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‘Downtown’ coming to Wesley Chapel
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Pasco County and Avalon Park Group/sitEX have reached an agreement on a package of incentives aimed at encouraging the development of a new downtown in Wesley Chapel. The plan calls for a new mixed-use, urban-scale development on 215 acres, off
State Road 54, in a community now being called Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. Avalon Park Group/sitEX proposes to spend more than $800 million to create the new downtown, which will feature multistoried buildings, with a mix of uses that will be within walking distance — thereby greatly reducing the need to drive outside of the community to go to work, take kids to school or meet various daily needs.
The Pasco County Commission voted 40, with Commission Chairman Mike Moore out ill, to approve an incentive package totaling $33.5 million. The agreement outlines that the developer will spend about $83.3 million to construct a spine road through the project, multi-story parking decks and transit-related See DOWNTOWN, page 17A
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Pasco Sports Fair is a slam dunk
People of all ages looking to experience many different types of sports were in luck on Feb 16. The first annual Pasco Sports Fair, held on the grounds of Skydive City in Zephyrhills, offered scaled-down or mini versions of sports, such as tennis, basketball, football, soccer, floor hockey, golf, fitness training and virtual skydiving. Many of the stations had former professional athletes overseeing the sporting activities. For more coverage on the Pasco Sports Fair, please turn to the Sports section on page 18A. Above, 8-year-old Aidan Johnson, of Tampa, grimaces as he lifts a 10-pound weight over his head. He was testing out his endurance by doing 10-pound squats at the weight-lifting station. The aspiring football player is in third grade at the Academy at the Lakes, an independent school in Land O’ Lakes.
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inPrep charter school to open this fall By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When Innovation Preparatory Academy, a new charter school in Wesley Chapel, opens this fall, it will usher in new opportunities in technology and innovation for students, according to officials at the groundbreaking ceremony last week for the school. “It would be easy just to throw another school building up here. That’s not what you’re going to see,” said Jonathan Hage, the founder, chairman, president and CEO of Charter Schools USA. “You’re going to see a learning environment that’s truly on the very cutting edge of what is the best in the country,” said Hage, whose organization will be operating the school, under a partnership with Metro Development Group. “This is actually one of the most innovative school projects we’ve ever been a part See CHARTER, page 17A
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Saint Leo University Student Molly Helgesson, of Sweden, takes a break from the tennis court to slam dunk a basketball at the basketball station during the Pasco County Sports Fair. Helgesson is a criminal justice major and is on the University’s tennis team.
Don Knobloch, of Wesley Chapel, reacts with delight, when his 5-year-old son, Donny, center, hits a hole-in-one on the golf course. Donny’s younger brother, 3year-old Landon, is on the left. The family, including mom, Jacquie, were enjoying the afternoon by trying out the different sport stations offered at the first annual Pasco County Sports Fair.
Saint Leo University to lease 176-unit apartment complex By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
Since welcoming its largest incoming class ever last fall — and anticipating continued growth —Saint Leo University will lease the Sweetwater apartment complex in Dade City, to serve as residential housing for upperclassman and graduate level students. In August, Saint Leo will begin leasing all 176 units on the property owned by Beachwold Residential LLC, which sits about 2 miles northeast of the main university campus along State Road 52. The planned agreement was first reported by Bay News 9. The university’s decision means that residents living at the property now — except for Saint Leo students — will need to move, and that has sparked criticism of the university by some of the current tenants. When Saint Leo takes over, Sweetwater will become more than just run-of-the mill residence halls. In an interview with The Laker/Lutz
News, Saint Leo vice president of student affairs Dr. Jen Shaw said the property will be transformed into a “career-focused learning community,” whereby its clubhouse/community center will regularly host job fairs, workshops, alumni panels and so on. In addition to hosting employers to recruit Saint Leo students, workshops will have themes on job interviewing skills, salary negotiation, social media branding and more. Shaw added that Saint Leo student activities staff will organize events at Sweetwater so students there “feel like they’re getting the same residential experience as students (on campus).” Saint Leo will make a number of upgrades to the property, such as installing more security cameras, 24/7 security, cardonly gate access, daily bus shuttles to campus, new, fully furnished living quarters and more. “It’s a real neat, living, learning experience for students. We’re excited about it,” Shaw said. The decision to lease the property
comes as Saint Leo enters a student housing crunch. The university this past fall welcomed its largest incoming group of students in the university’s 130-year history (1,001 new students).The school now has about 2,100 students on campus, plus more than 700 faculty and staff. The record-breaking incoming class filled all of the university’s available oncampus housing this year, Shaw said. Since then, officials have scrambled to find more housing opportunities for students, looking at nearby hotels and other properties. She noted it takes about two years to build new on-campus residence halls, something she said the university plans to move forward with this summer. After vetting several other housing options for the near-term, Shaw said leasing Sweetwater was “the best one for our students.” “We can keep them safe and engaged, and it’s super close-by,” she said. See APARTMENT, page 17A