Commissioners Spar Over Need For More Apartments

The Charleson Communities at Wesley Chapel are under construction at the southeast corner of New River Rd. and S.R. 54., part of more than 1,000 apartment/multi-family units being added to District 2 recently. Commissioners debated whether more apartments are needed in the area. (Photo: tampacivil.com/Aerial Productions)

More and more apartment communities are being built in or proposed for the Wesley Chapel area, and Mike Moore doesn’t like it.

The Pasco County Commissioner, whose District 2 includes most of Wesley Chapel and some of Land O’Lakes, is leading the fight against building more apartments, in contrast to his fellow commissioners who also represent parts of Wesley Chapel — District 1 commissioner Ron Oakley, whose district includes much of Wesley Chapel north of S.R. 54, and District 3 commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who represents a sliver of the southwest corner of Wesley Chapel.

Moore and Starkey clashed at a Jan. 12 commission meeting over a proposal to build apartments just north of the future BayCare Hospital on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) and Eagleston Blvds. Moore and Starkey disagreed about whether or not to approve the proposal by the developer, Mass Capital, with Moore motioning to have it denied. and both Starkey and Oakley voting against it, as did new Dist. 4 county commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick.

The commission then voted 5-0 to continue the debate over the proposal — which would build 240 multi-family dwellings on 16.24 acres — for 60 days. 

The commissioners picked the argument back up at a workshop scheduled on Feb. 9, moving towards a temporary moratorium on approving new apartment complex projects.

Moore has long opposed the proliferation of new apartments in the county and, in particular, in his district. His reasons are clear — apartments are taking up land that could be better used generating employment, and because he believes there are already enough multi-family properties to fulfill the need in the area.

To prove he wasn’t alone, he funded a poll conducted by Spry Strategies in December of 400 residents in District 2. 

“I’ve beaten this drum for years about apartment complexes in Pasco County, but especially in District 2, so I went ahead and did something,” Moore says. “It was not funded with county dollars, it was $1,700 and I used my own account…I wanted to show it’s not just coming out of my mouth, it’s coming out of citizens’ mouths, too.”

The results, however unscientific, reveal that more local residents agree with him than not, with 154 (or 38.5 percent) saying they don’t approve of the number of apartment buildings in their communities. Almost as many (149) were unsure or didn’t have an opinion; Moore chalked that high number up to the poll being conducted during the holidays. And, 97 (24.2%) of those polled approve of the amount of apartments in their community.

The poll also revealed that 196 (or 49%) would prefer to see more office and commercial development than more apartments, with 59 (14.7%) not having a preference. Again, a high number, 145 (or 36%), were unsure or didn’t have an opinion either way.

Asked whether they believed that more apartments should be built in Pasco County, 231 (57.75%) replied no and 73 (18.3%) replied yes, with 96 (24% unsure).

“Not a day goes by, especially in Land O’Lakes and Wesley Chapel, that someone comes up and starts talking to me and doesn’t bring it up,” Moore says. “I get emails about Covid and in it they bring up the subject of apartments. It shows you how frustrated the community is when it comes to the amount of apartment complexes built in that area.”

According to Nectorious Pittos, AICP, Pasco County’s director of Planning and Development, there are 68 Master Planned Unit Developments (MPUDs) in District 2, and 25 allow for multi-family apartments to be built. Recently, more than 1,000 units have been approved, constructed or are under construction at four new communities — Charleston at Wesley Chapel (on the southwest corner of S.R. 54 and New River Rd., just past Avalon Park West), the new Parc at Wesley Chapel in Lexington Oaks, the Cypress Creek Town Center and in the Aiken MPUD in nearby Land O’Lakes.

Moore says there are dozens of parcels in the area that already have the entitlements dating back to the 1980s to build apartments, and he has no interest in taking those away. But, developers hoping to rezone areas that would be better used for job-creating commercial spaces is where he wants to draw the line.

Moore also cited traffic issues, lack of the space generating employment and revenue for the county, and the effects more apartments will have on nearby schools.

The county received 24 emails about the Mass Capital project, all opposing it. However, Barbara Wilhite, the lawyer representing the developer, said those emails were all from Seven Oaks residents, and despite its proximity, the proposed apartment complex is not located within the Seven Oaks DRI. She said there was support for the proposal from actual future neighbors like BayCare Hospital, Blue Heron Assisted Living Facility and nearby townhomes.

While Moore, who lives in Seven Oaks, was adamantly opposed regardless, Starkey was supportive of developer Mass Capital’s proposal. 

She says she heard apartments in the area were at 98 percent capacity — Moore says he disagrees with that number — and she didn’t feel the number of apartments already in existence were oversaturating the area. She also felt it was a good location for apartments, and argued there would be less traffic added to the area with an apartment complex than any other use.

Starkey argued against Moore’s motion to deny by disputing his points and suggesting he was arguing from a privileged perspective.

“It’s elitist and improper,” Starkey said. “Not everyone can live in a $500,000 (home in a) gated community. We are going down a path that is really dangerous, rude and inappropriate.”

Oakley said he felt the project was a good idea and “fits a puzzle.” He voted against Moore’s motion to deny it.

Moore, who says he has spent a good amount of time researching the subject of apartments and the good and bad effects they can have on communities, said he was hoping to change some minds at the Feb. 9 workshop.

Support Comes In Many Different Forms…& T-Shirts

As the Pasco County Commissioner representing District 2, which encompasses most of Wesley Chapel, it is a big part of Mike Moore’s job to help local businesses that are struggling during the current Covid-19 pandemic in a variety of ways — from forming committees to find relief to helping engineer, and vote on, small business grants to making plans for an uncertain future.

But, one of the more unique and fun ways Moore is helping out is by giving social media shout-outs to local businesses with the requisite #SupportPasco hashtag.

Moore began encouraging area restaurants to send him their T-shirts — he promised to return them — so he could wear them in videos he has been posting on his Facebook and Twitter pages. Whatever shirt he is wearing that day, Moore shares a little about the business and encourages viewers to stop by and grab some takeout.

He started with Al’s Famous Pizza in San Antonio, and has also featured 900º Woodfired Pizza, Buttermilk Provisions and The Brass Tap.

Not only does Moore get to shine the spotlight on local businesses, it also gives him the chance to show off his new Grizzly Adams-style “quarantine beard.”

“It was just a fun thing that kind of started just to get the word out about these places,” Moore says. “It’s tough right now for them to spend money on advertising, so this is a big help. Every little bit you can do to help these small businesses is worth it.”

His videos generally receive more than 1,000 views, and he says his Facebook inbox is jammed with requests.

“I can’t even get to them all,” he says. “I sit there in bed at night trying to get through them.”

Moore’s video spotlights have been such a hit that he has opened it up to small businesses other than restaurants, and increased his output to two videos a day.

Social media has become a popular way to support local businesses, by sharing various specials and news about restaurants and other businesses. Moore has lots of company when it comes to promotion — the Wesley Chapel Community page on Facebook has open threads where small businesses can advertise, and here at the Neighborhood News  (also promoted by Moore), we have done a series of videos and Facebook posts promoting local businesses, with more to come.

As businesses begin reopening under new rules and new hours, getting the word out will be more important than ever.

Wesley Chapel Slides Out Of The Fast Lane

Teachers and administrators hand out breakfast and lunch for the week at Quail Hollow Elementary. (Photo: Charmaine George)

For years, the Wesley Chapel story has been one of growth and expansion, where new businesses and communities popped up on what seemed like a weekly basis, where roads were crowded, schools were filled to capacity and business was booming. 

Appears to be time for a new chapter.

The next one written will be about the recovery from a deadly virus, COVID-19, that has shut almost everything across the country and the world down, stripped people of their jobs and the roads of its automobiles and people of their sense of safety and well-being.

“It came so fast,” says Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore. “These are unprecedented times and I don’t think anybody, no matter your age, unless you lived through the Great Depression, has gone through anything like this.”

On April 2, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, after weeks of harsh criticism for his inaction, shut the state down for 30 days with a stay-at-home order.

While essential businesses were allowed to stay open, everyone else was encouraged to stay home. Healthcare providers, grocery stores, gas stations, laundry service providers, office supply stores, the media and restaurants – take-out and delivery only – are all considered essential services.

DeSantis also included religious services at church.

When we went to press with our New Tampa issue on March 20th, the number of positive cases of coronavirus in Florida had just passed 500, and there had been 10 deaths.

Two weeks later as we wrapped up our current issue on April 3, there were 9,585 cases (including 74 in Pasco County) and 163 deaths (only two here at our press time).

While there have been glimmers of hope as the number of cases slows down and the flattening of the curve begins, local officials are still hard at work prepping for whatever the future holds.

Locally, Moore and other Pasco County officials have been scrambling to prepare the area with countless meetings and teleconferences, as business and schools and families have started full-fledged adjustments to life with coronavirus concerns.

Schools appear unlikely to open again this academic year. There has been no word on whether high school graduation ceremonies in Pasco County, scheduled for June 3-7, will actually take place.

Area schools have transitioned to online teaching/distance learning, and have been praised for the early results of those efforts.

“Saying that the last 2-3 weeks have been anything short of different would be an understatement,” said Pasco School District superintendent Kurt Browning. “It really has turned the school district on its heels…but a tip of the hat to the teachers and administrators for stepping up and digging in to find out how this works.”

Not only did schools hand out roughly 15,000 devices to accommodate students for distance learning, it also already has distributed more than 110,000 meals for students.

Originally a daily distribution, the district is now providing breakfast and lunch meals for the whole week on Tuesdays. The day of the first Tuesday distribution — on March 31— 80,680 meals were provided to families via drive-through lanes of 25 schools, including New River and Quail Hollow elementary schools.

Tuesday food service will continue through April.

The Tampa Premium Outlets have been temporarily closed since mid-March.

Local businesses, however, are finding survival to be much more difficult, especially those who don’t have a business that can transition to offer its services online.

Social distancing is currently the best defense against coronavirus, according to medical experts, but it’s also the antithesis to small business success, especially for those in the service industry like hair and nail salons, small stores or studios and restaurants. 

“It’s pretty stressful,” said James Serrano, who owns Pinot’s Palette in Wesley Chapel, a small art-and-wine studio that specializes in group painting events.

Those that can’t remain open can only hope that the stay-at-home order expires in 30 days.

However, no business owners we talked believed that 30 days was a realistic timeline, and most are readying to hunker down for a month or two longer.

“The best-case scenario from what I understand is May 8,” says Brass Tap owner Jeff Martin. “But, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

Social distancing is the norm in Wawa and pretty much everywhere. (Photo: Charmaine George)

Because Wesley Chapel is an area with a high concentration of small businesses — many of which have been experiencing boom times over the past few years due to the area’s tremendous growth — coronavirus fears are likely to strike a harsher blow.

But, no one really seems to know where this headed, except for uncharted territory.

“There are a lot of unknowns, and that is really the scary part,” says Hope Kennedy, the CEO of the 700-member North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. “I’m not sure we’ve gotten to the (worst) of this. Once we do, we can get into recovery mode.”

A PLACE OF THEIR OWN

Kids squealed with delight upon arriving at the brand-new inclusive playground designed for those with virtually any type of disability at the Wesley Chapel District Park. There were swings and tubes and things to sit and spin on, a soft, cushioned floor to walk on and roll over and lots of bright colors.

It was all theirs.

The glee in their faces was contagious, and it was exactly the moment Pasco County Board of County Commissioners chair Mike Moore had envisioned when he first pitched the idea to the county’s Parks and Recreation department.

The kids weren’t the only ones overwhelmed.

“I’ll be honest with you, when the kids first came out here, I was watching and I had to walk away because it was a little overwhelming,” Comm. Moore said. “I had a couple of tears in my eyes, I really did. This is a miracle.”

***

On December 4, a large gathering of overjoyed kids, dedicated caregivers and teachers, Pasco County government dignitaries and generous donors from the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, the Lennar Foundation and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel took a few snips at the ribbon cutting, officially opening Pasco’s first-ever inclusive playground.

It was a perfectly sunny day, with a slight chill in the air. But, most everyone there had their hearts warmed by the excitement of the kids, most of whom arrived on a bus from the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs from John Long Middle School and Wiregrass Ranch Elementary.

“I’m having a ball,” shouted Eric Piburn, a terminally ill 13-year-old in glasses, gloves, a knit cap and a face mask. Piburn, who needs a heart and double lung transplant, excitedly described his experience as he swung back and forth from a disc swing (that looked like an over-sized basket), the tube from his oxygen tank swaying along with him.

“I’ve loved swings since I was little,” he exclaimed. “I never ever ever ever ever ever want to leave. Ever.”

Another Long student walked around giving everyone a hug. Others wide-eyed but trepidatiously wandered from ride to ride, looking to find something they enjoyed.

“This is really cool,” said Deborah Collin, assistant principal in charge of ESE services at Long. “I keep saying to myself, where can we get some of this stuff?”

****

For every 1,000 children in Pasco County, there are 85 who have some type of special needs. Countywide, the Pasco County School District says there are about 16,000 children with special needs. Collin says there are 55 children in the ESE program at her school, spread over three different classifications of disability, with five teachers and eight instructional aides.

While they have adaptive physical education for the students, it is confined to a room.

“It’s still not enough movement or variety,” she said.

Which is why the playground is such a gamechanger for children with disabilities.

“This is huge,” said Barbara Hayes, a physical therapist with Pasco County Schools for 22 years. “There aren’t a lot of areas for those children to access. You can see the smiles on their faces. This gives them an opportunity to play with children more at their developmental level. This is a wonderful thing and very well done.”

Collin said one of her students, seventh grader Zakyla McKenzie, spends a lot of time playing with a plastic bottle. It fulfills some of her sensory needs, with its texture and the sound it makes when squeezed. But, it’s been the only exercise she usually gets each day.

At the inclusive playground, however, Zakyla was able to find something she liked more.

“She was having such a good time on the swing, she did not want to get off,” said Nellie Reilly, a behavioral specialist at Long who seemed as overjoyed as many of the students.

****

While many area parks may be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines, few truly meet the standards of what proponents consider to be inclusivity. To do so requires wider pathways and easier-to-navigate surfaces, activity panels that are at ground height, larger swings with more back support and sensory elements that include touch and music.

There are multiple swing sets on the playground, an inclusive spinner that allows kids in wheelchairs to have a merry-go-round experience with their friends, a tube to crawl through — “I like to pretend I’m a cat!” said Eric — and four springy chairs. The surface throughout the playground is made of rubber and, combined with the spread-out rides, allows easy access for wheelchair-bound kids to move around and interact with others.

In the spring, a butterfly garden, which will be tended to by the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, should be in full bloom.

“I didn’t see anybody that didn’t find something that worked for them,” Collin said.

****

The inclusive park is the first of its kind in Pasco County and one that Moore said he hopes to replicate in other places. It was not, however, your typical project for the county — it was introduced, funded, approved, designed and built in less than five months, which is light speed by traditional governmental standards.

As a volunteer coach at the District Park for a variety of sports, Moore had for many years seen kids who could run fast, jump high and were able to revel in what the park had to offer.

However, he also had seen the kids who couldn’t, those relegated to the sidelines because of a disability. The park wasn’t for everyone, he realized, and he said the thought bothered him and prompted him to try and change that situation.

After a few months of research, Moore introduced the idea to Keith Wiley, Pasco’s director of Parks and Recreation, earlier this year. Wiley had been thinking similarly — he already had been planning some special needs camps for the county. 

****

To fund the project, since it wasn’t in the county’s budget, Moore turned to the 53-member Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel — of which he is an honorary member — which just happened to be looking for a big project, and the club agreed to donate $50,000 for the playground.

Chris Casella, the Rotary Club’s current president, told the ribbon-cutting ceremony crowd of roughly 100 that he was motivated by his own experiences as a kid, and the times spent at the park with friends and family.

“Today,” he said, “this can be a reality for so many families from this area that are going to be able to bring children to this park and have memories that will last a lifetime.”

The Lennar Foundation, the homebuilder’s charitable arm, donated another $50,000, and Advent Health Wesley Chapel chipped in another $25,000.

In August, the county commission voted 5-0 to approve roughly $215,000 in public funding to cover the rest of the project. Ground was broken in September. The ribbon was cut in December.

It was money well spent. As the kids slowly filed back to their school bus, and the adults headed back to work, Eric Piburn continued to rock back and forth on the disc swing, still planning to never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever leave.

Ever.

Congrats To The North Tampa Bay Chamber & A Tip Of The Hat To Mike Moore!

NTBC president Hope Allen shows off the Florida Chamber of the year award. (Right, l.-r.) Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, Hope and NTBC Board chair Karen Tillman-Gosselin at the Chamber’s Monthly Business Breakfast held Oct. 1 at PHSC’s Porter Campus.

(Big congratulations go out to the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce (NTBC) and its president and CEO (and, I’m proud to say, my good friend) Hope Allen for bringing home some impressive hardware from the annual Florida Association of Chamber Professionals’ annual conference. 

The NTBC was named the 2019 Chamber of the Year from among the 300 Chambers of Commerce throughout the state of Florida. “This designation is an absolute honor, as we are able to showcase our organization, its members, and the entire team as an elite chamber,” Hope said in her formal email announcement to the NTBC membership about the award.

“Among the many accomplishments our organization has had over the years, the three major initiatives that set us a part were the development of AdventHealth Center Ice, Metro Development’s Connected Cities, and the RADDSports project (aka the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County).”

Along with those accomplishments, Hope said she and her team of Chamber professionals were excited to be recognized for the acquisition of two chambers within the last five years that led to an official logo and name change. “This award is a testament to not only our staff and our Board of Directors, but to our amazing members who make up our thriving community.”

Hope also was recognized as an individual who has dedicated 15 years of service to the chamber profession. 

The hard-working NTBC president showed off the Chamber of the Year hardware (left photo above) at the Chamber’s September 27 Final Friday networking event, which was held the afternoon we went to press with this issue (on Sept. 27) at Grillsmith in the Shops at Wiregrass mall. NTBC chair-elect Dr. Kevin O’Farrell of Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch gave Hope big props for her efforts on the Chamber’s behalf and Hope actually gave yours truly and this publication some love, telling me that, “Without you and the Neighborhood News always promoting everything we do, we would never have been able to win this award.”

I’m not sure I agree, because Hope and the NTBC have been so influential and ever-present with regards to everything that is happening business- and development-wise in New Tampa and especially, Wesley Chapel, that it definitely deserved to win on its own merits — but I will definitely take it!   

Great Job, Commish!

Speaking of the NTBC, Seven Oaks resident and Pasco County Commissioner (and someone else I am proud to call my friend) Mike Moore was the featured speaker at the Chamber’s Oct 1 Monthly Business Breakfast at Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch and Comm. Moore definitely rocked the packed house.

He touched on Pasco’s recent re-branding as Florida’s Sports Coast, thanks in large part to AdventHealth Center Ice (AHCI) and the Pasco County Sports Campus at Wiregrass Ranch (which will be operated by RADDSports, the company that now employs my wife Jannah) both being here in Wesley Chapel. Moore said the USA Hockey Disabled Hockey tournament at AHCI generated a Pasco record 2,000 hotel room nights and with nearly a million visitors and room nights countywide in 2018, he says  that number will continue to grow. 

Comm. Moore also touted the county’s many road improvements, especially those coming to the Wesley Chapel area — including the recent opening of S.R. 56 all the way to U.S. Hwy. 301 in Zephyrhills, the under-construction Diverging Diamond Interchange at I-75 and S.R. 56, the planned Overpass Rd. interchange off I-75, the in-progress widening of S.R. 54 from Curley Rd. to Morris Bridge Rd. and the widening of Wesley Chapel Blvd. north of S.R. 56.

Mike and I don’t agree on everything, especially his opposition to connecting Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe to Kinnan St in New Tampa, but I don’t think anyone could argue that he isn’t doing a great job.