Downtown Avalon Park To Host Groundbreaking

Three major projects promising to transform Wesley Chapel have been in the works for years.

One of them, the KRATE container park at the Grove, launched last month to great reviews and is, arguably, the hottest spot in Wesley Chapel at the moment. Another, the Town Center area in Wiregrass Ranch, is still more than a year off. 

Next up: Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

Avalon Park Group/sitEX announced in June it has entered into an agreement with Lema Construction to start construction at Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. The budding community will break ground on Thursday, July 14, on the first phase of its downtown area. 

The groundbreaking ceremony, to be held from 4 p.m.-6 p.m.,  will feature refreshments as well as performances and entertainment by Jazz Under the Starz, The Wesley Chapel Theater Group and the Pasco County Fine Arts Council. 

The three-story, 73,067-sq.-ft. mixed-use building will include 40 multi-family apartments and 23,720 SF of commercial/retail space on the ground floor. 

The commercial/retail space will include a 12,000-sq.-ft. food hall to be called the Marketplace at Avalon Park, as well a co-working space called “The 5th Floor.” 

Both concepts already exist at the flagship Avalon Park Orlando. The 5th Floor in Orlando includes 22 private offices, 12 dedicated desks, unlimited virtual offices, three conference rooms, and presentation/event, wellness, podcast and mail rooms, as well as a café.

“This phase of construction really helps us move even closer to that vision of building a place where families can build memories and traditions together in a town they can call their own,” said Beat Kahli, the CEO of Avalon Park Group/sitEX, in a press release. “And, while this may not be the most cost-effective time to begin construction, we feel like it is important to continue on to the next step in developing our vision for Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.”

Additionally, a 2-acre community park with an amphitheatre will begin construction later this summer, following permitting. Construction of both the mixed-use building and the park are scheduled for completion in late 2023.

Kahli says he is investing more than $700 million in the downtown project — with a $33-million incentive package from Pasco County.

Upon completion, Avalon Park Wesley Chapel will include more than 1,800 acres hosting roughly 400,000 square feet of retail and 100,000 square feet of office space in its downtown area. 

Construction of Downtown Avalon Park Wesley Chapel actually began in 2018, with the addition of the Pinecrest Academy K-8 Charter School, which is currently under construction in its second phase. With nearly 600 students already enrolled, the current construction will add approximately 600 6th-8th grade student stations.

For more information about Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, visit AvalonParkWesleyChapel.com.

Two Nearby Projects & Nearly 10,000 Jobs, Get BOC’s Green Light

The Pasco Board of County Commissioners (BOC) was busy in June.

During meetings on June 7 and June 28, the commissioners voted unanimously, and without any debate, to approve performance-based incentive deals for two large projects expected to completely transform the one-time sleepy I-75/S.R. 52 intersection known previously for its truck stops.

The first deal approved was the big one — on June 7, the BOC paved the way for a new development on 965 acres at the southeast corner of 75/52.

The project, called the Pasco Town Centre, is expected to generate 5,988 jobs and will include 4 million square feet of industrial uses, 725,000 sq. ft. of office uses and 400,000 sq. ft. of retail uses, plus room for 300 hotel rooms and 3,500 homes.

According to the agreement, the mixed-use project will be, “The I-75 corridor’s gateway project into Pasco County.”

The county is contributing $55.8 million in incentives to project developer Columnar Holdings, $46.2 million from ad valorem tax rebates and $9.6 million from the Penny for Pasco fund. All of the payments will be deferred and accrued in a county escrow account for the company until 1 million square feet of industrial/office space has been built.

Thanks to the Pasco Town Centre project, the county is expected to gain more than $386 million in estimated property tax revenue through 2061 (40 years) and a total economic output of $604 million.

The benefits to the county are “profound,” David Engel, Pasco’s director of the Office of Economic Growth, told the BOC.

“This is the most productive agreement that I’ve brought forth to date to the Board,” he said. 

Engel said this project comes in at $9.60 per square foot, while the Rooker project, two 200,000-sq.-ft. Industrial warehouses approved for I-75 and Old Pasco Rd. in San Antonio that broke ground in 2021, was $9.80 a square foot.

As part of the deal, Columnar will have to provide $70 million in infrastructure, like roadways and sewer and water lines.

“When you put it all together — the road, the utilities — that’s well over $200 million before the developer can even get $1 out of the escrow account,” Engel says. “That’s a very significant gesture and a commitment to the project the developer is making.”

County commissioner Ron Oakley calls the projects a “win-win” for the county.

Engel also said the new development will be a boon to the area and to companies that are looking to move to Pasco County. The county is eager to accelerate the project because, “We do not have suitable space for companies to come in to that area right now, and we have tremendous demand for that,” he said.

The Pasco Town Centre is within the Connected City at the north end of Wesley Chapel, and Michael Wolf of Columnar Holdings said the goal is to make his project synergistic with the Connected City when it comes to local travel.

“We think it’s so important to truly get that activation, to have folks be able to run, bike, golf cart, what have you,” he said. “If we don’t have those components, we won’t be able to activate that space.”

The Town Centre still has to go through the rezoning process, but Phase One is expected to be completed by June 30, 2024, with the final two phases finishing up by the end of 2026 and 2028, respectively.

Northpoint Project

A second, smaller project was approved by the BOCC on June 28, with commissioners voting unanimously in favor of a $6.3-million incentive package for a project on roughly 218 acres near the northeast corner of Interstate 75 and State Road 52.

Northpoint Development LLC is building a 1.4-million-sq.-ft. build-to-suit site expected to yield 2,400 jobs when completed. 

Build-to-suit projects are typically facilities specially constructed to meet the specifications of a particular user, who currently is unnamed.

According to Clark Hobby, who represents Northpoint, the original site was smaller but the developer acquired an additional 56 acres to the north.

With nearly $10-million in costs just for road improvements, the developer asked for $6.3 million in assistance.

“This is an exciting project,” Hobby said. “It is being designed and will be constructed for a major regional distribution center that will include a significant number of jobs.”

If the end-user backs out, the county won’t lose any money. But, Hobby said his client is so confident in the deal, “we’re planning on starting construction in late August, to early September.”

Hobby said the building will be a half-mile wide, and Engel said the total size will be roughly equivalent to two football fields.

The county’s Office of Economic Growth calculates that the Northpoint project will generate $19.1 million in ad valorem taxes over 20 years, and inject $282 million into the Gross County Product (GCP) during construction.

Once completed, the county says the annual recurring benefits to the GCP will average $227 million, and the return on investment is 195:1 for every dollar the county is providing in assistance.

Both 75/52 projects are in Commissioner Ron Oakley’s District. He supports both projects and called them a win-win for the area.

My Father’s Day Weekend Was Definitely A Dream Come True!

Gary Nager Editorial

Twenty years after having both of my knees arthroscoped, and after too many years of trying to deal with being bone-on-bone in both knees (and walking with an obvious limp), I finally decided to get my knees replaced.

Yes, I was motivated for myself, as I wanted to improve my quality of life, but my true motivation was that I wanted to be able to dance at my 30-year-old son Jake’s wedding to Meghan Hathaway, which just happened to finally take place on the Saturday night of Father’s Day weekend.

I say “finally” because Jake and Meghan had to twice put off their wedding celebration with their family and friends, due to concerns about Covid-19, even though they were married at a courthouse more than three years ago. While they were waiting for their first party in 2020, they became pregnant with my now 2-1/2-year-old grandson Jackson (Jax).

The renewal of their wedding vows and reception, which were held in Miami, will forever be among the highlights of my life.

Jared, Jake & their Dad

Perhaps best of all, for me, was that I did accomplish my goal — only nine weeks after having my right knee replaced and 17 weeks after receiving a new left knee, I did indeed get to dance at Meghan and Jake’s big event. I was one of somewhere between 150-200 people — more than 50 of which were members of Meghan’s huge family from Boston — who were able to participate in this magical celebration of their love.

One of the other highlights of the weekend was getting to spend some grandpa time with the adorable Jax — who looks almost exactly like Jake did at the same age (some people even said he looks like me, which made my heart melt). Jannah and I also were able to spend a lot of quality time over the course of the weekend with more than a half-dozen of Jake’s closest friends from Wharton High, some of whom I didn’t recognize at first because I hadn’t seen them at all since their high school days more than a decade ago. 

It also reminded me of how precious this life is, as neither my own father nor mother — Jack and Marilyn Nager — were able to attend the wedding, due to health concerns, although my sister Bonnie was able to make her way down from her home outside of Philadelphia to share this most joyous event.

I can’t imagine a more perfect Father’s Day gift or a better weekend. I finally got to witness the celebration with this most beautiful (inside and out) couple and my older son Jared absolutely killed it with his Best Man speech at the wedding — “I never thought I had a problem making friends until I found out that Jake had more than eight groomsmen. To me, it seemed like kind of an excessive number, but it did make me question my own popularity.” J-Man made me so proud and he even gave me credit for helping him become a better writer. I also got to join in the fun, as I made a toast of my own to the happy couple at their rehearsal dinner.

If there’s ever been a happier father on Father’s Day, I’d like to meet him. Congratulations to Jake, Meghan and Jax, to Meg’s mom and dad, Janice and Kevin Hathaway and this happy couple’s entire family.

First-Ever RADDSports Charity 5K Runs To Fund-Raising Success! 

Fresh off last year’s successful golf fund raiser at Lexington Oaks Golf Club, the RADDSports Charity 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is now 2-for-2.

The charity, which is the nonprofit arm of RADDSports, the private partner of Pasco County responsible for the sports programs at the county-owned Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, hosted more than 100 runners and their families at its first-ever Charity 5K, 1K, Kids Run and Family Fun Festival.

The run and festival were held at the Sports Campus on June 18. RADDSports president and Charity Board chair Richard Blalock says that he is proud that the event raised enough proceeds to provide scholarships for more kids who can’t afford RADDSports’ programs.

“This is still all about changing the culture and helping young athletes, regardless of their ability to pay, participate in our programs,” Blalock said. “Plus, it was a fun day for everyone who came out to participate.”

In addition to the various runs, RADDSports’ sponsors, vendors and business partners had booths at the event. Final fund-raising totals for the RADDSports Charity 5K & Festival had not yet been tabulated at our press time.

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY TO THE ROUSH TWINS!

Leukemia may have kept John Roush (far right) from school and his friends since his diagnosis in May, but it wasn’t going to spoil the drive-by 7th birthday celebration he shared with his twin brother Donald (left), as the Wesley Chapel community turned out in force out to wish the boys well from a distance.

Robert Roush knew a traditional birthday party was out of the question for his twin sons Donald and John, after John was diagnosed with leukemia in May.

So, Robert took to Facebook and crossed his fingers. A 26-year resident of Wesley Chapel, he hoped he could rally enough people willing to drive by his home and offer a happy seventh birthday wish for the boys from their vehicles.

Wesley Chapel didn’t let him down. More than 100 vehicles drove by the Roush home in two hours in Fox Ridge, honking and hollering birthday wishes, including fire trucks, a motorcycle club and some classic cars. Many waved elaborate signs wishing the twins a happy birthday, others handed out gifts for them.

“Honestly at first, we were apprehensive,” Robert said. “We’ve lived in Wesley Chapel for 26 years and I’ve seen how much it has changed with so much growth (and new people) the last two years and worried maybe it was losing that sense of community…but I was overwhelmed in a very good way. We saw that, at the core, the community is still there.”

Donald and John waved back from the front lawn of their home. They posed with firefighters, who brought gifts. John got to see teachers and his classmates from Quail Hollow Elementary, who he never got to say goodbye to this school year due to his untimely diagnosis.

“That was a big deal for him,” Robert said. “Missing the last weeks of school was really, really tough for him.”

John will not be able to attend classes in the fall, and will be home schooled by Robert. John’s mother Laura is a teacher’s assistant at Quail Hollow and is taking classes to become a teacher.

In May, John, who hadn’t been himself for months, was taken to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, where he was diagnosed with leukemia.

He spent the following 11 days in the hospital. The doctors say there is a two-year battle ahead of the family, but Robert says people who have children with leukemia or have already been through it have told him that two years “is a pie in the sky” prediction.

“We think we’re looking at 3-4 years of chemotherapy and other treatments,” said Robert, a self-employed counselor and pastor. “We’ll just have to take it one month at a time, and pray for the best.”

On the twins’ actual birthday — June 24 — John had a bone marrow draw and a spinal injection, where he had to go under anesthesia and have chemotherapy directly injected into his spine.

As a result, he was worn out 45 minutes into his birthday drive-by celebration the following day, but not before he was able to enjoy a reprieve from the loneliness of his illness.

“It absolutely was good for him, not only seeing how many people were supporting him and rooting for him, but it also gave him closure for the end of school,” Robert said. “It really helped him.” — JCC

Note – On July 1, Robert Roush posted the following on Facebook: 

“After a wonderful birthday, due to the love and support of the community, John has had a few setbacks. He had to undergo an additional bone marrow draw…and his blood counts have dropped, requiring him to be admitted back into St. Joseph’s. His spirits are high, but his energy is low. Please pray for our little man and our family…God willing he may be home for the 4th (of July).”

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