One Of The Largest Undeveloped Corners Along S.R. 56 Is Moving Towards Finalizing Its Design
A 59-acre cow-field located between Pasco-Hernando State College and S.R. 56, on the southwest corner of the signal with Mansfield Blvd., is set to become Wiregrass Ranch’s next major commercial development.
Plans were officially submitted to Pasco County starting on June 19, confirming that development activity is preparing to begin on land that has remained largely untouched for years.
For many longtime Wesley Chapel residents, the project is hardly a surprise. The property has long been designated for future development within the Wiregrass Ranch Master Planned Unit Development (MPUD).
Still, there is a sense of nostalgia among some residents, as yet another stretch of open pasture land and cattle fields gradually gives way to additional growth.
Fresh Market Appears To Remain The Anchor Tenant
The development was first publicly discussed during a community presentation in April, when longtime Locust Branch, LLC (the development wing of the Wiregrass Ranch MPUD) chief operating officer Scott Sheridan shared several upcoming projects planned throughout Wiregrass Ranch — as reported in detail in our Apr. 14 issue.
While the project was mentioned at that meeting, Sheridan declined to discuss additional details for this article beyond acknowledging that plans had recently been submitted to the county.
That lack of comment initially raised questions about whether the project had changed at all since the April presentation. County permits do not specifically identify The Fresh Market by name, and the grocery chain has not yet made any public announcement regarding a Wesley Chapel location.
However, several pieces of evidence strongly suggest that The Fresh Market remains the new development’s planned anchor tenant:
The applicant and developer listed on the permit documents is Seth Lane, VP of Regency Centers, a Tampa company that has extensive experience developing shopping centers anchored by The Fresh Market. Additionally, the proposed grocery space — Parcel D in the center of the site map above — shown on the site plans measures 26,187 square feet, which is almost exactly the size of a typical Fresh Market store.
Combined with the company’s recent expansion efforts across Florida, there is strong reason to believe that The Fresh Market is still moving forward as the centerpiece of the project.
What Is The Fresh Market?
For residents unfamiliar with the brand, The Fresh Market is an upscale, European-style “green” grocery chain known for its boutique shopping experience, premium meats, high-quality prepared foods, fresh produce (much of it organic), wine selections and specialty grocery items.
Unlike traditional supermarkets, The Fresh Market operates smaller-format stores designed to create an old-world market atmosphere. Stores typically average around 25,000 square feet— roughly half the size of a standard Publix.
Online reviewers frequently praise the chain’s USDA Prime steaks, seafood selection, freshly prepared hot foods and salads and made-daily sushi offerings. Many customers also use the store as an alternative to cooking at home, thanks to its extensive selection of ready-to-heat meals.
The chain is already established in the Tampa Bay region with four stores — with the closest existing location to New Tampa or Wesley Chapel situated near the intersection of N. Dale Mabry Hwy. and W. Fletcher Ave. in the Carrollwood area.
Grocery Store Size Comparison:
The Fresh Market: 26,187 sq. ft. (Boutique/Small-Box Grocery)
Under-Construction Wesley Chapel Whole Foods (Aronwood Blvd. at Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Meadow Pointe): 35,518 sq. ft. (Mid-Sized Organic Grocery)
Typical Publix: Approximately 50,000 sq. ft. (Traditional Full-Service Grocery)
A Project Nearly The Size Of The Shops at Wiregrass
The total scale of this development may surprise some residents.
The overall property is roughly comparable in size to The Shops at Wiregrass and will ultimately be divided into 10 separate parcels and outparcels. So far, plans have only been submitted for three of those parcels (see map above for reference), meaning much of the project’s future remains unknown.
Parcel D – 7.65 Acres:
This will serve as the development’s primary retail center and is planned to include:
• The Fresh Market grocery store (proposed as the parcel’s anchor tenant — 26,187 sq. ft.)
• 28 separate retail & restaurant plaza suites
• Spaces ranging from 1,220-4,230 sq. ft.
• The plans for Parcel D currently show 54,985 total sq. ft. of retail space & 17,390 sq. ft. of restaurant space
Parcel B – 4.10 Acres
The plans for this outparcel include:
• One 5,750-sq. ft. sit-down restaurant
• One 8,000-sq. ft. sit-down restaurant
• One 3,075-sq. ft. fast-food restaurant with drive-through
Parcel A – 2.88 Acres
The plans for this outparcel include:
• One 3,000-sq.-ft. restaurant or
office building
• One 8,000-sq.-ft. sit-down restaurant
At this stage, no additional tenants have been publicly identified for any of these parcels.
Only The Beginning
While the currently submitted plans are significant, they represent only a fraction of this overall project.
Site plans indicate that seven additional outparcels remain undeveloped, representing approximately 27.28 additional buildable acres. As those parcels move through the approval process in the coming years, residents can expect additional retail, restaurant, office, commercial, and residential uses to be announced.
In other words, what has been submitted so far is likely only the first phase of what could become one of Wesley Chapel’s largest upcoming commercial — and restaurant — destinations.
Traffic Questions Remain
As with nearly every major project along the S.R. 56 corridor, the traffic implications of this new project already represent the biggest concern being discussed by local residents.
Current transportation standards limit where median openings can be located along S.R. 56. Under existing conditions, a full median opening is shown at Yaupon Lane, while a future full-access signalized intersection is anticipated at Lajuana Blvd. — the same median opening currently serving Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant and Audi Wesley Chapel across S.R. 56.
Plans also call for a future reverse-frontage road that would connect this development to that signalized intersection.
One question that remains unanswered is whether transportation officials will eventually require modifications to Wiregrass Ranch’s existing full median opening configuration.
If changes are required, some drivers traveling eastbound could find themselves needing to make U-turns at the existing signalized intersection until that reverse frontage road is extended west to the future signal (which is expected to be added to that Lajuana Blvd. intersection soon) in front of Cooper’s Hawk.
Those details will likely become clearer as the project moves through the county and state review process.
Another Piece Of The Wiregrass Puzzle
For years, residents driving along S.R. 56 have looked across open fields and wondered what would eventually be built there. Now, many of those answers are emerging.
While some will miss the remaining cattle pastures that once defined Wesley Chapel’s landscape, others will welcome the additional dining, shopping and grocery options in one of the community’s fastest-growing corridors.
Either way, the latest plans confirm that another major chapter in the ongoing development of Wiregrass Ranch is officially under way.
