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Mercedes Benz

Car dealerships arriving in Wesley Chapel

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Pasco County is in the market to add to its luxury car dealerships with BMW as the potential tenant of a proposed showroom near The Shops at Wiregrass.

Japanese-auto dealership Mitsubishi also appears to want into Pasco’s market, with a showroom located west of Eagleston Boulevard at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Representatives of Spring Engineering Inc., filed a pre-application for “BMW-Wesley Chapel,” and recently met with Pasco County planners.

Spring Engineering representatives could not be reached for comment.

Preliminary site plans show a 37,000-square-foot showroom and space for 216 new vehicles. The dealership also would have a pre-owned vehicle division and service department.

The 32-acre site is located at the southeast corner of State Road 56 and Mansfield Boulevard, east of the Wiregrass mall. The property is owned by Solly Branch Holdings LLC, which lists J.D. Porter and his sister, Quinn Porter, as company officers, according to state records.

If the dealership materializes, BMW would be the fourth luxury automobile dealerships to gravitate to Pasco in the past three years. It would join previously opened dealerships for Lexus, Mercedes Benz and Audi.

According to its website, Springs Engineering’s clients include BMW of Ocala, Mini of Wesley Chapel, Jaguar of Orlando, and Lamborghini of Broward (County).

Another site plan identifies “WC Mitsubishi” as the potential tenant for an approximately 4-acre site near Toyota, Honda and Lexus dealerships.

Jacobs Holdings WC LLC, filed the pre-application for WC Mitsubishi, which would be a new and used auto dealership of about 17,600 square feet.

Daniel Jacobs is listed as the prime officer of Jacobs Holdings WC LLC, as well as chief executive officer of Jacobs Automotive Group and owner of Jacobs Auto Enterprise Inc., according to state records.

He is listed on the pre-application as the purchaser. The property is owned by DDG Holdings LLC, according to county records.

Jacobs wasn’t available for comment.

Published August 1, 2018

Lexus of Wesley Chapel brings new dealership to Pasco

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A new dealer will tap into the luxury automobile market in Pasco County with its new showroom under construction near Wiregrass Ranch.

Lexus of Wesley Chapel is being built on about 8 acres, next to Wesley Chapel Toyota, at 5300 Eagleston Blvd., south of State Road 54 and west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Owners of Williams Automotive Group competed against nearly 130 dealers nationwide who sought to win the coveted Lexus dealership.

Construction is underway on Lexus of Wesley Chapel. The luxury car dealership is expected to open by the end of 2017.
(Courtesy of Lexus of Wesley Chapel)

The new Lexus showroom is expected to open by the end of 2017 and employ about 100 people. Williams Automotive Group is the parent company for Wesley Chapel Toyota, Wesley Chapel Honda and Tampa Honda.

Lexus of Wesley Chapel will be the second to sell luxury, high-end vehicles in Pasco County.

In 2015, AutoNation opened Pasco County’s first Mercedes Benz dealership at the corner of State Road 56 and Interstate 75, also in Wesley Chapel. It is within the orbit of Tampa Premium Outlets, Cypress Creek Town Center and Florida Hospital Center Ice.

For Lexus fans, the nearest dealership is more than 20 miles away in Tampa.

A study and review of the area’s demographics found Wesley Chapel to be “a perfect fit for the luxury car buyer,” according to an email statement from John Williams, co-owner of Williams Automotive Group.

The market for Lexus of Wesley Chapel covers not only Pasco but northern Hillsborough County, Hernando County and beyond, Williams said in the email.

According to 2015 census data, the annual median income in Wesley Chapel is about $75,000. By comparison, the Pasco overall median income is about $45,000.

Average household income is even higher at more than $85,000 in Wesley Chapel, and $60,000 in Pasco.

With the ongoing growth in the county, Williams said the market can handle even more luxury dealerships in future.

The main Lexus showroom will be a two-story building with about 58,000 square feet. There also will be a double-tunnel car wash of about 3,800 square feet, and a covered outdoor pavilion of about 1,900 square feet.

The dealership will have nearly 500 parking spaces.

A 10-acre adjacent site has room for more than 600 additional parking spaces, and a future collision center. Williams said construction on the collision center probably will begin in 2018.

The indoor showroom will feature 12 Lexus vehicles while another 10 vehicles can be displayed outdoors. There will be 30 service bays, including eight detail bays, with room for expansion.

In addition, there will be several customer lounges, quiet rooms, business offices, a children’s play area, technology center, and an upscale cafe with coffee and cappuccino.

Published February 22, 2017

Retail jobs on the rise

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But more jobs are needed to diversify Pasco’s economy

Heading south on Interstate 275 into Tampa, and points beyond, cars stack up and slow to a crawl as commuters in the morning rush hour out of Pasco County’s bedroom communities hit the brakes.

Motorists going north, mostly zip along at a steady clip.

In the afternoon the traffic flow reverses.

It’s all about where the jobs are and where they aren’t.

The volume of people who commute daily to jobs outside Pasco is about 46 percent, according to county data.

But flipping that trend is the goal of the county’s Planning and Development Department, and its marketing partner, the Pasco County Economic Development Council.

Holiday Inn Express is one hotel ready for construction with an opening in 2016. The hotel is next to Florida Hospital Center Ice, an ice rink and sports complex that is under construction, off State Road 56. Both will be job producers. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Holiday Inn Express is one hotel ready for construction with an opening in 2016. The hotel is next to Florida Hospital Center Ice, an ice rink and sports complex that is under construction, off State Road 56. Both will be job producers.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

There are good signs in the job market especially in retail, but county officials say Pasco needs higher paying jobs and a diverse employer-base to shed its bedroom community status.

And that could take years of steady, patient marketing.

For now, dirt is flying especially along the prime corridors of State Road 56 and State Road 54, around the Interstate 75 interchange.

“The retail is following the rooftops,” said Melanie Kendrick, senior planner for economic development in Pasco.

Tampa Premium Outlets, the centerpiece for Cypress Creek Town Center, is sprouting. It is expected to have more than 110 stores and will provide an estimated 800 jobs.

The Shops at Wiregrass is expanding. And, other retail development, including Mercedes Benz, Buffalo Wild Wings and Dairy Queen, is popping up.

Abutting the outlet mall, the town center also will have more retail including Kohl’s, Costco, Culver’s, Cheddar’s Casual Café, and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. Job numbers for this project aren’t available.

More hotels, shops, restaurants and offices are on a waiting list, marked ‘coming soon’ for a site on the north side of State Road 56, also part of Cypress Creek Town Center.

On Oct. 29, Tampa Premium Outlets will be the first to hit the start button.

“This is like a bonus,” said John Hagen, president of the PEDC. “It will definitely raise the amount of money coming into the community. It makes the economic pie bigger.”

People are put to work, the Penny for Pasco program gets fattened with more pennies and Pasco’s image shines brighter in the marketplace.

“It is a destination… It will help people understand that there is a Pasco County,” Hagen said. “This is a place. It has place-making attributes that are important to us. It’s hard for people to think about (Pasco) in terms of a place.”

Retail already has shown it can spark other development.

Pasco-Hernando State College located its Porter Campus at the mall. It currently has a staff of about 60 employees and 100 adjunct faculty members.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, near Wiregrass, added 600 jobs to the economy when it opened nearly three years ago. The hospital is investing $78 million in an expansion at the hospital. And Florida Medical Clinic, just north of Wiregrass, also is expanding in Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

On State Road 54, a new Lowe’s warehouse store opened in April, bringing with it as many as 160 jobs.

Businessman Gordie Zimmerman is building Florida Hospital Center Ice, a sports complex with four ice rinks and a removable pad that can allow for more sports such as volleyball, soccer, basketball and lacrosse. The 150,000 square foot facility, off State Road 56, can also accommodate non-sports events such as dog shows and graduations.

It is expected to attract national and international sports competitions.

All of these generate more sales tax revenues from people shopping and dining in Pasco.

And, a portion of those Pasco pennies will be dedicated this year to the Jobs and Economic Trust Fund to provide business incentives to locate in Pasco.

County officials have estimated that $45 million to $50 million will flow from the Penny for Pasco program to stimulate economic development.

Hagen recently delivered the PEDC’s third quarter report to the Pasco County Commission. The data showed that to date, 415 jobs had been created through the agency’s efforts in 2015.

On July 24, the PEDC upped that number by 124 jobs with its announcement that Leggett & Platt, a global manufacturing company, plans to open an 80,000-square- foot facility near Spring Hill. The plant will assemble adjustable bed bases. Company officials have pledged to hire locally and contract with suppliers within the Tampa Bay region.

Hagen sees Leggett & Platt taking a position as one of the county’s top employers with room for expansion in future.

On another front, the SMARTstart business incubator program has created 45 jobs. Currently, 13 startup companies are sharing space on-site in Dade City. Another three entrepreneurs are located off-site. “They are all trying to get their businesses off the ground,” Hagen said.

While some of these new businesses may only generate a small number of jobs, there always is potential that one or more could take off with an idea that is “scalable” into a regional or national company, Hagen said.

The county set clear goals in the long-range Economic Development Plan, adopted in 2013.

One target is to add between 160,000 and 185,000 new jobs to the economy over the next decade, said Richard Gehring, the county’s planning and development administrator.

That has to be reached by fostering a business-friendly environment where private companies want to invest in Pasco, Hagen said.

“I kind of like to differentiate between creating a business climate and making business deals,” he said. “I think we’re creating a business climate where things can happen.”

One example of private investment that paid off is Compark 75. The business park, off Wesley Chapel Boulevard, will expand in 2016 with the addition of a 65,000 square foot building. The existing park, with four buildings, is leased nearly to capacity.

Two new tenants, Streetside Classic Cars and an as yet-unidentified orthodontics company will open there in October.

Hagen would like to see 10 more projects similar to Compark 75.

Over the years, Pasco has evolved from a rural community into a service-based economy that catered to senior retirees and then into the bedroom community for counties such as Hillsborough and Pinellas.

The current building boom is picking up where developers left off before the Great Recession. Predictably, the new development began with housing because that offers reasonably quick turnaround on investment, Hagen said.

But many of these projects have also set aside space for retail, offices and in some cases industrial, Hagen said.

“It’s kind of setting the stage for other development,” he said.

But, it is crucial to Pasco’s economic growth to encourage more business parks. That was one issue identified in a study completed recently by Duke Energy of the large acreage in and around the Zephyrhills airport.

“I don’t mean to sound alarmist,” Hagen said. “I think we’re trying to put some thought into that. We probably need to be more active in acquiring and controlling parcels that would make good industrial parks before they get gobbled into retail.”

Still Hagen isn’t what he describes as a “retail snob.”

Jobs of every kind are needed, he said. “If it puts them to work, then it’s a good thing.”

Tampa Premium Outlets hosts center-wide job fair
What: The grand opening of Tampa Premium Outlets is scheduled for October.

Retailers are seeking job applicants for more than 800 open seasonal, part-time, full-time and management positions. The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce is the job fair sponsor.

When: Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: Embassy Suites Tampa USF/Busch Gardens,  3705 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa

Cost: Free and open to the community. Dress professionally and bring lots of resumes.

Information: Call (813) 909-8716, or visit PremiumOutlets.com/tampa.

Published August 5, 2015

Restaurant wings into Wesley Chapel

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Buffalo Wild Wings will open its doors in time for the Fourth of July celebrations.

The ribbon cutting is scheduled for July 3, with the first full week of operation kicking off July 6, said Dana Balch, the restaurant’s general manager.

“We are super excited,” he said. “It’s been a long time in the making.”

Residents have come up to Balch and his staff for weeks when they have been spotted out and about sporting the Buffalo Wild Wings’ logos on their work uniforms.

Construction is nearly complete on the new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant off State Road 56. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for July 3. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Construction is nearly complete on the new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant off State Road 56. A ribbon cutting is scheduled for July 3.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

“There’s been a lot of excitement in town to see a family friendly sports restaurant,” he said.

The local connection extends to employees. Four out of five members of the management team are Wesley Chapel residents, including Balch. The restaurant is a member of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.

The restaurant is off State Road 56, next to the Gate gas station and east of Cypress Ridge Boulevard. The area is a hot spot for new development including the recently opened Mercedes Benz-Wesley Chapel.

Further east, just beyond the Interstate 75 exchange, construction is under way on the Tampa Premium Outlets and the Cypress Creek Town Center.

The new Buffalo Wild Wings is the second location for the Ohio-based chain. Another restaurant is in New Port Richey.

The restaurant was founded in 1982 with the name Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck. It was popularized with the nickname, BW-3. But after the restaurant dropped the weck roll for its sandwiches, a new nickname found favor – B-dubs.

Buffalo Wild Wings is known for its wings and selections of domestic, imported and craft beers. The menu also features

chicken tenders, popcorn shrimp, tacos, salads, hamburgers and sandwiches.

The restaurant will have plenty of televisions, too, for those who enjoy watching sports.

Published June 24, 2015

Hospital CEO details expansion plans

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It’s less than three years old, but Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is already experiencing growing pains.

Denyse Bales-Chubb, president/CEO of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel shared details of the hospital’s $78 million expansion plans at the April 7 breakfast of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is expanding to meet the needs of a growing community. This rendering shows what the hospital will look like, after expansion. (Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)
Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is expanding to meet the needs of a growing community. This rendering shows what the hospital will look like, after expansion.
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)

Wesley Chapel’s growth is fueling the need for the hospital’s expansion, Bales-Chubb told the gathering at the conference center at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. About 90 people were registered for the breakfast.

The hospital executive cited six new housing developments going in, totaling more than 5,000 houses.

“I’m hearing that Raymond James is going to be building here,” she added.

She continued ticking down the list.

“We had the Super Walmart that went in, since I’ve been here. The outlet mall is coming. The ice and sports complex — which we are a part of — the Mercedes Benz dealer, several hotels, some assisted living (facilities) that are coming in; there’s tremendous growth in the community.

“We need to make sure that we are growing and meeting the needs of this community,” Bales-Chubb added.

To prepare for increased demand, the hospital began last November to start developing plans for expansion.

The project that is set to begin construction in August will add 62 new private patient rooms, 17 emergency rooms, four surgical suites, 16 prep and observation rooms, and ancillary services to support patient care.

The hospital’s current three-story center wing will grow taller — becoming a six-floor building when the expansion work is done. A new three-story building will be constructed, to connect the hospital’s two existing wings.

When finished, the expansion will add nearly 112,000 square feet of new construction and nearly 11,000 square feet of renovated space to the hospital at 2600 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

“We expect to have actual ground crews here in August, and we will be doing a groundbreaking Aug. 5,” Bales-Chubb said. “We hope to get their certificate of occupancy in November 2016, with a grand opening of December 2016,” she said.

The hospital also plans to add 160 parking spaces for employees and staff.

The larger hospital will need more staff, too. Bales-Chubb predicts the hospital will hire the equivalent of 300 full-time employees.

The larger quarters and increased staff will enable the hospital to handle the growing demand for hospital beds and increased emergency visits.

Even with the current demand, “if you came and tried to find a bed, you’re going to have a wait before that bed is available,” Bales-Chubb said.

“We really do have patients that are literally waiting in our ED (emergency department) to get into an inpatient bed, because not everybody checks out at 11 o’clock, like you do at a hotel. It is a constant moving of patients, in and out,” she said.

The hospital’s emergency room is busy, too.

The emergency room has 18 beds, and as of December, year to date, each of those beds had 1,880 visits.

“So, that’s busy,” Bales-Chubb said. “We have a lot of patients going through our ED.”

Stan Giannet, provost at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, said the college already enjoys a solid relationship with the hospital, and the expansion will likely provide even more opportunities for students at his campus.

The hospital donates to the college’s scholarship fund for students in health occupations, he said. It also provides opportunities for clinical placements.

“Clinical placements are incredibly important for our students to apply the theoretical classroom knowledge to the real world,” Giannet said. “Having clinical placements already at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel has been very fruitful for students, and we’re grateful for that.”

The hospital’s expansion bodes well for graduates from Porter Campus, Giannet added, because it creates more employment opportunities for students graduating from its nursing, surgical technology and pharmacy technician programs.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is part of the Adventist Health System, a nonprofit health network that has 23 hospitals throughout the state.

Published April 15, 2015

Tampa Premium Outlets beginning to take shape

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Tampa Premium Outlets is no longer just wishes and speculation.

There are still lots of questions, however, about what tenants will fill the 441,000 square feet of shopping space.

This is a sign letting people know that Tampa Premium Outlets will be opening this fall. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
This is a sign letting people know that Tampa Premium Outlets will be opening this fall.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

Bulldozers are moving earth, and walls are going vertical on what has been a shopping destination in the making going back more than decade.

Plans have changed through the years, but now an outlet center is on the horizon: Opening day is scheduled for late October, well in advance of the 2015 holiday season.

Shopaholics, of course, are eager to see the center’s anticipated 100-plus retailers open their doors.

Like other large enterprises, the outlet center also is expected to have some ripple effects on the local economy.

Businesses that can provide accessory goods or services are likely to benefit.

And, students at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch also could reap internships to help them in their studies or jobs to help cover their expenses.

Simon Property Group, the mall’s developer, has estimated that the project will yield 300 to 500 construction jobs and as many as 800 retail jobs, once the outlet center opens.

Hope Allen, executive director for the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, is looking forward to the center’s arrival.

“We are very excited about it,” Allen said.

While the mall may create some new opportunities for local businesses, Allen doesn’t foresee a huge jump in chamber membership.

“Typically big corporations don’t join as individuals of chambers,” Allen said.

“We want the benefits to be for our members, and it means they have opportunities to do ancillary products,” she said.

One company, Signarama of New Tampa-Wesley Chapel, already has experienced a benefit.

It produced display boards that were used during the mall’s groundbreaking ceremony, Allen said.

The chamber executive anticipates similar opportunities will materialize for local businesses as the project moves forward.

While no information is available yet about the tenant mix that the outlet center will offer, Simon Property Group announced more than two years ago that Saks Off Fifth Fashion Outlet would anchor the center. And, Danielle DeVita, senior vice president of the company’s Premium Outlet Group, confirmed that during the December groundbreaking.

Simon Property Group has more than 80 Premium Outlets worldwide with a mix of upscale retailers such as Banana Republic, Diane Von Furstenberg, DKNY, Dior, Burberry and J. Crew.

The outlet mall is a major feature within the proposed Cypress Creek Town Center, a master-planned community with three developers working on different residential and commercial phases of the project.

This project isn’t the only thing kicking up dirt along the State Road 56 corridor, near Interstate 75.

Mercedes Benz is building a dealership on the east side of the interchange, Richard E. Jacobs Group and Sierra Properties are working on plans for more retail, and an ice hockey and skating complex is on the drawing board.

Stanley Giannet, provost at Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, sees new opportunities arising for students at the PHSC campus.

Besides internships and jobs, there may be scholarships, too, Giannet said.

The college offers associate degrees in areas such as business administration, business operations and marketing. All are relevant to Pasco County’s retail growth, including the outlet mall, Giannet said.

“It’s going to have a positive effect for students on campus and the community at large,” Giannet said.

Besides leading the college, Giannet was named Business Leader of the Year and Honorary Mayor of Wesley Chapel in 2014 by the Wesley Chapel chamber. He also serves on the chamber’s board of directors.

He envisions future partnerships between college faculty, chamber members, store representatives and the developer that will benefit everyone and contribute to the outlet center’s success.

“I’m looking forward to doing outreach to them,” Giannet said.

Published February 11, 2015