The last couple of issues, you’ve heard a lot about our move to our new office in Wesley Chapel, so I just wanted to make it clear to our readers in zip code 33647 (and in Lake Forest) that the fact is that we haven’t really gone anywhere. We’re still here, covering all of the news we possibly can — more than all other local publications combined, of course — about New Tampa’s continuing development, roads, schools, parks and of course, businesses and restaurants.
Yes, right now, Wesley Chapel, especially in the Wiregrass Ranch area (see page 20), is growing faster and seeing more new businesses open than New Tampa, but that doesn’t mean zip code 33647 isn’t growing or flourishing. Quite the contrary, actually.
In fact, for our new friends who continue to move into the K-Bar Ranch/Easton Park communities along Morris Bridge Rd. (between Cross Creek Blvd. and the Pasco County line), you know very well that those communities are now filling in even faster with more new homes, more cars on already taxed roadways, more families and more students filling our schools.
Therefore, those residents — our newest readers — will have more needs to fulfill and will want to keep up on those needs and developments by reading these pages every month — and checking our website (NTNeighborhoodNews.com) every day! Assistant editor “par excellence” Matt Wiley is doing an outstanding job of keeping his ear to the ground (and to the internet and social media sites) to provide you with more pertinent news and information about New Tampa than you’ll find anyplace else — including daily updates on our website — so stay tuned!
And speaking of that info, Matt told me just before we went to press with this issue that there is yet another small new subdivision breaking ground now in the still-developing K-Bar Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI).
According to a March 13 press release, Lennar Homes — which has built in several New Tampa communities, including Tampa Palms, Arbor Greene, The Hammocks (next to Grand Hampton) Live Oak Preserve and others — is gearing up to begin construction on two new model homes in K-Bar Ranch.
The new, 121 single-family-home community is set to open for sales in the next 90 days, the release states. Homes will range from 2,000-4,000 sq. ft. in size and be priced beginning around $200,000.
There also are still new single- and multi-family homes/apartments being built in Live Oak Preserve, Tampa Palms Area 3, as well as in and around Grand Hampton.
What’s driving the excitement just to our north in Wesley Chapel, however, is the business climate, including a new hospital, state college, behavioral health facility and possibly other equally exciting possibilities, including a Major League Baseball Spring Training site, an ice hockey complex, a passenger rail system and even the first-ever multi-level ‘skyline’ in Pasco County — plus, many more smaller retail and office complexes already popping up and others coming in the not-too-distant future to zip codes 33543, 33544 and 33545.
In New Tampa, where we already have had both a variety of major office complexes (USAA in Tampa Palms, Syniverse and MetLife in Highwoods Preserve, etc.), plus a plethora of smaller office buildings and retail centers for more than two decades, the commercial growth isn’t happening as quickly, but could gain momentum as all of our major road improvement projects — including the ongoing widening of BBD, I-75 and Cross Creek Blvd.) are either nearing completion or at least no longer just local resident pipe dreams.
And, even though those facts have helped allow those new homes to be built in New Tampa, the improved business climate also has helped the prices on the homes that are being resold in 33647 to inch back up and kept those homes on the market for less time, all good signs.
As always, we’ll keep you posted and you can send us messages on Facebook & Twitter, on our website & by email. Stay in touch, New Tampa!
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