(Almost) Everyone Is Excited About Whole Foods Coming To Wesley Chapel!

Some Neighbors In Meadow Pointe Adjacent To The New Development Have Concerns About Flooding, Noise & More 

Photo provided by Judy Johnson 

 Introduction by Gary Nager 

Story by Joel Provenzano 

 Although some locals still firmly believe that the area needs a Trader Joe’s market even more, there’s no doubt that the beginning of construction of our area’s first and only Whole Foods market is among the most hotly anticipated new developments in Wesley Chapel. 

Some of the long-term residents who live in the adjacent Meadow Pointe I community, however, aren’t necessarily as excited. They’re wondering, when it comes to development, how close is too close? 

With Whole Foods now under construction, some of those neighbors are voicing their concerns to the Neighborhood News. 

These neighbors in The Savannahs subdivision of Meadow Pointe I are asking a number of questions, including one big one: 

If a man-made retention pond was built as an original feature of a community’s design and has been part of your backyard since 1992, don’t you have the right to assume that the pond was there to stay? 

Why would anyone assume otherwise? In our area, it is virtually unheard of that ponds near established community homesites would end up being removed. 

But, there is a pond located behind the homes on Openfield Loop that is being removed for this new commercial development — despite multiple failed previous attempts to develop the 16-acre property located north and east of the intersection of Aronwood Blvd. and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. into a full-fledged commercial site — and the fact that no previous developer had proposed removing the pond. 

All of the neighbors we spoke with understood that the land would eventually be developed into a neighborhood commercial site, as it has been zoned for that purpose since before their homes were built adjacent to it. 

What these homeowners could not have anticipated, however, was that the latest developer (SJC Ventures) would propose moving that development even closer to their backyards by eliminating the natural buffer the pond provided — anywhere from 50-200 feet, depending upon which lot your house was located. 

And that, the homeowners told us, is where the true concern lies: the edge of the parking lot would now only be 15’ from some of their backyard property lines — close enough to throw a paper airplane and hit a parked car. 

The expansive pond buffer — along with the previously approved 20-foot landscape buffer for the southernmost home, as shown in an earlier plat — are being eliminated. In its place, a standard white vinyl fence (possibly) and a uniform 15-foot buffer would directly separate six homes (see map below) from a 160,000-sq.- ft. commercial center, while the views of an additional four homes would be indirectly impacted. 

Put plainly, the pond would be removed to make room for approximately 90 of the development’s 881 proposed parking spaces. 

That said, the removal of existing man-made ponds for site reconfiguration does occur — just not typically in a young, rapidly growing area like Wesley Chapel, where fresh commercial developments are still popping up all over. 

This type of development change normally takes place in older areas where outdated commercial developments are torn down, ponds are removed and new drainage facilities are put in place — whether that be in the form of relocated new ponds, or below-ground “vaults” to provide for more building area or parking. 

It’s crazy to think that at 33 years old, and without any aged commercial development, that this parcel fits that criteria, as it is one of the oldest commercial lots (per zoning) in Wesley Chapel. 

At its core, this issue reflects the broader tensions that accompany growth and development — where long-held expectations about how things were, or were meant to remain, collide with the sometimes unfortunate realities of change. It is a familiar struggle, one that increasingly places evolving commercial developer interests at odds with those of existing residents — a dynamic we have found ourselves reporting on with growing frequency. 

Can more compromise and common ground be found, so everyone still gets what’s important to them? 

The Developer’s Goal 
The site plan showing the locations of Whole Foods & Lifetime Fitness on developer SJC Ventures’ site plan. We don’t yet have info as to exactly where, or even in which buildings, the other businesses mentioned in the story will be located. (Site plan source: Pasco County)

The goals of neighborhood commercial development are to provide needed services and jobs for nearby residents and, of course, to make money. Having options of where to shop, where to eat and where to get health care can make an area more desirable and more enjoyable as a place to live, because people generally appreciate having proximity, freedom of choice and variety. 

The affected homeowners we spoke with understand this, and wanted to make it clear that they’re not against the commercial development now under construction from SJC Ventures, but they do have some concerns. 

Meanwhile, most everyone who isn’t directly abutting the property has taken to social media to let everyone know how happy they are that the area is getting the major anchor tenant: 

Whole Foods — The 35,518 sq.-ft. modern grocery store owned by Amazon. As mentioned earlier, only a Trader Joe’s might have caused more excitement, but unfortunately, we spoke with Trader Joe’s corporate, which said the company currently still has no plans for a Pasco location. Many Amazon Prime members, however, are rejoicing, because of the benefits and deals offered by Whole Foods to Prime members. 

Lifetime Fitness — The club is to be the second (and larger) standalone tenant. Lifetime is a slightly more upscale full-service gym that will offer everything — including two large outdoor swimming pools. Some of the homeowners we spoke with said the pools will cause additional noise and lighting at night (the Lifetime gym on Harbour Island stays open until 10 p.m. on weeknights and until midnight on weekends) that might not have been necessary if everything was fully indoors. 

As gyms go, Lifetime Fitness will be quite large, offering two levels and nearly 84,500 sq. ft. of indoor floor space, plus the outdoor pools. Anyone familiar with gyms understands that this means a very large amount of parking is needed. 

The Lifetime building will have a maximum height of 45’, according to the site plan. The edge of the gym building will be 92’ from the closest residential property. 

The remaining property will be 40,450 sq. ft. of strip-style shops and restaurants and will include the following tenants: 

PopUp Bagels — A highly rated bagel shop with existing locations in Carrollwood and the Westshore business district. Pop-Up Bagels serves hot, whole bagels with a variety of rotating shmears (cream cheeses). It’s a place for bagel purists. 

CAVA — A popular quick-service Mediterranean restaurant that serves healthy food fast (ordered and made at the counter), a chain that is quickly spreading across Tampa Bay, with 10 current locations. 

Naked Farmer — A very highly rated American-style “farm-to-table” quick service restaurant (ordered and made at the counter; like a more upscale Fresh Kitchen) with flavorful, healthy options. Naked Farmer has two existing locations in South Tampa, including one in the Water St. area of downtown Tampa. 

Petfolk — Veterinary & Urgent Care with multiple locations across Florida. 

The Tox — A popular wellness and detox spa with a highly rated location in South Tampa. 

Nail Salon — Tenant TBD. 

According to an SJC Ventures release, there’s still roughly 15,000 sq. ft. available. Health, wellness and wholesomeness seem to be the overarching themes for this development, with SJC expecting to have these businesses start opening in the 2nd quarter of 2027. 

Digging Deeper 
The map of the area showing where the development (outlined in red) will be located. Please note that the location of the red line is approximate and is not intended to provide an exact location of the boundaries of the project. (Inset photo) The flooding on Openfield Loop caused by Hurricane Milton. (Map source: Google maps modified by Neighborhood News)

We had a chance to meet with many of the affected homeowners in person, and speak with them as a group. They’re all long-time residents in one household each in The Savannahs: 

• Judy Johnson (8-year resident) 

• Laura Knight (name she asked us to use, a 17-year resident) 

• Jill McDaniel (32-year resident) 

• George Ryan (32-year resident) 

Each had a chance to share what they felt were their important personal issues with the project, and a few common themes emerged: 

1. Flooding 

2. Privacy/Security/Noise 

3. Lighting 

4. Setbacks/Buffers 

We reached out to SJC Ventures through its general contractor (VCC Construction), and although SJC has been responsive to the homeowners, the company did not respond to our inquiry (at least not by this issue’s deadline). 

However, both Pasco County and the Engineer of Record for the developer’s project, David Fauxan, did speak with us to provide some clarity about the development codes and practices being called into question by the homeowners, as well as our own technical questions. 

Fauxan also has been an engineer on the original Meadow Pointe project since its conception in the early 1990s. 

Amanda Hunter, a public information officer for Pasco County, says that, “The county is aware of the homeowner concerns and has attempted to address those.” However, the homeowners told us they were not impressed with the county’s communication and that no one from the county had visited with them in person, to see their concerns first hand, including: 

Flooding — For the residents, the proposed removal of the pond has created concerns about flooding, especially considering that flooding during Hurricane Milton left water coming literally right up to their doorsteps (see inset photo above). The residents fear that if the pond wasn’t there, that water would have come right into their homes. 

Hunter responded to the flooding concerns with the following statement: “The developer is retaining storage for stormwater under the parking lot, via a vaulted system, instead of an open stormwater pond.” 

Fauxan added that the vault system would provide just as much, if not greater retention, than the pond to be removed. We confirmed that the plans do show an extensive vault system under most of the parking lot. 

“Honestly, the whole site could have been a pond, and it still would not have fixed the issue,” Fauxan says about last year’s flooding. Ironically, he mentioned that the adjacent Trout Creek watershed, which goes all the way up to S.R. 54, has been strained by development over the years, changing the flood plain from what it used to be. 

He added, “The flood elevation used to be ‘X’ back in 1992 (when the homes were built). But now, it’s ‘X’ + 4 feet,” meaning that the flood zone boundary actively shifted from where it used to be. “We’re raising the [project] site elevation [by up to] 2 feet because the new buildings need to be 1 foot above that new flood elevation.” 

Homeowner George Ryan confirmed what Fauxan explained, saying that his home, which was previously in Flood Zone X, is now in Zone AE “per the revised boundary,” so he has to have flood insurance for the first time in the 32 years he’s lived there — and that occurred before the SJC development ever broke ground. 

What does all this mean for the homeowners? Allegedly, if the area sees another Milton-like storm, which dumped 15” of rain, the water will rise again to exactly where it was after the hurricane, regardless of the pond. But, only time will tell if all of those calculations are correct. 

Fauxan explained that one small improvement is planned to address existing conditions. Once a more detailed survey of the area between the residential and commercial properties has been completed, the developer intends to grade the commercial site to actively collect any water that falls near the shared property line — close to the existing wall — and redirect it into the site’s stormwater management system.

The retention pond to the left of this wall will be removed under the SJC Ventures development plan. (Photo by Joel Provenzano) 

Privacy/Security — Since the pond was previously supposed to act as a natural buffer, the community only built the roughly 6-foot-tall brick wall (photo) up to the first home at the pond’s edge, where it abruptly ends. This means that three other homes will have no physical separation between them and the development’s parking lot, other than the planned landscaping. 

Fauxan said that the developer intends to install a white vinyl fence to mitigate this concern, stating that the fence was shown in the development’s landscaping plans. 

However, the homeowners said that, based on what they were told, the fence would be at the developer’s discretion, and a review of the August landscaping plans showed only trees and hedges along the property line, but no fence. 

It’s possible the latest landscaping plans were not uploaded to the permit site. 

Lighting — With a building and parking so nearby to their homes, the homeowners are concerned about lighting spilling into the properties, but we were not able to locate a light plan or a lighting analysis, so it’s difficult to analyze what those levels may be. Trees and shrubs in the buffer should help to reduce the light pollution. 

Setbacks/Buffers — According to Fauxan and Pasco County, all of the project’s buffers meet the current code. But, while it’s within the acceptable threshold, is it still too close? 

When we asked the county why a 30’ setback wasn’t used or why the 20’ buffer from the previous plat was reduced to 15’, the county responded: “The plat in [that question] is a reference to an older project that was not pursued. Per Table 905.2-D of the land development code (LDC), a type ‘B’ buffer is required between commercial and residential uses. A type ‘B’ buffer is 15 feet wide. Note — a landscape buffer and its width are different than a building setback, per our Zoning Code in Chapter 500 of the LDC, which is what you’ve referenced.” 

In addition, “As a note, this project meets the building setback requirement. It’s not a construction setback, but a setback from a structure. The structures are set back appropriately and in accordance with the land development code.” 

This means that while commercial structures must be set back at least 30’ from the adjacent residential property line, parking is permitted to be within 15’ of it, underscoring how technical compliance does not always equate to neighborhood comfort. Paper airplanes away! 

Business Briefs – Whole Foods & Aldi Updates, Joann’s Is Closing & Nothing Bundt Cakes Opens! 

The updated site plan submitted to Pasco County for a five-building commercial plaza in the Meadow Pointe area of Wesley Chapel that is expected to include a Whole Foods market. (Source: Pasco County)
Whole Foods Moving Forward? 

In mid-February, updated plans were submitted to Pasco County for a high-end retail center on the long-vacant land north of Aronwood Blvd. and east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel that previously was announced as having both a Whole Foods grocery store and a Life Time Fitness center. Those original plans, filed in March of 2024, were withdrawn two days later. 

The new plans — submitted by privately held commercial developer SJC Ventures — do not mention any of the proposed tenants, but they look similar enough to the former site plan that did include Whole Foods and Life Time for some local news media to assume that those major tenants are likely still part of the new five-building (totalling 160,468 sq. ft.) plans (see site plan, above). 

The new plan calls for “Major Tenant A,” believed to be Whole Foods, occupying a 35,518-sq.-ft. building, with “Major Tenant B,” believed to be Life Time Fitness, in the site’s easternmost 84,500-sq.-ft. building. Other buildings included in the new site plan are a 10,416-sq. ft. “Shops” building adjacent to Major Tenant A, and two additional “Shops” buildings of 16,017 and 14,017 sq. ft. at the southwest corner of the site. 

If ultimately approved by Pasco, which is expected, the new plaza likely won’t be ready to open until 2027. 

Tampa Palms Joann Fabrics Closing? 

Also in mid-February, a judge approved the second declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Joann Fabrics & Crafts that will allow the retailer to close 500 of its 800 U.S. stores. 

Among the locations already holding a “Going Out of Business” sale is the Joann’s located at 6234 Commerce Palms Blvd., in the Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza (photo left). 

“Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for Joann,” the company said in a prepared news release on Feb. 14. “We anticipate the store closures to occur over the next few months, although some stores may close within a shorter or longer time period.” We had not heard at our press time when the Tampa Palms Joann’s will actually close. 

For more information, call (813) 910-8996 or visit Joann.com. 

New Tampa Winn-Dixie Will Become An Aldi! 

We reported a couple of issues ago that the Winn-Dixie supermarket located at 6425 County Line Rd. had closed and was being converted to an Aldi market, since Aldi had purchased all of the remaining links in the Winn-Dixie chain. 

However, Aldi sold 170 of its Winn-Dixie stores to a private consortium of investors in Feb. However, we now have it on good authority from another tenant in the same plaza that Aldi has, in fact, signed a long-term lease for the former New Tampa Winn-Dixie. 

We did not know at our press time, however, when the conversion will be completed or when the third Aldi in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area is expected to open. 

Nothing Bundt Cakes Is Open! 

If your sweet tooth has been acting up, local residents can now get their fix of Nothing Bundt Cakes, which opened in mid-February in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center at 16047 Tampa Palms Blvd. W (right photo). 

The new store — the second in our distribution areas (the other is in the Shops at Wiregrass mall) — features the same delicious bundt cakes in a variety of sizes and flavors (with that delectable icing) as the chain’s 600+ other stores in the U.S. and Canada. 

Founded in Las Vegas in 1997 by Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz, Nothing Bundt Cakes has been named the #1 Favorite Brand in America, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. 

I got to sample the new Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor on my first visit to the new bakery. I’ll definitely be visiting again soon! 

For more info, call (813) 344-5959 or visit NothingBundtCakes.com.— GN

News Briefs — Whole Foods Resubmitted, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed 

Whole Foods Resubmitted 

Updating the story we reported in our Mar. 19 issue, the developer who previously withdrew plans to build a Whole Foods Market on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. at Aronwood Blvd. in Meadow Pointe resubmitted those plans to Pasco County officials on Apr. 23. 

After reviewing the revised site plan (above), it appears that the main differences between the new plan and the old plan is that the developer, SJC Ventures, is proposing to add a trucks-only driveway from BBD behind Whole Foods (see map) to make it easier for delivery trucks to get to the loading bay. 

Also, the new site plan removes the small standalone building near the Lifestyle Family Fitness building and just made the other two standalone buildings a little bigger. SJC also built the recently opened Whole Foods in St. Petersburg. 

Although we don’t know when the plan will come up for approval by the Pasco Board of County Commissioners. We’ll keep you posted. — JP 

Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed Near The Grove 
The location of the proposed skilled nursing facility referred to on its site plan as “Oakley Place” is proposed to be constructed in front of the Avasa Grove West apartments on Oakley Blvd. (Map: NN) 

As first reported on Apr. 22 by Kelly Gilroy on the Pasco County Development & Growth Updates Facebook page, plans for a 202-bed, nearly 112,000-sq.-ft. skilled nursing facility (SNF) were submitted to the county. 

Planned on a 7.83-acre site at the corner of Oakley Blvd. and Grove Isle Dr., in front of the Avasa Grove West apartments (across Oakley Blvd. from Cost Plus World Market), this would be the second SNF in Wesley Chapel, as the only other such facility is part of the Blue Heron Senior Living residence on Eagleston Blvd. off BBD. 

Emorys Rock Realty 

Congratulations to Licensed Real Estate Broker Chad Emory and his wife (and fellow Realtor) April on the establishment of Emorys Rock Realty, which has an office in the Signature Workspace at the Shops at Wiregrass. 

It’s hard “Keeping Up With The Emorys,” as they attend virtually every North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) ribbon cutting (Chad also is an NTBC Board member) and other local events, but what they want is to help you the next time you buy or sell a home! 

For more information, call (813) 404- 2286 or visit EmorysRock.com. — GN

Is The Announced Whole Foods Still Coming To Wesley Chapel? 

Unfortunately, the site plan shown above, for the long-vacant parcel of land at the intersection of Aronwood Blvd. and Bruce B. Downs Blvd (photo on next page, by Joel Provenzano), which was released online, was withdrawn by the applicant just a few days later. 

When plans for a development with a Whole Foods grocery store (at Bruce B Downs Blvd. and Aronwood Blvd., in front of Meadow Pointe) and Lifetime Fitness in Wesley Chapel were leaked online, residents flooded multiple Community Facebook groups with comments, where half were rejoicing about the possible arrival of Whole Foods finally coming and the other half were still really hoping for a Trader Joe’s instead. 

Many were just grateful it was not another car wash, a self-storage facility, or more apartments. Some had concerns about added traffic and others about how the County Commissioners could allow another undeveloped lot to be built on. Others remembered this land already had a long history, but few could remember exactly what that was. 

Unfortunately, the plans for a Wesley Chapel Whole Foods store are now up in the air again. Just a few days after the planned store was made public, the chain’s meeting with Pasco County to present its concept plan was canceled by the applicant. We’ll keep an eye out to see what happens next. 

However, many local residents drive by the long-vacant parcel everyday and notice a long-standing relic and consequence of the Great Recession, an abandoned and unkept parking lot (of a never completed Outback Steakhouse development that was reportedly going to include a Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant and others) that’s been overgrown by tall weeds, grass, and trees, covered with trash and litter. 

Even as an overgrown parking lot, the parcel next to Pasco Fire Rescue Station No. 26 has still served the community in its own way. For a couple of years it was used as a temporary place where Christmas trees were sold and many new drivers have been out there practicing how to drive or learning how ride a motorcycle. 

A Little History 

Pasco County originally had a different idea for the use of the land. When Meadow Pointe 1 and Aronwood Blvd (back then called Meadow Pointe Blvd.) were first approved in the early 1990s, this land was zoned for commercial development, so there was a place to build the stores needed to support this large new community. Back then, BBD/C.R. 581 was called the “Road to Nowhere” and there was very little commercial development along the corridor. 

Since then, any number of large- and medium-sized grocery stores have popped up in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, including Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Publix, Winn- Dixie, Nutrition Smart, Aldi, Sprouts and most recently, Lotte Plaza Market. However, the residents of Wesley Chapel have long desired for even more healthy and diverse options. For a while, Earth Fare helped satisfy this need, until all their locations in Tampa Bay abruptly closed a few years back. 

Two other Tampa Bay area grocery favorites — Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have yet to make it into the growing Wesley Chapel area. Trader Joe’s, one of the highest rated specialty grocers in Florida, currently has stores in many populated areas around the state (even in Gainesville) but the closest one in Tampa is nearly 30 miles away. 

One reason customers like Whole Foods (which was acquired by Amazon in 2017) is because Amazon Prime members receive special deals and deep discounts at the store, along with other perks like easy and free Amazon pickups and returns in-store, where they’ll actually pack your return for you. 

The chain is now quickly expanding to more areas throughout the Tampa Bay area. At the end of February, St. Petersburg’s first Whole Foods opened to a line around the store, and last year, the “green” grocer entered into discussions for a future store in the Trinity area. 

Here is a brief history of the land in Meadow Pointe where the Whole Foods and Lifetime Fitness were proposed to be built: 

2008 — Construction plans were submitted to Pasco County and then approved, which showed an Outback Steakhouse, Cheeseburger in Paradise and other restaurants up front, with a large retail plaza in the back under a future phase. The parking lot for the Outback was constructed but then construction of the restaurant was halted due to the recession. 

2013 — The parcels were platted to officially become part of Meadow Pointe, Tract 2, long after Meadow Pointe began developing. 

2019 — A Concept Plan submitted to Pasco county that showed a 30,000-sq.-ft. grocery store, multiple fast food restaurants with drive through lanes, plus retail and apartments in the back under a future Phase 2. 

2021 — Rezoning plans were submitted to Pasco County that showed keeping the original Outback Steakhouse parcel in the front (from 2008) as-is, but changed the plans in the back to remove the retail plaza and replace it with apartments. 

2024 — Preapp meeting with Pasco County was requested that showed Whole Foods and Lifetime Fitness as standalone anchor tenants, replacing all previous plans. However, a few days later, that preapp meeting was canceled at the request of the applicant.

New Grocery Store At The Grove Stirs Online Debate

The social media team at The Grove put out a Facebook teaser that a national coffee chain and national grocery store were coming to their ever-expanding property this year.

As far as a national coffee chain, well, we’d be shocked if it wasn’t…wait for it….Starbucks.

But, a new national grocer?

Now that is intriguing.

So, naturally, because this is Wesley Chapel and everyone seems to go ga-ga for anything new coming to town, the Facebook post exploded with people using ALL CAPS and multiple exclamation points to demand that their choice be the one, ordering The Grove to make it so and seemingly ready to fight anyone who disagreed.

And, that (of course) were just the Trader Joe’s fans!

Some cast their votes/begged for their favorite and made predictions, while others — transplants from other states, we’re guessing — clamored for their favorite grocers from their hometowns in the Midwest and Northeast.

More than 350 comments rolled in, and we read every one of them, and the winner — if the locals were allowed to make the choice — was Trader Joe’s.

Uhhh, we mean TRADER JOE’S OR BUST!!!!!!

That’s no surprise, of course. When we ran a similar poll on our Facebook page, asking what should replace the old Sweetbay on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa, Trader Joe’s trounced the field — although, ahem, we don’t recall anyone threatening to move away if it wasn’t a Trader Joe’s.

The Grove post was a mishmash of grocery store debate, which led us to wonder what could be coming.

PUBLIX: The obvious, predictable choice, even though the Publix on the corner of S.R. 54 and BBD is just down the road. But, since when has having a nearby location mattered to Publix? Heck, in New Tampa, you can throw a BOGO bag of lettuce from the Cross Creek Blvd. location at Morris Bridge Rd. and hit the New Tampa Blvd. at BBD store.

Besides, the Hollybrook Plaza Publix is going to relocate to the east one of these days back (near the Walmart), creating some additional distance from the new store in The Grove. 

Here’s the thing, though — while we all love Publix, it’s still just Publix. And it’s literally everywhere. 

Does it really fit the fresh, hip new energy coming from The Grove, even though one could argue that a Publix chicken tender sub trumps fresh, hip new energy any day, and we wouldn’t necessarily disagree?

However, you know what’s hipper than Publix? A new Publix, like the prototype store that opened in December on Gandy Blvd. in South Tampa.

The 48,000-sq.-ft. store has two floors, with a large dining area on the second floor. It has a fresh, cleaner design that seeks to modernize the usual Publix.

There are self check-out lanes, lots of grab-and-go fresh foods, a free-standing deli, two grocery pickup spots and drive-through service at the pharmacy, according to progressivegrocer.com.

There’s also a Publix Aprons Cooking School kiosk located in the center of the new store.

While the Gandy location is a prototype, landing the first actual “new” Publix would give off lots of that exciting energy The Grove developer Mark Gold prides himself on generating.

WHOLE FOODS: The popular and pricey organic grocery chain, headquartered in Austin, TX, and now owned by Amazon, was mentioned by more than a dozen Facebook commentors.

Whole Foods would certainly fill a void left by Earth Fare, Wesley Chapel’s first, albeit ill-fated, organic grocer, which shut down after less than a year in existence in 2019 and is now a Total Wine & More (see pg. 34).

Today, there are no large organic grocers in the area — although Nutrition Smart on BBD is a nice, smaller option — and Whole Foods would no doubt be a perfect fit in an area that still clamors for family-friendly, fresh organic offerings. It also fits The Grove’s vibe better than just about any other option.

TRADER JOE’S: This would be a home run for Gold, although also a tough get, but as made clear by the Facebook comments of more than 50 posters, by far the most popular one.

Wesley Chapel, New Tampa and Carrollwood wanted a Trader Joe’s so badly a few years back that there was a campaign to petition the store online in the hopes of landing a location. Hillsborough County commissioners even got involved in the Tampa efforts.

But alas, nothing. New Tampa has since added a Sprouts, an Aldi and it appears a Lotte Super Market is coming as well. Trader Joe’s still has just its location on Swann Ave. in South Tampa.

Could Wesley Chapel break through and succeed where New Tampa didn’t?

IT BETTER OR WE’RE MOVING!!!

(Kidding….kind of).

WEGMANS: You think we have a lot of Northeasterners living here in Wesley Chapel? Consider this: Wegmans received more online interest than Publix, Aldi and Sprouts combined.

In fact, the Wegmans discussion spun off into its own little debate. We half expected someone on the thread to start a Wegmans podcast.

Wegmans, based in Gates, NY, has a large organic food selection, a hot food bar and really, really happy employees, making some transplants downright misty-eyed in the comments talking about the store.

Wegmans has a pretty impressive resume, being named the best or favorite grocery store in the country by Food Network, Consumer Reports subscribers and marketforce.com.

Apparently, new openings draw thousands willing to wait in lines.

Janette Vazquez Driesslein used many exclamation points in pleading for a Wegmans, and commented that when she moved to Florida in 2004 she reached out to Wegmans about moving stores here. “Here we are almost 20 years later and nope. So, sadly, I think it’s pretty unlikely.”

Janette, we agree. Wegmans stores generally only come as far south as North Carolina, and don’t appear to have any plans to expand here.

Road trip?

KROGER: Some transplanted Midwesterners have a soft spot for Kroger, and while the chain has no Florida locations, a May announcement that the chain is beginning deliveries from a new fulfillment center in Tampa at least gives reason for hope, right?

If you love Kroger that much, for a $9.95 fee, you can order your groceries right off the company’s website or app.

As for Kroger coming to The Grove? Probably not. But, stores in Florida could be in the future.

THE OTHERS: Judging by some of the passionate responses, everyone has their favorite grocery store. Thank goodness the Piggly Wiggly folks didn’t show up en masse, or there might have been an actual online brawl.

Some others that were mentioned more than once in the grocery thread include the three-location, family-owned Detwiler’s Farm Market based in Sarasota, Texas-based H-E-B, which has a cult-like following, Sprouts, Fresh Market and yes, even another Aldi, which would be ironic because the location on S.R. 56 was originally approved to be built near The Grove.