NEW MALLS BREAK GROUND AND A MASSIVE NEW RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY APPROVED IN WESLEY CHAPEL:
Probably the biggest news this past year was the groundbreaking of three major malls in Wesley Chapel; the Grove, Cypress Creek Town Center, and Shops at Wiregrass. Part of Phase I of The Grove has opened, the Shops at Wiregrass has plenty of steel up, and Cypress Creek Town Center trails the three in construction, with earth movement still underway. With the opening of these three malls in 2008, we will see around 3 million square feet of retail space in our part of town, including two movie theaters.
Ground was broken in 2007 for smaller strip malls along Bruce B. Downs in Wesley Chapel, including the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel (BBD) and the Shoppes at Meadow Pointe-future home of Carrabba's Italian Grill.
The July approval of the 5,000 acre residential community of Wiregrass at S.R. 56 and BBD made big news too; however since the approval there seems to be little physical evidence of the project moving forward so far.
The 1,700 acre Epperson Ranch residential project received partial approval by Pasco County and then was sold by Lennar!
ROAD IMPROVEMENTS:
The widening of CR 54 in Wesley Chapel is well underway and long overdue. The improvements at the intersection of County Line Road and Bruce B. Downs are expected to be completed in January. The new flyover ramp for I-75 at BBD began and we now see the placement of huge beams over Bruce B. Downs.
The widening of Bruce B. Downs (Pasco Co.) from County Line Road to 54 was delayed and now is supposed to start in January 2008; additionally, the extension of S.R. 56 from Bruce B. Downs to Meadow Pointe Blvd. should begin soon too. The intersection of Bruce B. Downs and S.R. 56 will become the largest in Pasco County when completed.
Threats by Hillsborough County Commissioners to place a toll booth on Bruce B. Downs at the county line with Pasco County appear to have gone nowhere. It seems that commissioners of Hillsborough County felt that they should get some funds from Pasco Co. for the Hillsborough County widening of Bruce B. Downs from Pebble Creek to County Line Road. So far not a dime has been reported as a contribution by Pasco County for Hillsborough County's road widening of BBD.
The widening of a large portion of Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa was completed and additional traffic lights installed. The road to nowhere (Kinnan Rd.) in New Tampa was built and never connected to Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel (Pasco Co.).
East - West Connector in New Tampa: This proposed 3.1 mile toll road is supposed to connect Bruce B. Downs to I-275 if it ever gets built. The Florida Turnpike Authority wanted nothing to do with it saying it would be the most expensive toll road in the entire state of Florida. Private companies offered to build it, but wanted to charge a starting toll up to $2.75 in its first year with increases thereafter. Last heard, the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority was trying to reduce the amount of the toll by narrowing the proposed road in order to lower the construction cost. That road narrowing would require lowering the speed limit to 55 mph.
WESLEY CHAPEL HOSPITAL APPROVED:
The 80 bed UCH/Adventist Health Systems hospital is proposed to be built on Wiregrass Ranch. Its approval by the state is being contested by competing hospitals that were denied their Certificates of Need. Once construction starts, it is estimated that it will take three years to complete.
NEW TAMPA COMMUNITY CENTER AND SKATE PARK:
Construction of an over 19,000 square ft. community center and a Skate Park in Tampa Palms began and the community center should open in January 2008.
PASCO NATIONAL TENNIS CENTER:
The $7.7 million, 5,000 seat Pasco National Tennis Center to be built in Wesley Chapel got the green light from county commissioners.
NEW LOCAL PARKS:
The first phase of this 143 acre Wesley Chapel District Park opened in July and Wesley Chapel celebrated its first annual "holiday tree" lighting. A New 232 acre New Tampa Nature Park at Dona Michelle Dr. was also announced.
HOTEL:
The Hampton Inn announced this past March for Wesley Chapel at S.R. 56 & I-75 is almost completed and is slated to open in February, 2008.
CHURCHES:
Lifepoint Church in New Tampa purchased the former Winn Dixie on Bruce B. Downs and converted the building to its church, and Cypress Point Community Church built its new church on Morris Bridge Road in New Tampa.
TV's SUPERNANNY COMES TO WESLEY CHAPEL and SEXTUPLETS ARE BORN!:
TV's Supernanny filmed in Wesley Chapel this summer. Sextuplets were born to the Bylers who reside in Wesley Chapel. The Byler sextuplets were the first sextuplets born in Florida.
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE:Inventories of homes for sales remained high in the area much like most of the rest of the country. Sellers needed to accept that the peak home values of 2004 and 2005 were something of the past and had to adjust their list prices accordingly if they wanted to sell.
Russ Perlowski: Tampa Real Estate--Selling Homes in Tampa, Land O Lakes, and Wesley Chapel, FL
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