The Hyatt Place Hotel and Convention Center is expected to open in July, and according to Impact Properties president Dilip Kanji, combined what will follow soon after will make the Cypress Creek Town Center the place to be in Wesley Chapel.
At the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Economic Development Briefing on Thursday, Kanji announced that organic grocer Earthfare, as well as Stein Mart, Chipotle, HomeGoods and other long-anticipated retail stores and restaurants, are heading to the north side of S.R. 56, directly across from Tampa Premium Outlets.
“You may (already) know this, but I have permission to release this,” Kanji said, to the delight of a few dozen local business leaders at Hunter’s Green Golf & Country Club.
Kanji said a number of previously undisclosed but rumored businesses will be popping up along the bustling S.R. 56 strip being developed by the Sierra family. Those include:
Earth Fare: One of the boutique, or organic, food stores many in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa have been clamoring for. Earth Fare pledges that it only sells products that are free of high fructose corn syrup, added hormones, bleached or bromated flour, antibiotics and artificial fats, colors, preservatives and sweeteners. The nearest store is roughly 20 miles away in Oldsmar, and most recent store – the company’s 46th – opens Saturday in Bradenton.
Stein Mart: Department store that touts big savings on designer brands. The company closed its store in Tampa Palms in 2015.
Chipotle Mexican Grill: A chain of fast casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations and something of a cult following. It has a location in New Tampa at The Walk at Highwoods Preserve, and specializes in burritos, tacos, bowls and salads.
HomeGoods: HomeGoods will be joining what will be a crowded market for home fashions, including kitchen and bath items, rugs, lighting and furniture, as an At Home is planned for the south side of S.R. 56 behind Costco, and a Cost Plus World Market should be opening soon at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.
Total Wine & More: The largest U.S. independent retailer of fine wine has three locations in Tampa Bay – Tampa, Brandon and Clearwater.
Hobby Lobby: An arts and craft store with more than 800 locations in 47 states, it has been rumored to be coming since showing up on as a Cypress Creek tenant on a retail flier in 2016. This would b the third Pasco County location, joining stores in Zephyrhills and New Port Richey.
Golf Galaxy: Formerly known as Golfsmith before being acquired by DICK’s, 36 new Golf Galaxy stores, which sell the latest golf equipment, apparel and accessories, opened last summer, including one on N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Lutz.
Walk-On Bistreaux and Bar: Founded by a pair of former walk-on basketball players on the Louisiana State University basketball team in 2003, Walk-On was named by ESPN is 2012 as the No. 1 Sports Bar in America. New Orleans Saints quarterback Dree Brees joined the ownership team in 2015, and the sports-themed bar now is only located in Texas and Louisiana but is expanding all over the southeast, including nine locations in Florida.
Blaze Pizza: The California-based fast-casual chain touts its freshly and daily-made dough, signature sauce and fast-firing create-your-own pizzas (hence the name).
“In April, they will start clearing ground,” Kanji said. “It will be 330,000-sq.-ft. of retail space that will be built.”
Other businesses Kanji mentioned have also been reported in the Neighborhood News. They include Dick’s Sporting Good (most likely a fusion of DICK’s and Field & Stream, one of the company’s subsidiaries), PetSmart and Burlington Coat Factory, which are already in the permitting phase.
Restaurants that are already under construction and expected to open by the summer: Chuy’s Tex-Mex and Bahama Breeze Island Grille. Mellow Mushroom, a specialty pizza place, opened in mid-January.
Kanji said the explosion of new businesses on the Sierra properties is why he wanted to build the Hyatt Place and Convention Center of Wesley Chapel there. He said he has had his eye on Wesley Chapel for a number of years, but saw most of the potential west of S.R. 56.
“When we looked at the hotel site, we could have gone on the other (east) side, we could have gone on Bruce B. Downs, but this is where we wanted to be,” Kanji said. “I mean, where else would you stay if you’re in Wesley Chapel than right there. Walking distance to restaurants, shopping, entertainment. Within walking distance (of so many things), that’s what today’s traveler wants.”
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