The Laker/Lutz News

Bexley Village Drive

Speed limit reduced on Mentmore Boulevard

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Following a speed study on Mentmore Boulevard, the speed limit is being lowered on the road — from Bexley Village Drive to State Road 54 — from 40 mph to 30 mph.

The Pasco County Commission approved the change on May 4.

The Florida Department of Transportation’s Speed Zoning Manual allows for the application of engineering judgment to establish the speed limit when needed, according to materials in the board’s agenda packet. As a result of the operational review of traffic conditions on Mentmore Boulevard, the judgment of the traffic operations and engineering services agreed that the speed limit be revised.

The reduced speed limit will take effect upon the posting of the speed signs, as required for law enforcement.

The cost to install the signs is estimated at $1,000.

Published May 12, 2021

Approval sets stage for 325 more homes in Bexley area

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a change to the county’s land use plan to set the stage for additional residential development on the south side of Tower Road, south of Bexley Village Drive.

Board members voted on March 9 to change the land use designation on 77.21 acres from a maximum of three dwelling units per acre to a maximum of six dwelling units per acre.

The change clears the way for a potential rezoning to allow up to 325 units on the property, at 17370 Bud Bexley Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes.

A rezoning, which has been requested, also must be secured before the additional density can be achieved.

The Pasco County Planning Commission recommended approval of the rezoning request during the planning board’s March 25 meeting.

The property is surrounded by Bexley South on the north; Suncoast Meadows on the south; Ballantrae on the east; and Sapphire Village on the west.

Besides getting a recommendation for approval from the planning board, planners also support the request.

County planners have described the site, which is currently vacant, as an appropriate location for the proposed development of single-family homes, at a maximum density of 4.21 units per acre.

The site has access from Tower Road.

The proposed development is expected to yield 59 students for Bexley Elementary School, 31 students for Charles Rushe Middle School and 40 students for Sunlake High School, according to background materials.

Published March 31, 2021

Pasco is ushering in 2021 with more shops, restaurants

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Shopping centers along State Road 54 and State Road 56 are continuing to attract more new stores and restaurants.

The Cypress Creek Town Center, Tampa Premium Outlets, The Preserve Marketplace, the Shoppes at Crossings Boulevard, Starkey Ranch Town Square, Starkey Ranch Business Center, The Shops at Wiregrass and the Grove at Wesley Chapel are building and remodeling in anticipation of new openings.

New shops and restaurants are opening or coming soon at the Starkey Ranch Town Square, at Gunn Highway and State Road 54 in Odessa. (Kathy Steele)

Total Wine & More is moving into the Cypress Creek Town Center in space formerly occupied by the Earth Fare grocery store.

The building, at 25535 Sierra Center Blvd., will undergo “interior alteration” for a remodel, according to a permit filed with Pasco County.

The town center, at the juncture of Interstate 75 and state roads 54 and 56, soon also will have a grand opening for Floor & Décor, now under construction on Sierra Center Boulevard. And, a Good Feet Store is on tap for the boulevard, too, according to county records.

A Hooters restaurant is under construction at the Shoppes at Crossings Boulevard at State Road 54 and Suncoast Parkway.

Across from the town center, construction is underway on an outparcel at Tampa Premium Outlets for a Tidal Wave Car Wash. A Zaxby’s restaurant also is anticipated. Recent arrivals at the outdoor mall include Main Event, Cigars International and Rock & Brew restaurant.

Along State Road 54, west of U.S. 41, online shopping will get a boost from an Amazon shipping center under construction at 17030 Mentmore Blvd. The facility is within the Bexley by Newland master-planned community, at the intersection with Bexley Village Drive.

E sushi & grill is open at the Starkey Ranch Town Square, at Gunn Highway and State Road 54 in Odessa.

The Shoppes at Crossings Boulevard, west of Bexley, is completing a makeover with a Hooters restaurant under construction. And, Pasco County just sealed a deal to bring Santander Consumer USA to occupy a portion of the former Target Superstore. The deal includes bringing 875 new jobs to the county.

Rasmussen College also previously submitted plans to the county, indicating it would occupy 44,000 square feet in the former big box retail store.

Further west, The Preserve Marketplace and two shopping centers by Starkey Ranch, off State Road 54, have construction work in progress. But, some shops and restaurants are open.

Amazon is building a shipping center at 17030 Mentmore Blvd., at the Bexley at Newland community, off State Road 54 and Suncoast Parkway.

CVS Pharmacy is open at The Preserve, along with the anchor grocery store, Greenwise. Majik Touch Cleaners is open, and 100 % Chiropractic is coming soon. Other businesses coming are Heartland Dental,  Chipotle, Panera Bread and Papa John’s.

At Gunn Highway and State Road 54, Publix is the anchor of the Starkey Ranch Town Square. Other tenants include e sushi & grill, J. Joseph Salon, The UPS Store, Polish The Nail Bar, and Zampelli’s Pizza and Pasta restaurant.

At Heart Pine Avenue, the Starkey Ranch Business Center hosts shops and restaurants including The Wicked Pour, Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Yoga Six and Hungry Greek restaurant.

Tidal Wave Car Wash is under construction on an outparcel at Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 54.

The Shops at Wiregrass, off State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs, and the Grove at Wesley Chapel, off State Road 54 west of Interstate 75, both are welcoming new stores and restaurants, too.

The Grove is in the midst of a major makeover, in progress, following the $64 million purchase of the shopping center by Mishorim Gold Properties in 2019.

The company is investing more than $110 million to renovate the Grove. Plans include a shipping container park – known as KRATE – with shops, offices and restaurants. A stage will feature daily live entertainment. A dog park and a playground will build on the overall design in promoting a community place in Wesley Chapel.

On its Facebook page, the Grove recently began teasing to future tenants at the container park with the “12 Days of KRATEmas.” Among the tenants are 365 Café Italiano; ATO, specializing in sushi and burritos; Provisions, with specialty coffees and an artisan café menu; and The Cake Girl.

Floor & Décor will open soon at Cypress Creek Town Center in a shopping center on Sierra Center Boulevard. Also, a Total Wine & More is slated to move into the Earth Fare space.

RAW, a workspace collaborative, held a grand opening Dec. 3.

In addition, Prime Barbershop and Brooklyn Water Bagels recently opened. King of the Coop, a Nashville hot chicken eatery, soon will open, too, according to the restaurant’s Facebook page. It will be the second location for King of the Coop, currently located in the restaurant-rich Seminole Heights neighborhood in Tampa.

County permits also show Best NY Pizza Worx is coming to 6027 Wesley Grove Blvd., in the Grove.

The Shops at Wiregrass has opened, or will soon open, 11 new shops, according to a news release from the mall.

New shops are Beauty In Abundance, a beauty, hair care and make-up shop; Crimson Chain Leatherworks, specializing in costumes and accessories for Renaissance fairs, fantasy and historical reenactments; and Arega NY, a swim and activewear boutique.

Additional stores include a lululemon Pop-Up, specializing in yoga-inspired and athletic clothes for women and men; Chuck Lager’s American Tavern, a family restaurant with a classic menu of pasta and burgers; GO! Calendars Games and Toys; Ornament Shoppe, with decorative and personalized ornament selections; Design Hut, a boutique with personalized gifts including custom shirts; Hickory Farms, featuring cured meats, cheeses, wine pairings and hand-picked fruits; and, Fit2Run, a superstore with brand name athletic footwear, running apparel and accessories.

Sephora, a makeup and accessories boutique, is slated to open in spring 2021.

By Kathy Steele

Published December 23, 2020

Planning commissioners recommend land use changes

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended a change to the county’s long-range land use map that would permit a greater intensification of development on a tract in a central area of Pasco County.

It also is recommending changes to policies affecting future development in the Villages of Pasadena Hills, in eastern Pasco County.

The recommendations will be considered by the Pasco County Commission, which has final authority over county land use and zoning matters.

The proposed change in Central Pasco involves increasing the maximum density from three dwellings per acre up to six dwellings per acre, on 77.21 acres on the south side of Tower Road, south of Bexley Village Drive.

The new land use designation would allow a maximum of 325 dwelling units, in a combination of single-family detached homes and townhouses.

The acreage is surrounded by a planned development called Bexley South, to the north; the Suncoast Meadows, to the south; Ballantrae, to the east; and Sapphire Village, to the west.

County planners recommended approval of the request, determining that the proposed plan amendment “is an appropriate location for the change in land use.”

Barbara Wilhite, an attorney representing the applicant, said plans call for 325 single-family dwellings.

No multifamily is proposed, she said, noting the specific plan will come back in a separate request for a rezoning to create a master-planned unit development.

On the issue involving the eastern Pasco development, planning commissioners agreed with a recommendation from the Villages of Pasadena Hills Property Owners Group to reduce the required wetlands buffer from 100 feet to 25 feet.

In supporting that recommendation, planning commissioners rejected a recommendation by  the VOPH policy committee that would have changed the requirement to match the requirement in the rest of the county.

The Planning Commission also rejected a recommendation by the parks, recreation and natural resources department that would have required a more extensive buffer. The county’s planning staff supported the parks and recreation department’s recommendation, but planning commissioners supported the property owners’ recommendation.

Pat Gassaway, representing Heidt Design, told planning commissioners the goal is to take a look at the rules and update them to today’s market.

The current rules, he said, “require preservation of upland habitat without bound,” Gassaway said.

The update also includes myriad of other changes in the VOPH plan, with the goal of the changes to create a more level playing field between regulations required in this planning area and others, and to make the Villages of Pasadena Hills “more market friendly and more competitive,” Gassaway said.

The county has undergone significant changes since the Villages of Pasadena Hills was adopted in 2008, Gassaway said.

Published December 02, 2020

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

Pasco County’s development ready to take off

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Dreams and visions for the redevelopment of Pasco County began more than two decades ago. Today, homes, shops, hotels, offices and medical campuses are coming out of the ground and redrawing the county’s future.

On March 1, developers of four of Pasco’s master-planned communities updated more than 100 people who came to the annual Meet the Developers breakfast. The Pasco Economic Development Council sponsored the event at the Marriott Residence Inn, off State Road 54.

In closing remarks, Bill Cronin, president of Pasco EDC said, “this is the right time, the right place for Pasco County…If nothing else, I hope you have that ‘oh, wow’ effect. That’s not the Pasco I knew.”

Bill Cronin, president of the Pasco Economic Development Council, left, introduces developers who spoke at a ‘Meet the Developers’ breakfast. They are: Matt Call, project director of Starkey Ranch/Wheelock Communities; Tom Panaseny, vice president/general manager of Bexley by Newland Communities; J.D. Porter, president of sales and development of Wiregrass Ranch Inc.; and, Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro Development Group LLC.
(Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

Speakers at the breakfast were Matt Call, project director at Starkey Ranch, which is being developed by Wheelock Communities; Tom Panaseny, vice president and general manager for Bexley by Newland Communities; J.D. Porter, president of sales and development of Wiregrass Ranch Inc.; and, Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro Development Group Inc.

“We’re all selling this dream and vision of where Pasco can go,” Call said.

Three years ago, Starkey Ranch, about four miles west of the Suncoast Parkway, off State Road 54, was largely still on the drawing board.

Today, Starkey Ranch anticipates having more than 300 new homes under contract in a year, Call said. So far, there have been more than 150 closings, he added.

The average price of homes being sold there is in the low to mid-$400,000s. The most expensive home — at about 4,800 square feet – sold within the past two weeks for about $874,000.

“Most are not first-time homebuyers,” Call said. “Most are moving-up buyers.”

Upcoming projects included widening Gunn Highway and extending the road into Starkey Ranch.

About one-third of a 20-mile trail system is built and will eventually connect with Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve and the Suncoast Trail.

A business park, fronting State Road 54, is in the works. A town square is planned for 2018.

While Newland Communities is new to Pasco, its track record in Tampa Bay includes master-planned communities in Hillsborough County, including FishHawk Ranch in Riverview and Westchase in Town ‘n Country.

Panaseny described Newland as the largest private developer of planned communities in the country, with projects in 19 states, stretching from coast to coast.

The homebuilder’s first Pasco community is Bexley Ranch, in an area encompassing about 1,700 acres. It is located also on State Road 54, east of Suncoast Parkway.

The Bexley family is developing another 5,000 adjacent acres still under their control.

The Newland project is zoned for more than 1,700 homes; about 95,000 square feet of retail; and, more than 560,000 square feet of office, though that could increase to as much as 1 million square feet.

About five miles of a planned 13-mile trail system is built.

An elementary school now under construction is scheduled to open in August.

About 400 lots are available, with 400 additional lots expected to be ready by the end of the year. Twelve model homes are open for viewing.

Bexley also is planned for offices, shops and a hotel, as well as apartments and single-family homes.

A groundbreaking is anticipated in March for more than 300 apartments.

Access to Bexley currently is through the Ballantrae community to the east. But, within 60 to 90 days, Panaseny said Bexley Village Drive should open, with access directly off State Road 54.

The average home price is about $350,000.

“It’s been a strong market,” Panaseny said.

Upcoming projects include a medical facility, a Race Trac gas station and convenience store, and a 7-acre shopping center.

“We’d love to have a grocery store anchor the center, or possibly restaurants,” Panaseny said.

A Marriott hotel is expected to break ground in July.

There also is about 32 acres available for offices. “We very much want to bring Class A office space here,” he said.

Wiregrass Ranch is rebranding itself, with a new logo and a re-energized focus as new developments in the master-planned community emerge.

Wiregrass is the fastest growing community in the Tampa Bay area, said Porter, of  Wiregrass Ranch Inc.

The property is zoned for 10,500 homes; 2.7 million square feet of retail; 2.6 million square feet of office; and 600 hotel beds. A middle school and a high school have been built. Additional retail and office space are planned.

Next to The Shops at Wiregrass, plans are underway for an expansion that will include high-end shops and boutiques, a cine bistro, a grocery store and apartments.

Raymond James Financial campus is expected to start construction later this year on a campus that could have about 1 million square feet of office space and an 1,800-space parking garage.

Medical facilities are filling up the surrounding area. They include Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Medical Clinic and North Tampa Behavioral Health.

Beach House is an upscale assisted living facility under construction.

“You’re going to continue to see good, smart growth because it’s an environment people want to be in,” said Porter.

Metro Development Group is building a master-planned community at Epperson Ranch, which is part of a state-approved pilot program to create a Connected City corridor built with technology innovations. At build out, Metro is projecting about 37,000 homes; 12 million square-feet of office, retail and technology manufacturing; 100 miles of traffic lanes for self-driving vehicles; and two Crystal Lagoons.

The first lagoon at Epperson Ranch is a 7-acre, manmade pool of crystal blue water under construction at Epperson Ranch, off State Road 52 at Overpass Road. To the north, a second community, known as Mirada, is also planned with a larger Crystal Lagoon.

Metro controls about 35 percent of land within Connected City, which sets aside about 7,800 acres in northeastern Pasco. Metro and other developers are expected to build master-planned communities embedded with cutting-edge technology, and focused on creating technology driven jobs and new businesses.

A groundbreaking for the Crystal Lagoon at Epperson happened in February. The lagoon is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. In the first weeks, 15 homes have sold, and there is a waiting list of more than 1,000 people who want to buy, said Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro.

Published March 8, 2017

Bexley Ranch divided in two

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The Land O’ Lakes property will be developed as Bexley North and Bexley South

 

The Pasco Commission has made it official.

The sprawling Bexley Ranch property, off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, has been split into rezoned tracts known as Bexley North and Bexley South.

Interior roads are being constructed for the development of Bexley South, a Land O’ Lakes community being developed by Newland Communities. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Interior roads are being constructed for the development of Bexley South, a Land O’ Lakes community being developed by Newland Communities.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Commissioners voted April 21 to allow the developer to do away with the original 2006 development agreement in favor of the two redrawn subdivisions.

Bexley South is under ownership and control of Newland Communities that is developing a master-planned community, similar in scale to the company’s Fishhawk Ranch and Westchase communities in Hillsborough County.

The Newland property is about 1,733 acres and includes the acquired properties of Ashley Glen and Suncoast Commercial on the north side of State Road 54, east of the Suncoast Parkway, and on north and south sides of Tower Road.

The Bexley family will retain ownership of Bexley North, which contains about 5,400 acres. The property is on the north and south of Tower Road, extending east to Suncoast and the CSX rail corridor. The planned subdivision is allowed about 11,000 single-family homes, 1,000 apartments and townhomes, about 295,000 square feet of commercial and retail, and about 537,000 square feet of offices.

Meanwhile, development preparation work continues in Bexley South.

“Newland (Communities) which has begun developing the southern portion is very excited to be in Pasco County,” said attorney Andrea Zelman, who represented both Newland and the Bexley family at the April 21 public hearing.

Site preparation and construction on the main entrance into the mixed use, residential and commercial community of Bexley South began last summer.

No buildings have yet been constructed. The community will be built in phases over 20 years.

The project includes construction of elementary, middle and high schools, an 80-acre district park and the option of an 18-hole golf course.

Bexley South’s master plan sharply reduces office space from a one-time high of about 2 million square feet to about 562,000 square feet. However, the county would allow up to 1.8 million square feet of offices, if needed.

In addition Bexley South is approved for 1,200 single-family homes, 520 apartments and townhomes, and more than 94,000 square feet of commercial and retail.

The vision also includes triggers for design and construction of roadway improvements based on housing volume and traffic analyses for both Bexley North and South. Among the developer’s obligations would be phased extensions of Tower Road and Sunlake Boulevard, linkage of Bexley Village Drive from State Road 54 to Mentmore Boulevard, a roundabout at Mentmore and Bexley Village, and construction of the intersection at Tower and Ballantrae Road.

The master plan anticipates neighborhood centers and pedestrian-friendly amenities including common areas, green spaces and trails.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey made a plea that developers design trails that “meander” and don’t merely follow a roadway, such as Tower Road, in a straight line.

Put it far enough from the curb that it is safe for families, she said.

“When a trail meanders,” Starkey said, “it’s a much better experience.”

Published May 6, 2015