According to permitting records filed with Pasco County, the popular food-truck-turned-mini-restaurant is planning to set up its ninth Tampa Bay location within a month inside the Tailgate Mart convenience store on the northeast corner of Wesley Chapel Blvd. and S.R. 56, behind the Shell Station.
“We just finished getting permitting done and are aiming to get that location up and running by September,’’ said Heather Chaudhry, director of marketing and operations, adding that another location in Treasure Island is also set to open around the same time.
The Tailgate Mart, located at 25195 S.R. 54, currently has a deli that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner items, but it will be remodeled to accommodate the latest entry into the busy eatery scene along S.R. 56/54 corridor.
Chaudhry said Taco Bus typically prefers stand-alone locations, but they do make exceptions in high-volume areas, like the intersection of S.R. 56 and S.R. 54/Wesley Chapel Blvd.
“We’re not looking to do many locations like this,’’ she said. “Wesley Chapel is an up-and-coming location, so it’s a very good place to be, with all the development and expansion in that area.”
Taco Bus has achieved something of a cult status since its humble and quirky beginnings in 1996 as a converted school bus operating as a food truck on E. Hillsborough Ave. selling authentic Mexican fare. Â Chef Rene Valenzuela quickly expanded to St. Petersburg, before taking the food truck concept inside and opening a restaurant in downtown Tampa, although he retained the school bus setting and charm.
Taco Bus achieved notoriety in 2011 when it was featured on an episode of Food Network’s Man v. Food, as well as an episode of Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
The nearest current location to Wesley Chapel is on E. Fletcher Ave. in the University of South Florida area. With its late hours, affordable prices and popular conchintina pibil (slow-roasted pork), el hefe burritos, 99 cent empanadas and $2 tacos on Tuesdays, it is a popular stop for local college students.
“Wesley Chapel is not far from many of our other locations,’’ Chaudhry said. “We’re lucky in that aspect, that we have some exposure in the area. We are always looking to bring the bus experience to our other customers in the area.”
The Taco Bus will be located in the westernmost portion of the Cypress Creek Town Center DRI, directly north and across S.R. 56 from a proposed Aldi store.
Directly west of the Taco Bus is the Brightwork Crossing project, which is expected to bring a Wawa and Burger King to S.R. 54 as well. Representatives from both of those companies have already met with the county to pursue permits.
Burger King is looking to construct a 3,349-sq.-ft. restaurant on S.R. 54, just west of the proposed 5,636-sq.-ft. Wawa.
American Idol auditions are Aug. 12, but you need to sign up Aug. 5.
Those who have always yearned for the chance to be on American Idol, circle Saturday, August 5 on your calendars.
On that day, sign-ups will open at ABCActionNews.com/Idol, with the first 400 registrants given the chance to audition — by performing a short a capella song before a panel of local celebrity judges — at Wesley Chapel’s Florida Hospital Ice Center on Saturday, August 12.
The winner of “Tampa Bay Idol” will receive a “Front of the Line” ticket to audition for American Idol producers during their bus tour stop in Orlando on Thursday, August 17.
“Pasco County has so much talent and I couldn’t be happier Tampa Bay Idol is holding their next tryout (here),” said Pasco County District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, who represents much of Wesley Chapel. “The ice arena where this will be held is a wonderful facility and we look forward to seeing the talent and the arena featured for the Tampa Bay Idol.”
To audition, local singers must meet all eligibility requirements and download the official rules & local registration which can only be found at ABCActionNews.com/Idol.
The oft-argued merits of a connection point between Wesley Chapel’s Mansfield Blvd. and New Tampa’s Kinnan Dr. is set to get a new look, but that won’t be the only route back and forth between Hillsborough and Pasco counties that the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) plans on looking at in less than two weeks.
The MPO will hold an open house-style meeting on Tuesday, April 18, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., at Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC)’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, in order to gather public comments and other information to be used in the upcoming Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections Study.
The study is designed to evaluate the pros and cons of three potential roadway connections between Wesley Chapel and New Tampa (red circles on map above):
Mansfield Blvd. & Kinnan St., a long sought-after connection by many in the Cross Creek and K-Bar Ranch area, though it also has its share of opponents.
Meadow Pointe Blvd. & the Meadow Pointe Blvd. extension, which leads right into the planned K-Bar Ranch Blvd. and would provide easier access to Morris Bridge Rd.
Wyndfields Blvd. & the Wyndfields Blvd. extension, which would also connect directly to both K-Bar Ranch Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd.
“We are just starting the process, and the purpose of the first meeting is to get public input about what issues there are on both sides,’’ says Pasco County transportation engineer Ali Atefi, P.E.
Kinnan St. and Mansfield Blvd. have been separated by about 50 feet of grass, trees and sometimes garbage, for years. In 2016, Pasco County District 2 commissioner Mike Moore and then-Tampa District 7 City Council member Lisa Montelione met to discuss connecting the roadways, but those talks stalled.
New District 7 City Councilman Luis Viera made the connection point one of the staples of his winning campaign, and continues to say he would like to push to bring the roads together.
“From both sides, we have had a request for a connection and, we’ve had people that don’t want to connect,’’ Atefi says. “But, these connections are shown on our long range plans and we want to do an in-depth study and figure out the positive and negatives.”
The open house, which Atefi says “is not a debate,” will include an MPO summary at 6 p.m., followed by an opportunity for those attending to examine area maps and to voice their opinions. Stations will be set up, and representatives from Pasco County Planning & Development, the MPO and the consulting team will be available to answer questions.
The public is welcome to drop in anytime between 5:30 and 7:30.
Atefi says other meetings will be held in the future, and the public will also be encouraged to take online surveys to help determine what, or if any, connections should be made.
The PHSC-Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch is located at 2727 Mansfield Blvd. in Wesley Chapel. For more information about transportation planning in Pasco County, visit the MPO website at PascoMPO.net.
In the past few weeks alone in Wesley Chapel — New Tampa’s neighbor just north of the Pasco County line — we have seen the opening of Florida Hospital Center Ice, the groundbreaking ceremony for the first Crystal Lagoon to be built in the U.S. and the green light given by Pasco County’s Board of County Commissioners for the 7,800-acre “Connected City”.
A couple of weeks before those big events, the Williams Automotive Group (which also owns Wesley Chapel Toyota, Wesley Chapel Honda and Tampa Honda on N. Florida Ave.) broke ground on its newest dealership — the 60,000-sq.-ft. Lexus of Wesley Chapel, located just south of Wesley Chapel Toyota, adjacent to I-75.
Brothers David and John Williams, honored as the WCCC’s Business Leaders of the Year for 2015, held a private groundbreaking ceremony for the Lexus dealership, which is being built quickly. We hope to have more information about when the dealership is expected to open in time for our next issue.
Very close to the Lexus dealership, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen was hiring its staff at our press time and could be open around the same time this issue reaches your mailbox. We also got word that a second Wesley Chapel Chick-fil-A was being built near the Walgreens on S.R. 54 at BBD. The land next to the pharmacy has been cleared for some time; we’ll let you know when it goes vertical.
Meanwhile, the pace of new businesses popping up is even faster and more furious along S.R. 56 — especially around the Tampa Premium Outlets — than it is on S.R. 54. The first buildings on the north side of 56 across from the outlet mall are getting very close, as Pollo Tropical is nearly as close to opening as is Popeye’s, Ford’s Garage is likely a few weeks behind those two and Panda Express  is at least 1-2 months behind those three.
Further east on S.R. 56, the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, next to FHCI, is now taking reservations and another hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn, has gone vertical on Silver Maple Pkwy. off 56, next to the TD Bank near Texas Roadhouse.
More than 1,000 parents and students streamed into Wesley Chapel High’s gymnasium Tuesday night, all hoping to convince Pasco County administrators that the recommended plan for school rezoning of their communities – Option 12 — was a bad one.
Did they succeed after the three-and-a-half hour town hall? We’ll find out Friday, when the Pasco School Boundary Committee (SBC) meets at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the arguments made Tuesday night, and whether any of its members – made up of school principals, parents and county administrators – have changed their minds about recommending Option 12.
The SBC, brought together to zone the new Cypress Creek Middle and High School (opening in 2017-18) and reduce overcrowding at Wesley Chapel’s other schools, unanimously voted to recommend Option 12 to the school board in its last meeting.
Option 12 fills the new school with mostly students living west of I-75, but to relieve overcrowding at Wiregrass Ranch High and John Long Middle, also re-zones students who live in neighborhoods with access to Meadow Pointe Blvd. (north and south of S.R. 56), which affects families in Meadow Pointe III and IV, Country Walk, Union Park and other communities.
The re-zoned students, who currently attend John Long Middle (JLMS) and Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH), would move to Thomas E. Weightman Middle (TWM) and Wesley Chapel High (WCH).
At least 50 parents wore black shirts with the 12 crossed out on it at the meeting. The crowd appeared split between two options, 13 and 20, and clearly opposed to 12.
Option 13 basically keeps communities south of S.R. 56 in their current WRH and JLMS zone, preserving Meadow Pointe III and Union Park. For the most part, Option 20 keeps the current zone as it is, with the exception moving Seven Oaks and Northwood to WMS and WCH.
To sum up the meeting: no one wants to drive up Meadow Pointe Blvd. to S.R. 54 to Curley Road during peak traffic hours to get to and from school.
Pasco Director of Planning Chris Williams.
Here’s some notes from the parents town hall at WCH, where more than 50 parents and students lined up behind a microphone and made their cases in front of a panel of county administrators (you’ll have to excuse the lack of names. Only a handful of speakers identified themselves, and chasing them down after they spoke was not possible. I’m basically emptying my notebook here.):
The first mention of Option 20, by Pasco director of planning Chris Williams, drew a raucous ovation. By the same token, the first mention of Option 12 was roundly booed.
The first speaker was in favor of Option 20, and said there was a petition backing her support with 1,120 signatures on it that was emailed to the School Board Tuesday afternoon.
One speaker worried about the “emotional impact” on kids not being to attend their neighborhood schools. She worried that the mental health of many of the re-zoned children would be compromised.
One parent who has two children at WRH and in the band said the re-zoning would be a logistical nightmare. This is a legitimate concern echoed by a number of parents during the night.Students who will be seniors next year don’t have to change schools, but their siblings who are incoming freshman or rising sophomores or juniors will have to. “Friday night is going to be very hard,’’ the mom said, with one student performing in band at WRH while the other is performing at the same time at WCH.It was suggested the county consider grandfathering in siblings of seniors to prevent this.
The biggest loser of the night? S.R. 54.“It’s horrible. It’s horrendous. It’s dangerous,’’ said one speaker.A large majority of the supporters of Option 20 cite traffic as their main reason, since it will keep their students from having to be transported up Meadow Pointe Blvd. and then across S.R. 54 to WCH.No one wants to travel on S.R. 54, especially considering a widening project right in front where it crosses Meadow Pointe Blvd. begins in 2017.
Supporters of options 13 and 20 are emboldened by a Florida Department of Transportation review by Joel Provenzano, but especially supports of Option 20.A permits review manager and traffic engineering specialist for FDOT, Provenzavo concluded “the best traffic pattern for the state roads (by far) is Option 20.”Provenzano’s professional opinion was debated Tuesday night, with some suggesting it was just that – an opinion. No official study has been done by FDOT concerning the school options and traffic patterns, and some Seven Oaks parents said their path to school, north on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. and east of S.R. 54, would also be fraught with danger.Williams said the county typically doesn’t consult with FDOT – or the Fire and Sheriff’s departments – when drawing its school zones. Again, we’ll see how much of an effect Provenzano’s assessment has on the committee come Friday.But the frustration over the possibility of a 10-minute bus ride to school becoming a 30- or 45-minute ride to school was palpable Tuesday night.
One parent was distraught that her daughter had taken all the prerequisites for WRH’s culinary program, and now would have to attend a school that didn’t have one. A Wesley Chapel student was concerned the sign language courses she had been hoping to take would not be offered at the new school.They were told to look into school choice. If your child is sold on one program or another, and the school they are zoned for doesn’t offer it, they can apply to another school. There are no guarantees, however, that choice will be granted.
Kevin Croswell, representing Meadow Pointe III, spoke out against Option 12. Croswell is against any option that breaks up his community, and thinks the SBC was influenced by Seven Oaks Voice — another parent group that submitted their own proposal for re-zoning that protected its community — because three of the SBC members are Seven Oaks residents.According to Williams, that is not true. He says there are two Seven Oaks residents on the SBC, and they were chosen by the school principals from WRH and JLM, who were allowed to pick two parents apiece. Williams added the county had nothing to do with those choices, and that trying to choose a parent from every community that might be affected would create chaos.However, the lack of Meadow Pointe representation on the SBC was a sticking point for a number of parents in the crowd Tuesday night. One parents yelled out “It’s rigged!”
At least two speakers criticized Meadow Pointe residents for not being more aware of what was going on and attending previous SBC meetings.It wasn’t until the final recommendation that Meadow Pointe and the surrounding communities mobilized. Those residents will tell you if they had had any idea their area had any chance of being re-zoned, they would have been more involved.
Some John Long Middle students spoke, leaving some panel members a little cold as they criticized what may be their new schools. One JLM student suggested to the panel it bring Weightman and Wesley Chapel up to par with his school, which is an A-school, and Wiregrass Ranch (a B school), which would prevent fights about rezoning.Another JLM student claimed that the re-zoning would leave him “friendless.” That drew a collective “awwwwwww” from the crowd.
WCH, a C-rated school in 2015 after four straight years as a B school, took a bit of a beating throughout the night, as did TWM, which is a B school. Wesley Chapel principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles did not have to be restrained even one time. Good job, Carin.
A number of band and athletic parents, as well as a few band members themselves, weren’t happy about the possibility of changing schools.Citing scholarship offers and exposure, they argued that leaving a band at WRH that finished 4th in the state for a new band that may not be as good was detrimental to their college hopes. Same goes for a few parents of athletes, especially football players, some who will have to leave two good teams at WCH and WRH for the inaugural Cypress Creek team.With no seniors, that team will almost certainly take its lumps and go 0-10. On the other hand, being one of the players that help start a program can provide its own level of fulfillment.
Tom McClanahan, who is representing Union Park, spoke briefly, as did Mark McBride, who leads Seven Oaks Voices. The two community leaders have formed an alliance in support of Option 13.The two have already submitted proposals. Williams says he has received a handful of similar proposals from community leaders, and all have been forwarded to the SBC members.McClanahan’s proposal says that Option 13 reduces the overcrowding of every school below their current levels (Option 12 leaves WCH and TWM over capacity) and provides a more equitable distribution of students. The nine-page report was submitted to the SBC and the school board.
And since Option 12 does leave WCH and TWM overcrowded, what are they thinking, asked another speaker, contending that north of S.R. 54 is a much bigger residential growth area than Wiregrass Ranch. Epperson Ranch is building homes, she said, Water Grass is still growing and Avalon Park could see as many as 4,000 new homes built in the coming years.And let’s not forget the Connected City.
Eva Cooper of Meadow Pointe III, who has a sophomore and a senior at Wiregrass Ranch, lobbied for Option 20 because she claims Option 12 only keeps six communities together, while Option 20 doesn’t split up any. She asked why the SBC decided to keep Seven Oaks, where 19 percent of WRH students live, intact, while splitting up Meadow Pointe, which has 46 percent. “Why are we accommodating so few, and affecting so many?,’’ she asked.
Another Option 20 supporter and Country Walk resident, Tina Dosal, submitted a proposal based on maintaining the Double Branch feeder pattern. Maintaining feeder programs is one of the considerations the SBC was tasked with, but Dosal was one of the few to actually make the feeder argument.
The panel Tuesday night was comprised of Chris Williams (Director of Planning), Carin Hetzler-Nettles (Wesley Chapel principal), Dr. Monica Isle Ed.D (Area Superintendent for east county), Kimberly Poe (Strategic Initiatives and Allocations Program Manager), Dr. David Scanga Ed.D (Area Superintendent for central county), Elizabeth Kuhn (Assistant Superintendent for Support Services), Gary Sawyer (Director of Transportation Services) and Matt Wicks (County Athletic Director).
In conclusion, at least 90 percent of the people in attendance Tuesday night think Option 12 is terrible. But did they make their case strongly enough for Option 13, or Option 20?
Proponents of each of those options turned Tuesday night into a battle between 13 and 20. But to use a football analogy, it all reminds me of an NFL review of a questionable reception.
The call is made (Option 12, in this case), but the referees won’t overturn that call without clear evidence they were wrong. A number of different angles of the instant replay were offered Tuesday night, and on Friday when we’ll know what the SBC sees when it comes out from under the hood.
The public cannot speak — your chance was Tuesday night — but they can attend the SBC meeting Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Wesley Chapel High media center. Williams said despite all the information provided Tuesday, as well as all the emails and proposals he has received and passed on, he expects a decision to be made and an option to pass for recommendation to the school board, which will hold two public readings of the proposal before voting on it in January.
Assistant editor John C. Cotey can be reached at john@neighborhoodnews.com.
The Taco Bus is rolling into Wesley Chapel.
More than 1,000 parents and students streamed into Wesley Chapel High’s gymnasium Tuesday night, all hoping to convince Pasco County administrators that the recommended plan for school rezoning of their communities – Option 12 — was a bad one.
Option 12 fills the new school with mostly students living west of I-75, but to relieve overcrowding at Wiregrass Ranch High and John Long Middle, also re-zones students who live in neighborhoods with access to Meadow Pointe Blvd. (north and south of S.R. 56), which affects families in Meadow Pointe III and IV, Country Walk, Union Park and other communities.
Students who will be seniors next year don’t have to change schools, but their siblings who are incoming freshman or rising sophomores or juniors will have to. “Friday night is going to be very hard,’’ the mom said, with one student performing in band at WRH while the other is performing at the same time at WCH.It was suggested the county consider grandfathering in siblings of seniors to prevent this.
According to Williams, that is not true. He says there are two Seven Oaks residents on the SBC, and they were chosen by the school principals from WRH and JLM, who were allowed to pick two parents apiece. Williams added the county had nothing to do with those choices, and that trying to choose a parent from every community that might be affected would create chaos.However, the lack of Meadow Pointe representation on the SBC was a sticking point for a number of parents in the crowd Tuesday night. One parents yelled out “It’s rigged!”
The two have already submitted proposals. Williams says he has received a handful of similar proposals from community leaders, and all have been forwarded to the SBC members.McClanahan’s proposal says that Option 13 reduces the overcrowding of every school below their current levels (Option 12 leaves WCH and TWM over capacity) and provides a more equitable distribution of students. The nine-page report was submitted to the SBC and the school board.
Proponents of each of those options turned Tuesday night into a battle between 13 and 20. But to use a football analogy, it all reminds me of an NFL review of a questionable reception.