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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Heart Pine Avenue

Pasco keeps growing, despite COVID-19

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Business in Pasco County is coming back to life as residents, weary of a pandemic-enforced lockdown, venture back to the world of shopping and dining.

There are hopeful signs for commercial rebirth.

Continued residential growth in Bexley by Newland Communities generates foot traffic for nearby shops, restaurants, grocery stores and other small businesses. (B.C. Manion)

Neon “open” signs are visible in storefronts.

Banners planted at the roadside’s edge wave at passing motorists.

Parking lots at malls and shopping centers are filling up again.

But, it’s not just the established businesses that are reviving Pasco’s economy. Business owners and developers continue to invest in new retail especially along one of the county’s busiest east/west corridors – State Road 54 and State Road 56.

On State Road 54, west of U.S. 41, The Preserve Marketplace and two retail centers at Starkey Ranch are adding shops, restaurants, health care services, and offices.

At Bexley Ranch, in Land O’ Lakes, land is being cleared and leveled on Lot A for the Bexley South Office Park, off Bexley Village Drive, near Springhill Suites.

A Crunch Fitness is scheduled to open Aug. 25, off State Road 54 in Trinity.

This sign signals future plans for a car wash, just south of the new Aldi that opened at Cypress Creek Town Center. (B.C. Manion)

Meanwhile, on the State Road 54/56 corridor east of U.S. 41, there are new developments, too.

Near the juncture of State Road 56 and Interstate 75, a banner announces that Tidal Wave Auto Spa is coming to an outparcel at Tampa Premium Outlets.

In the same general area, Main Event, a 50,000-square-foot entertainment venue, celebrated its grand opening less than two weeks ago.

And, another Crunch Fitness is planning to open in October in the old Winn-Dixie location, off Collier Parkway and State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes.

The Collier Parkway location is a great choice for a fitness gym because it’s along a high traffic corridor, said Geoff Dyer, president of Crunch Fitness. “It’s in the heart of the (Land O’ Lakes) neighborhood,” he said.

Crunch Fitness is planning to open a gym in October in the former Winn-Dixie grocery store, at State Road 54 and Collier Parkway. An employee manned a display outside the site to take membership applications. Another Crunch Fitness is opening Aug. 25, off State Road 54, in Trinity. (Kathy Steele)

During the COVID-19 shutdown, work continued on the Trinity and Land O’ Lakes locations, Dyer said, adding, “for all intents and purposes, we haven’t seen any slow-down in our developments.”

He noted that Crunch Fitness gyms shut down for about two months at the start of the pandemic, but now the gyms are open and adhering to safety guidelines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Membership has returned to about 95% of what it was pre-shutdown,” Dyer said.

While activity, in general, appears to be picking up and new construction continues to kick up dirt — a cloud hovers over business decisions due to the uncertain nature of COVID-19.

Ralph Santell and his family moved to Starkey Ranch and began plans to open Santelli Pizza & Pasta nearly three years ago. They saw the growth happening in Pasco.

His storefront is at Starkey Ranch Town Square, a plaza located at State Road 54 and Gunn Highway. A few tenants in the center, including J. Joseph Salon, are open.

Santelli Pizza & Pasta will open around September at Starkey Ranch Town Square, at State Road 54 and Gunn Highway. (Kathy Steele)

Santell plans to open by September, possibly with outdoor dining and takeout. He said he’ll decide closer to opening whether he’ll initially offer indoor dining.

“That (COVID-19) has been an extra challenge that influences things on a daily basis,” Santell said. “It’s been hard to navigate the whole COVID-19 situation. We take it one day at a time.”

Santell also owns a restaurant in the Westchase subdivision in Hillsborough County. That restaurant closed, then reopened, but is now closed again — except for takeout.

Another Starkey Ranch retail center at State Road 54 and Heart Pine Avenue – Starkey Ranch Business Park – also has a roster of tenants slated to open, including The Wicked Pour, Tropical Smoothie Café and Hungry Greek.

The pandemic slowed opening plans, but construction on the retail park is nearly finished.

“All of these are coming along,” said Matt Call, project director for Starkey Ranch. “With COVID-19, things take a bit longer.”

Additional outparcels at both retail centers are available for development — though it could take longer to get projects going, Call added.

Typically, residential construction is a key to spurring on new retail, Call said.

He said Starkey Ranch and Bexley by Newland are the top residential sellers in the Tampa Bay area. Together, they add about 800 residential units annually to Pasco, he said.

Work is underway on the Bainbridge Sunlake, an upscale apartment development, being built at Mentmore Boulevard and State Road 54, next to The Shoppes at Sunlake Centre. (B.C. Manion)

Pasco also is on an apartment building spree with about nine complexes planned or under construction.

Near the Tampa Premium Outlets and Cypress Creek Town Center, Brightwork Crossing apartment complex is attracting new renters to the commercial epicenter of the Wesley Chapel area.

Two Altis apartment complexes, one by Wiregrass Ranch on State Road 56 and a second on South Branch Boulevard at Starkey Ranch, are adding to Pasco tenant population.

Bainbridge Sunlake is an upscale apartment complex being built at State Road 54, and Mentmore Boulevard, next to The Shoppes at Sunlake Centre.

A new standalone Starbucks is coming soon to the Sunlake shopping center, as well.

Retail developments, including The Preserve Marketplace, are adding new tenants, including the recently opened anchor store – Greenwise. Majik Touch Cleaners is open, too.

Other tenants with plans to open include Chipotle, Heartland Dental and CVS Pharmacy.

“It’s going to be a cool little plaza when it’s done,” Call said. “I think Pasco is going to continue to grow. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

What’s happening along State Road 54
Here are some of the office, retail or residential developments that have opened or are in progress along State Road 54.

Construction on a dental office is nearing completion at Starkey Ranch Town Square, at State Road 54 and Gunn Highway. (Kathy Steele)

The Preserve Marketplace (State Road 54 and the Suncoast Parkway)

  • Greenwise Market, owned by Publix, is a specialty grocery store offering an array of organic and natural food products.
  • TouchPoint Medical manufactures medical dispensing equipment, including high-tech carts.
  • Organic Nails offers nail art and design services.
  • Heartland Dental provides administrative support and career development services among a network of dental partnerships
  • CVS Pharmacy is a national chain of drugstores.
  • Majik Touch Cleaners provides laundry and dry-cleaning services in Pasco and the Tampa Bay area.
  • Sport Clips provides haircuts for men and boys.
  • Panera Bread is a national chain that serves sandwiches, salads and pastries.
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill is a national chain restaurant serving made-to-order burritos, tacos, wraps and salads.
The Wicked Pour and Hungry Greek will open soon at Starkey Ranch Business Park, at State Road 54 and Heart Pine Avenue. (Kathy Steele)

Starkey Ranch Business Park (State Road 54 and Heart Pine Avenue)

  • The Wicked Pour is a craft beer, wine and taproom with board games, giant Jenga and cornhole.
  • Hungry Greek is a casual restaurant chain offering fast Greek food.
  • Urgent Vet offers after-hours care for pet illnesses and emergencies.
  • Abela Story, a women’s boutique, offers trendy styles for all tastes, and accessories.
  • Encore Nail Salon provides nail art and design, and other services.
  • Chase Bank is a full-service bank.
  • YogaSix is a hot yoga-style studio.
E sushi and Grill, a Japanese restaurant, is expected to open soon at Starkey Ranch Town Square, at State Road 54 and Gunn Highway. (Kathy Steele)

Starkey Ranch Town Square (State Road 54 and Gunn Highway)

  • Santelli Pizza & Pasta is a family-owned Italian restaurant with pizzas and pasta dishes.
  • E sushi & Grill is a Japanese restaurant.
  • J. Joseph Salon is a luxury hair salon.
  • Great Clips is a discount, walk-in hair salon.
  • Quality Plus Cleaners provides laundry and dry-cleaning services.
  • The UPS Store offers mailing, printing and mailbox services.
  • A dental office, which has not yet been identified, is on the outparcel across from Santelli Pizza.

Published July 29, 2020

Five Models at Starkey Ranch Receive Top Parade of Homes Awards

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Starkey Ranch, a 2,400-acre master-planned community in Odessa, received more recognition at the 2018 Parade of Homes in March than any other community in Tampa Bay.

Five model homes at Starkey Ranch took either a grand or silver award for their floor plans, interior design and outdoor areas, winning in categories with homes priced from $350,000 to $1.2 million.

“We are very proud of the recognition our homebuilders received in this year’s Parade of Homes,” said Matt Call, who leads the development team at Starkey Ranch. “We have five of the most successful builders in the Tampa Bay area, based on sales volume, customer satisfaction and awards. In fact, three of our builders—Pulte Homes, CalAtlantic Homes and Taylor Morrison—are in the top 10 of the national 2017 Builder 100 rankings.”

Buyers like what they see at Starkey Ranch, as evidenced by the volume of new home sales in the community.  In just the first 11 weeks of 2018, Starkey Ranch builders have written 94 sales contracts, a 42% increase over the same period last year. Since sales began in May of 2015, 660 homes have been sold.

Starkey Ranch was initially approved for over 5,000 homes, but Call projects the actual number will be closer to 3,000, due to the high demand for single-family homes on larger homesites. Home prices currently range from the upper $200,000s to over $800,000 on lots that back onto Starkey Preserve.

In 2018, Starkey Ranch is introducing several new neighborhoods: Monroe Commons featuring Pulte Homes; Anclote Reserve featuring Homes by WestBay; Albritton Park featuring M/I Homes; and Whitfield Preserve featuring Taylor Morrison.

Starkey Ranch lives up to its motto, ‘Alive and Thriving,’ says Call. “In less than three years, we’ve gone from no residents to 435 families living in beautiful new homes, and enjoying all the community amenities and programs. More families are moving in each week as their homes are completed.”

Call credits the success of Starkey Ranch to three factors – the place, the product, and the people.

“The place itself is incomparable,” he says. “This is legacy Starkey family land, the last segment of what was once a 20,000-acre working ranch. Most of the ranch became the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve, and we enjoy this forever-wild neighbor along the community’s northeastern boundary. On the other hand, we have three miles of frontage on State Road 54, making access easy for our residents.”

As evidenced by the Parade of Homes awards, the home products are something special, too. Starkey Ranch has rigorous design guidelines that require builders to enhance the exteriors of each home with elements like stone, siding, shingles, porches, decorative trim and upgraded roofing materials.

They also must vary the home plans and color palettes on each block, creating a more interesting streetscape. “You won’t find any cookie-cutter stucco boxes here,” says Call. “It may cost a bit more to build in Starkey Ranch, but the community is looking great and we think it will stand the test of time.”

The last key to success is people. The builder sales counselors, the Welcome Center ambassadors and the community’s Lifestyle team members all recognize that a sense of community is more important than a floor plan to most people.

“Our primary goal is to help new neighbors become friends, and we do that through amenities and community activities that bring people together—with a big focus on nature and outdoor recreation,” said Call.

Of Starkey Ranch’s 2,400 acres, 800 will forever remain as open spaces, parks, lakes and preserved wetlands. More than 15 miles of the planned 20-mile paved trail system within the community is complete, and it will connect with trails in the Starkey Wilderness Preserve and the regional Suncoast Trail.

The newest amenity, Cunningham Park, includes a lake with canoes and kayaks for resident use, a community hall for classes and social events, and a community garden. Neighborhood pools, pavilions and parks are disbursed throughout the community.

The 80-acre Starkey Ranch District Park, Pasco County’s newest recreational complex, opened late last year in the community. Its first phase includes a lighted Little League baseball/softball field, three lighted multipurpose fields for soccer, lacrosse and football, six multipurpose practice fields, a playground and picnic pavilions.

Pasco County has announced plans for the 2021 completion of a K-8 school co-located with the District Park. A public library, community cultural center, and additional recreational facilities will be built with the school.

Coming soon to the intersection of State Road 54 and Gunn Highway is the Publix-anchored Starkey Ranch Town Square, which will also include shops, restaurants and apartments. A small business park is planned for the intersection of Heart Pine Avenue and State Road 54.

For more information, visit the Starkey Ranch Welcome Center at 2500 Heart Pine Ave, Odessa, FL 33556. You can also call (813) 925-9777, email or visit StarkeyRanch.com. Welcome Center hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Recognized builders and their models are:

$350,000 to $399,000
M/I Homes – Grand Prize
Chatham Model

$400,000 to $449,000
M/I Homes – Silver Prize
Sheridan Model

$500,000 to $549,000
Homes by Westbay – Grand Prize
Ballast Point Model

$600,000 to $649,000
Taylor Morrison – Silver Prize
Farnese Model

$700,000 to $799,000
Pulte Homes – Grand Prize
Heatherton Model

Published March 28, 2018