Volume 27
WESLEY CHAPEL
Inside:
NEWS
Did You Win Our Dining Survey & Contest?
See Neighborhood Magazine
Issue 4 February 8, 2019
Now Celebrating 25 Years As New Tampa & Wesley Chapel’s Primary News Source! The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993! For the complete list of neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545), see page 46!
WESLEY CHAPEL IS
First Look Inside:
GOING GREEN!
By JOHN C. COTEY For those in Wesley Chapel who are not wowed by new restaurants, fast food chains, big retail outlets or fancy new intersections, this one might just be for you: Say hello to the area’s first green grocer – Earth Fare. The popular and quicklygrowing organic food franchise will open its doors to Wesley Chapel on Wednesday, February 20, just before 7 a.m., and if the grocer’s previous grand openings are any indication, folks will be lining up long before the sun rises. Virtually everything new that opens in Wesley Chapel gets Hope Allen, the CEO of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, excited. But this, she says, is a different kind of buzz. An all-natural organic buzz, perhaps? “It’s our first one, the first or-
ganic grocery store to land in Wesley Chapel,” Allen says. “There’s been a big demand for it. It’s going to be pretty exciting.” Wesley Chapel does boast have Publix and Winn Dixie supermarkets offering organic selections, as well as the Nutrition Smart on Bruce B. Downs, which currently offers the area’s widest range of organic foods, vitamins and supplements. But, Earth Fare is bringing 24,000 sq. ft. worth of the stuff — and roughly 100 jobs — to its new location in the Cypress Creek Town Center on S.R. 56 (at 25535 Sierra Center Blvd., across from the Tampa Premium Outlets). The Wesley Chapel location will be Earth Fare’s third in the Tampa Bay area, joining stores in Oldsmar and Seminole. Overall, ours will be the 12th Earth Fare in Florida. The most recent Florida opening
See “Earth Fare” on page 4.
Jennifer ‘Ames’ To Please Her Wesley Chapel Facebook Fanatics Jennifer Ames is the administrator of the Wesley Chapel Community, Facebook page, one of the most active, humorous and often boisterous online communities around. From talking business, politics and traffic, the group, which recently celebrated it second anniversary, keeps Ames on her toes. Ames sat down with Neighborhood News publisher Gary Nager recently to record the first installment of a new online video series called “Chappie Chatter,” which is available now on the Neighborhood News Facebook page, and at www. youtube.com/c/wcnttv. Gary: I believe you were the first one to use the term “Chappies” for the thousands of members of your Facebook page. Tell us a little bit about those Chappies. How many members of your group there? Jennifer: We have over 16,000 now. I did not come up with the name Chappie, my friend Jen did. We just self-
identified with Chappie, and we ran with it from there. GN: That’s amazing. And I know many of your Chappies are very engaged on that page. What’s been blowing up the Wesley Chapel Community Facebook page lately? JA: (There was) a lot of sales tax drama with the new year. The recent sales tax increase in Hillsborough County affected some When you walk into any Sprouts Farmers Market, the first thing you’ll probably notice are the rows of wood containers filled with mostly organic of our local stores. And, we had some tax from seven to 8.5 percent. Pasco had Chappies who were quite upset about no such referendum. But, some shoppers that 1.5-percent tax increase they were at Tampa Premium Outlets and the resnot supposed to be charged. taurants nearby were being charged 8.5. GN: Yes, Hillsborough had two ref- What happened? erendums pass, raising the (county) sales See “Jennifer Ames” on page 5.
Hoops, There It Is?
After some haggling over the choice of the company chosen to build it, the indoor facility at Wesley Chapel District Park Is finally moving forward. Pages 8-9
Beach House Wiregrass
With more residents than expected after its first year, the Beach House at Wiregrass offers its residents top-notch assisted living.
Pages 24-25
The Readers Speak
The results are in from the 2018 edition of our annual Readers Survey, and the favorite Wesley Chapel restaurant is....well, you’ll have to see for yourself, as well as the other favorites in categories for best pizza, burgers, steaks and more.
Pages 35-38