Volume 23 Issue 2
Inside:
Celebrating One Year With D’Alessio Ristorante! See Page 25!
January 17, 2015
Named The 2014 ‘Small Business Of The Year’ By The Wesley Chapel Chamber Of Commerce! THIS INDEPENDENT COMMUNITY NEWS MAGAZINE IS DIRECTLY MAILED TO: WESLEY CHAPEL: Aberdeen • Belle Chase • Bridgewater • Brookside • Chapel Pines • Country Walk • Lexington Oaks • Meadow Pointe • New River • Northwood • Pinewalk • Pine Ridge Saddlebrook • Saddleridge Estates • Saddlewood • Seven Oaks • The Lakes at Northwood • The Villages of Wesley Chapel • Watergrass • Wesley Pointe • Westbrook Estates • Williamsburg OUR NEW TAMPA EDITIONS ARE MAILED TO: Arbor Greene • Cory Lake Isles • Cross Creek • Easton Park • Grand Hampton • Heritage Isles • Hunter’s Green • Hunter’s Key K-Bar Ranch • Lake Forest • Live Oak Preserve • Pebble Creek • Richmond Place • Tampa Palms • The Hammocks • West Meadows
More Development Planned In Cypress Creek Town Center DRI By Matt Wiley As the Tampa Premium Outlets construction speeds up on the south side of S.R. 56 in the Cypress Creek Town Center (CCTC) Development of Regional Impact (DRI), following the groundbreaking of Simon Property Group’s Tampa Premium Outlets on December 12, more plans have been proposed for the bustling development. According to the county’s website, on January 12 (which was just after we went to press with this issue), representatives from Tampa-based Avid Group met with county staff to discuss plans for an outparcel within the CCTC DRI, located at the northwest corner of the S.R. 56/Wesley Chapel Blvd. intersection. Documents indicate that, if approved by Pasco County, the proposed project would include a shopping center with six outparcels, totaling 130,000 square feet (located east of Wesley Chapel Blvd.), that would require right-of-way along Memorial Dr. (Old State Road 54). However, no site plan had been submitted to county staff at our press time. Avid Group’s website shows that the company has completed similar shopping plaza projects across the state, including The Fountains at Bay Hill in Orlando, Park Place Mall in Pinellas Park and Water Tower Place in Celebration.
Outlet Mall Breaks Ground
The ground has officially been broken at
the site of the long-awaited Tampa Premium Outlets mall in Wesley Chapel, following a groundbreaking ceremony on December 12. After years of legal battles, as well as a few months of infrastructure construction, vertical development has now begun on Simon Property Group’s newest outlet mall, located in the Cypress Creek Town Center (CCTC) Development of Regional Impact (DRI), south of S.R. 56 and just west of the I-75 interchange. During a ceremony on December 12, representatives from Simon (which currently has more than 70 outlet malls nationwide, including the Ellenton Prime Outlets, located off Exit 224 of I-75) announced that the mall is scheduled to open by October of 2015. The outlet mall will feature an outdoor, open-air, “Key West”-style design, with large shaded overhangs, as well as a central water feature or amenity. “(The mall) will be really indicative of this area and of Pasco County,” said Simon Property Group’s senior vice president of development Danielle DeVita during the ceremony. “It will have a real Florida feel to it. It will be a truly amazing place for people to gather, relax and shop. We’re very excited about the design and how this center is going to end up looking.” DeVita told ceremony attendees (which included a who’s-who of Pasco County government, Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce ambassadors and other repre-
sentatives from Simon, as well as Sierra Properties and members of the Richard E. Jacobs Group, both of which also own land in the CCTC development) that the outlet mall is poised to provide Pasco with 300-500 construction jobs, as well as more than 800 full- and part-time retail jobs when the mall opens. DeVita also officially announced that Saks Fifth Avenue’s outlet store, called “Off 5th,” will be one of the 441,000-sq.ft. mall’s 110 national designer tenants, although that information already was announced in a press release about two years ago. Saks Off 5th has more than The development of the Cypress Creek Town Center DRI is 65 locations nationwide and in full swing, with several projects under way or announced. provides highly-fashionable mer“Most successful projects, I believe, chandise, much like its parent store, but at a are based on the premise of a ‘three-legged discounted price. Other tenants will be an- stool,’” Comm. Schrader said. “(Wesley nounced as the mall gets closer to opening, Chapel) is becoming quite the shopping disDeVita said. “This is a multi-million dollar trict with the Shops at Wiregrass mall, The project for Simon and we are very proud to Grove (shopping plaza) just up the street be making this investment in Pasco County,” and now the Tampa Premium Outlets. To DeVita said. me, this is the three-legged stool that is goPasco Board of County Commissioners ing to make this the shopping mecca of the (BOCC) chairman Ted Schrader also spoke Tampa Bay region, one that’s going to have at the ceremony and stressed that the outlet far reaches to Gainesville and Orlando.” mall coming to fruition is the result of paCounty administrator Michele Baker, tience and that Pasco County clearly is comSee ‘Cypress Creek” on page 9. ing of age.
Check Out The Suncoast Arts Festival January 17-18 At The Shops At Wiregrass! By Matt Wiley If you’re looking for something to stimulate the left side of your brain, consider checking out the 10th annual Suncoast Arts Festival (SAF), a FREE event at the Shops at Wiregrass mall (28211 Paseo Dr.) on Saturday- Sunday, January 17-18. This year’s title sponsor is Ed Morse Cadillac in Brandon. For the past decade, SAF has served as a place for local artists to gather and display their
works for the public, while raising money for art programs in Pasco County. According to the SAF website, more than 100,000 people came out to last year’s SAF, which also was held at the Shops at Wiregrass. This year’s event is scheduled to feature more than 125 fine artists in many different media, each of whom will display their works along Paseo Dr. There also will be chalk artists (photo, right) who will decorate the sidewalks, live entertainment at the “Random Acts for
Also Inside This Issue!
News, Business, Sports & Education Updates
Neighborhood Magazine
New Tampa Rezoning Could Trigger Wesley Chapel Road Connections, Wiregrass Baseball Deal Terminated; Plus, Lots Of Local Business Features!
D’Alessio Celebrates One Year In Business, Our Editor’s 2014 Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel & More Neighborhood Nibbles & Biz Bytes!
Pages 1-24
Pages 25-40
Art” stage in the mall’s Center Court, an “Emerging Artist” exhibit of artworks by area high school students and a glass-etching show on Sunday, as well as a “Phoneography Competition” to see who can capture the best photograph at the event on their mobile phone (sponsored by Rasmussen College on S.R. 54 in Land O’Lakes). Proceeds from the event go towards SAF’s “Arts for Education,” a program run by Fine Arts of the Suncoast, Inc., which is SAF’s not-for-profit parent company. The funds raised benefit arts education programs in Pasco County’s public, private and charter schools. The website says that during the past ten years, SAF has helped raise money for 85 $500 mini-grants for teachers and schools, 24 of which were distributed in Pasco County schools in 2014, totaling $12,000. Saturday evening also will include the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC)’s Business Showcase, which will this
year bring 35 member businesses together to show support for the local art community. The Suncoast Arts Festival will be open on Saturday, from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sunday. For more info, visit SuncoastArtsFest.com.