.m., luminarias that have been decorated in honor of cancer survivors and in memory of those loved ones lost to cancer will be lit, which is always a beautiful tribute around the track. The event will be closed to the public at 10 p.m., while registered team members will continue walking the track throughout the night and into the morning.

Another way to support the event is to come to a wine and food pairing, hosted by A Time for Wine, at A Dash of Salt N Pepper on Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa on Tuesday, March 15, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30. Make your reservation by calling A Time for Wine at 664-1430.

To learn more about Relay for Life, visit the event website at RelayForLife.org/WesleyChapelFL.

Pasco County Trying To Figure Out How To Pay For Parks Upgrades

Parks
Pasco County Commission chair Kathryn Starkey, at her Feb. 18 town hall meeting.

Pasco County is looking to improve its parks and recreation facilities, but just how far the county can go to pay for sweeping changes and improvements could depend upon whether or not county residents are willing to pay for the upgrades.

A series of town hall meetings will be scheduled to sell and market the county’s Parks & Recreation department’s ideas to Pasco residents, who will likely have the last say in a voter referendum sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Some of the changes and enhancements being proposed include a recreation center and pool or splash pad at Wesley Chapel District Park on Boyette Rd., adding a playground, basketball courts, walking path and picnic shelters to the park in Meadow Pointe (I and II), and new parks at Wesley Chapel Lakes (Meadow Pointe III and IV) and the Wiregrass Ranch area.

County planner Justyna Buszewski presented a draft of the proposed 10-year Park & Recreations system master plan at Board of County Commissioners (BCC) chair (and District 3 commissioner) Kathyrn Starkey’s town hall in Lutz on Feb. 18.

Money is still a big issue, as Pasco’s parks are still recovering from the recession of 2008.

Three community centers, two parks and two pools were closed as a result, and 48 positions were eliminated. Staff reductions led to reduced maintenance, and some projects in the 2001 master plan were never completed.

Buszewski said that the deferred maintenance costs alone are $14 milllion.

The current draft shows that the county is interested in spending more than $200 million to repair and replace existing parks, put new facilities in existing parks, build new parks and perhaps adopt a premier park model, which would include things like splash pad playgrounds, shade structures for playgrounds and access to special-value facilities supported by the parks system, like wakeboard parks, aquatics complexes and even equestrian centers.

Some funding options mentioned by Pasco’s executive planner, Matt Armstrong, include a municipal service taxing unit (MSTU), with a focus on taxing “market areas” where the monies raised in each zone can only be used on parks in that zone. Other potential creative taxes, grants and partnerships with local businesses, schools and neighborhoods also are being considered, Armstrong said.

“The message we got (from county commissioners) was guys, go back out to community and tell them what the plan is,’’ Armstrong said. “Show pictures, show the way it is and show how it could be and tell them how much it will cost and ask them what they want to do about it.”

In a recent survey sent to 3,000 county residents, an impressive 621 respondents (more than 20 percent!) replied.

They were asked if they were given $100 to spend on park improvements, what would they use the money on? On average, the respondents said $20 should go to improved maintenance, $19 for improved maintenance on water-based facilities, $15 on acquiring new park land or open space, $12 on the improvement and maintenance to existing trails, $11 on the development of new trails, $9 on the improvement and maintenance to wildlife areas and campgrounds and $8 to the development of new sports facilities.

Also, when asked about establishing a dedicated funding source that could only be used to pay to operate and maintain parks and recreation facilities and programs, 45 percent of respondents were very supportive, and 25 percent were somewhat supportive.

Only 10 percent said they would not support spending the money.

“The survey says that they want stuff, and hopefully we get the same support when we go out there,’’ Buszewski said.

 

Shops at Wiregrass Mall Offers Diversity With Latest Offerings

Vom Fass casks.
Vom Fass casks. Shops at Wiregrass Mall .
Vom Fass casks, coming soon to the Shops at Wiregrass Mall.

The Shops at Wiregrass mall in Wesley Chapel will welcome a handful of new stores in the coming months, and while Wiregrass officials aren’t looking to compete with bigger malls like Westfield Brandon, the latest batch of new choices for area shoppers gives the local mall a unique mix that general manager Greg Lenners thinks will continue to make it a prime destination.

Currently seeking an alcohol permit for tastings, Vom Fass is slated to open sometime this spring. Construction already has begun on the store, which will be near Macy’s and the mall’s Center Court.

Vom Fass, which takes it’s name from the German phrase “from the cask”, will offer premium culinary oils, traditional balsamic oils and vinegars, vinegar specialties, and exclusive fruit balsamic vinegars, as well as rare spirits and liqueurs and a boutique selection of wines. Many of the store’s products are cask-aged and stored in cask pyramids.

“What’s made us great for the community is the diverse mix of retailers we’ve always carried here,’’ Lenners said. “It’s kind of a unique blend of stores. We thought Vom Fass would be a perfect fit. No one in the area that has that kind of store.”

This will be the seventh Von Fass store in Florida; the closest ones are located in Sarasota and St. Petersburg.

Candy, 3D And More On Tap For Shops at Wiregrass Mall

Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop also is coming this spring, to Suite #115, near JC Penney.

Founded in 2007 in California, Rocket Fizz has become the largest and fastest-growing soda and candy shop brand in the country, according to its website. The 74 stores nationwide all offer a massive selection of candy, soda, retro and gag gifts, concert and movie posters and tin signs.

“A pretty cool concept, in my opinion,’’ Lenners said. “It’s got a 1950s, specialty convenience store feel to it.”

3D Musketeers Printing, offering custon color-printed three-dimensional figurines, is expected to open by the end of the month.

And as we were the first to report back in January, this fall will see the Wesley Chapel debut of Irish 31. The popular restaurant is referred to as “The People’s Pub” by their customers and dubbed “Irish-plus-gourmet” by Neighborhood News publisher and foodie Gary Nager.

Irish31 in Hyde Park. Shops at Wiregrass Mall.
Irish31 in Hyde Park. Construction has begun on a location at the Shops at Wiregrass Mall.

Irish 31 is being built next to Panera Bread. Lenners said he thinks the mall has already hit a home run with its food offerings, and Irish 31 only strengthens that opinion.

Visionworks, which has roughly 700 optical retail stores in 40 states, is expected to open this fall as well. Construction has begun on the building, which will be across from Moe’s Southwest Grill on the S.R. 56 side of the mall.

Another tenant will share that property (though Lenners was unable to announce it at our press time because the lease hasn’t been signed).

A few stores that have recently opened include Lola Perfume, located in Suite #160 (next to Hollister), and Soleciety Sneaker Boutique,which sells collectible athletic shoes from around the globe, in Suite #170 (next to Zales), and has only been open a few weeks.

For more information about the Shops at Wiregrass, visit TheShopsAtWiregrass.com.

Would Incorporating Wesley Chapel As A City Be Of Interest To You?

Russ Miller. Wesley Chapel Incorporation
Russ Miller

When Ernie Monaco, the director of planning for Pasco County, tossed out the idea — during a meeting to discuss borders — to representatives from the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) last month that they might want to revisit the idea of incorporation, he got the attention of Russ Miller.

“I was surprised to hear that from a county employee,’’ said Miller, often credited with creating the WCCC, although he says he was one of six co-founders, “just the loudest.”

The mention of incorporation took Miller, who was at the meeting to discuss Wesley Chapel’s boundaries, on a trip down memory lane.

In 2003, Miller and fellow WCCC member Jim Williams led a charge to incorporate Wesley Chapel, hoping to turn the quickly-growing Census Designated Place (CDP) into a full-fledged city, with its own government and its own rules, particularly in the areas of land use and zoning.

The incorporated municipality (which can be referred to as a city, town or village) of Wesley Chapel would have extended eight miles east and west from Cypress Creek Rd. to Morris Bridge Rd., and eight miles north and south from County Line Rd. to Elam Rd. (which is roughly three miles north of S.R. 54).

The proposed municipality would have included all of the developments in Wesley Chapel at the time — Lexington Oaks, Meadow Pointe, Northwood, Quail Hollow, New River Township, Saddlebrook and Seven Oaks.

Miller, who lived in Wesley Chapel from 1981-2009 before moving to Palatka, hired a firm to help with a feasibility study.

The effort, which at the time would have taken 11 percent of Pasco County’s land area and included 28,000 residents and 10,000 homes, didn’t get very far and ultimately failed.

Miller said the developers and local daily newspapers were against it, and time was short to get a referendum approved ahead of the 2004 elections.

Also, the idea of another layer of property taxes (to fund a potential city government) did not appeal to some residents, especially since Pasco was already requesting a 1-cent increase in the county sales tax to be on the 2004 ballot.

Even the WCCC effectively came out against incorporation.

“We were just a group of lay people who saw a benefit in incorporating Wesley Chapel,’’ Miller said. “But, we didn’t have the money to fight the developers and the people in the community who were against it, and we got negative press. I have people still say to me, ‘Why did you stop?’ Now, they’re sorry.”

Miller says he just recently threw out all of the paperwork from that failed attempt. However, he still thinks incorporation is the way to go, and doing so would surely settle the long-standing border dispute with Lutz-Land O’Lakes.

“It’s never bad to control your own destiny,’’ Miller says. “Residents get a total say on how the community’s future will look. Now, where is the power? The county government. And where are they located? West Pasco controls it.”

Could a Wesley Chapel incorporation effort succeed today?

In Pasco, 450,000 of the county’s 490,000 residents live in unincorporated areas, meaning decisions about their land, police and schools are made by the county government.

Pasco County only has six municipalities: the cities of New Port Richey, Port Richey, San Antonio, Dade City, Zephyrhills and the town of Saint Leo.

In the 2010 census, Wesley Chapel’s population was listed at 44,092, a number that has grown and at the time was already nearly three times greater than the next largest city (New Port Richey, 14,934) and more populous than all of the other cities and towns put together.

“Had we succeeded, Wesley Chapel (today) would be the biggest and most powerful city in the entire county,’’ Miller laments.

While the WCCC came out against the incorporation efforts in 2003, none of those members are among the more than 500 the Chamber claims today.

“We don’t have an official stance,’’ says WCCC CEO Hope Allen, but she said it may be revisited by the Chamber’s current Board of Directors.

Pulling off incorporation won’t necessarily be any easier today. It takes money and lawyers, a feasibility study that can take up to two years to complete and will need the support of the local State legislative delegation, who would then bring it to the full state legislature, which could then approve it through a special act and put it on a referendum on the ballot.

“I saw an awful lot of interest from the chamber leaders two weeks ago,’’ Miller says about the Feb. 19 meeting. “If they were serious, and wanted to spend the money to promote it, I’d give it a 50-50 chance. But, it’s got to be sold to the residents. And, you need a cast iron stomach and the financial wherewithal to fight the battles.

He adds, “I absolutely would like to live long enough to see the day when Wesley Chapel is incorporated!”