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Commercial growth popping up in Pasco

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Brick-and-mortar projects are rising rapidly, expanding Pasco County’s booming growth.

Construction crews are building shops, restaurants, Class A offices, gas and convenience stores, and car washes — on sites with “Coming Soon” signs.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill is under construction at the Cypress Creek Town Center, off Sierra Center Boulevard, next to Bonefish Grill. (Kathy Steele)

The county’s major commercial corridors – State Road 54 and State Road 56 – remain the epicenters of a construction juggernaut.

But Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, also known as U.S. 41, is an emerging source of expanded commercial and retail development.

Workers in hard hats and construction equipment engaged in projects are common sights on primary corridors in Pasco County.

Beginning on State Road 56, east of Interstate 75, options at The Shops at Wiregrass are expanding, or have expanded, to include Body Details; Crazy Sushi; Leonidas; and The Living Room.

New arrivals nearby include the Fairfield Inn & Suites, and Morningstar Storage.

On the west side of I-75, on State Road 56, new businesses are opening at Tampa Premium Outlets and Cypress Creek Town Center.

Zaxby’s opened in September on an outparcel on the south side of State Road 56, as part of the Cypress Creek Town Center. A Chicken Salad Chick restaurant is expected to open in a shell building under construction next door.

Tampa Premium Outlets, on the south side of the state highway, is adding Zumiez, according to the outlet’s website. The store features “cutting-edge” clothing, shoes, accessories and brand names for skateboarding, snowboarding and surfing.

Zaxby’s fast-food chicken restaurant opened in September on an outparcel of the Cypress Creek Town Center expansion, also on the south side of State Road 56, between Wesley Chapel Boulevard and Sun Vista Drive. Chicken Salad Chick is expected to occupy space in a new building under construction next to Zaxby’s, according to county permits.

On the north side of State Road 56, a Carrabba’s Italian Grill is under construction, next to Bonefish Grill in the Cypress Creek Town Center.

El Dorado is a 70,000-square-foot furniture store that will showcase as many as 20 storefronts offering furniture choices from contemporary to traditional. It is being built in front of Brighthouse Crossings apartments, near the Cypress Creek Town Center and Tampa Premium Outlets. A June opening is anticipated.

Also, a January 2023 opening is expected for the 300-unit, four-story Silversaw apartment homes, on Garden Village Way, off the town center’s Sierra Center Boulevard. Work also continues for the 260-unit Garrett Apartments at Cypress Creek Town Center..

Heading toward Land O’ Lakes, the Avila Living apartment complex is rising at State Road 54 and Oak Grove Boulevard. Brick-and-mortar also is visible now at EOS Fitness.

U.S. 41, heading west from State Road 54, has had activity in recent months, too.

Circle K and 7-Eleven opened new gas stations and convenience stores on the federal highway, which locally is known as Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

The Circle K replaced a demolished older strip mall at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Hale Road. The 7-Eleven and a Radiant car wash filled out a vacant corner at the Bell Lake Road intersection.

Land O’ Lake residents are eagerly awaiting the opening of Stonewater Grill, which fronts Bell Lake.

Stonewater Grill is a waterfront restaurant that is expected to open on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard in early May. The restaurant will offer a range of menu options, craft beers and cocktails, a wine room, and an outdoor bar with patio dining.

In its previous renditions, the restaurant operated as Rapscallions, was rumored to be a future Hooter’s location that never came to fruition, and then served customers as Mosquito Grill and Bar, before closing and falling into disrepair.

Years ago, county officials moved to demolish the vacant and dilapidated structure.

But co-owners Dominic Difante and Scott Harris saw potential and now plan to open Stonewater Grill in early May.

They tore down most of the old structure and replaced it with a modern, stone-infused restaurant that will offer what Difante describes as an “elevated casual” dining experience.

The menu will include burgers, wings, tuna, steaks, chicken, and other options to please all tastes, Difante said.

There also will be patio dining with a bar, a wine room, a large event room with a bar, and an outdoor lounge area. He hopes to see customers dining, watching sports on large screen television, and returning two to three times a week, he added.

He hopes in the future to build a 75-foot dock, also suitable for outdoor dining.

“It’s a good area, a visible area,” Difante said. “I’m glad to be here.”

Projects galore on State Road 54
On State Road 54, moving west of the U.S. 41 intersection, an array of shops, restaurants, Class A offices and new apartments are transforming former pastureland.

The Shops at Ballantrae and the Cypress Ranch residential and commercial development especially are busy.

The Hub at Bexley is a new shopping and activity center at Bexley by Newland master-planned community, off State Road 54. Several shops and restaurants are scheduled to open by the end of 2022.

At Ballantrae, on Aprile Drive, the 54 Crossings Professional Center is under construction. The Class A office project includes two 60,000-square-foot office buildings. It will offer luxury flexible office space, lush landscaping, bicycle racks, a pavilion and walking trails, according to its website.

A shell building is under construction, also on Aprile, that will include a Five Guys restaurant and Trulieve, a medical marijuana store, according to county permits.

Opposite Ballantrae, Cypress Ranch is adding apartments and retail. Aldi’s grocery store, on Skybrooke Road, and Panda Express, on Harpers Run, are under construction. County permits also show work underway for EOS Fitness, Pacific Dental Services, The Learning Experience, and Chick-fil-A.

Next to a new Circle K gas and convenience store, Burger King is serving burgers and Woodie’s Car Wash is cleaning cars.

4 & Co. is a luxury business center and co-working space under construction on Bexley Village Drive in Bexley by Newland master-planned community.

Further west toward the Suncoast Parkway, The Hub at Bexley, off Bexley Village Drive, plans to open by the end of 2022. Its website lists future tenants for what is promised as a community gathering center, where residents can “come, stay and play.”

Among future tenants are Amazing Lashes; Bubbakoo’s Burritos; Checkmate Escape Rooms; Downright Deli & Donuts; Dr. Bawany dental office; Duckweed Liquors; Headlines Barbers; Haute Nails and Spa; P-Fit Fitness; Revolution Ice Cream; and The Poke Company.

Off Bexley Village Drive and Early Riser Drive, 4 & Co. Is planned for a summer 2022 opening. The company will offer about 35,000 square feet of Class A offices and co-workspaces. Amenities include a gym, yoga studio, sauna, a treatment room for acupuncture, and conference rooms.

The Springhill Suites by Marriott, also on Bexley Village Drive, is checking in guests.

In Odessa, commercial development at Starkey Ranch is expanding.

A new retail center – Shoppes at Starkey Crossings – is scheduled for an early 2023 opening on the north side of State Road 54 and Gunn Highway, opposite the Starkey Ranch Town Square, anchored by Publix. Details on tenants are not announced, but the shopping center will have 20,000 square feet of leasable space, including a drive-thru window at one end.

Stay tuned. There’s more to come in Pasco, soon.

By Kathy Steele

Published April 20, 2022

Pasco’s growth fuels economy

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Apartment construction is dominating residential development along the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor — a magnet for development in the midst of Pasco County’s surging growth.

As rooftops on luxury apartment homes pop up, retail is following, as evidenced by roadside signs and county permits.

Signs like these, east of Odessa, off State Road 54, are popping up on former pastureland up and down the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor. (Fred Bellet)

Former pastures along the heavily traveled road are occupied now with shops, restaurants, apartments, auto dealerships and Class A offices.

The Shops at Wiregrass, near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, in Wesley Chapel, has added Athleta; go! Calendars & games; and, siKicks (a footwear and collectibles shop); Charming Charlies; and, Hickory Farms. Coming soon are Body Details; JABZ Boxing; and The Living Room.

Besides expanding its retail, Cypress Creek Town Center, a massive development west of the Interstate 75/State Road 56 interchange, is jumpstarting its residential plans.

County building permits indicate that Garrett Apartments are coming to Grand Cypress Drive, and Silversaw at Wesley Chapel is rising along Garden Village Way and Citron Boulevard.

Valentino’s Fine Jewelers and The Good Feet Store have opened on Sierra Center Boulevard, the town center’s prime east-west road, and Carrabba’s Italian Grill is coming.

Construction on Miller’s Ale House, meanwhile, is ongoing at the Wesley Chapel Boulevard entry into Tampa Premium Outlets, on the south side of the highway.

Zaxby’s restaurant has opened on Sun Vista Drive near Costco. New offerings at Tampa Premium Outlets will include a Frosty Cart by Wendy’s and new jewelry selections with Banter at Piercing Pagoda.

BMW of Wesley Chapel is building a six-story building on State Road 56. (Fred Bellet)

Just west of Wesley Chapel Boulevard, on the north side of State Road 54, owners of El Dorado furniture store are laying groundwork for a 70,000-square-foot store.

When it opens, expected around June, shoppers will be able to stroll along a streetscape, enjoying more than 20 storefronts showcasing furniture styles from contemporary to traditional.

The Capo family, who is developing El Dorado, opened their first store in the late 1960s in Miami.

The family opened a store in St. Petersburg in late 2019, before the COVID shutdown and, despite the timing, it has fared well, according to Pedro Capo, chief operating officer at El Dorado.

Now, Capo said he expects to hire and train about 50 employees for the Pasco store, likely beginning in March or April.

Capo is optimistic about the Pasco store’s prospects, noting that the county’s residential growth bodes well for building a strong customer base.

El Dorado will join WaWa, Firestone and Burger King along State Road 54 frontage at the Brighthouse Crossings apartments.

Just west of Brighthouse, a Woodie’s Wash Shack has opened at the Shoppes at Cypress Creek. Fazoli’s Italian restaurant is another potential tenant for the new plaza.

More housing and dining options

In Land O’ Lakes, the Avidity Living apartment complex is being built off State Road 54 and Oak Grove Boulevard. The 252-unit development is scheduled to open in 2022.

Also, coming to this location, is EOS Fitness.

Willow Bend Town Centre, at State Road 54 and Collier Parkway, recently added Ayoki Japan restaurant. Esporta Fitness is a rebranding of the former LA Fitness. And a sign near the center’s entrance off the state road suggests Pasco will get another car wash – Vortex Express Car Wash.

A new apartment community, Avidity Living, is being built at State Road 54 and Oak Grove Boulevard, in Land O’ Lakes. EOS Fitness will be built at the intersection. (Fred Bellet)

West of U.S. 41, vacant land at Ballantrae and Cypress Ranch is sprouting “coming soon” signs as construction begins on apartment units, new retail, and a proposed Class A office complex, known as 54 Crossings.

On the south side opposite Ballantrae, the Cypress Ranch development includes Azora, a new apartment complex, with a spring 2022 opening. Signs in front of the complex show a cornucopia of proposed shops including ALDI grocery store, Chick-Fil-A, another EOS Fitness, Honest-1 Auto Care, and The Learning Experience.

“We are happy to confirm that we will open our newest Lutz, Florida location next year, with construction scheduled to begin soon,” according to Matt Thon in a statement provided by email. Thon is the Haines City division vice president for ALDI.

No further details were provided regarding the construction schedule or opening date.

A Circle K is under construction at this location, and a Woodie’s Wash Shack, is coming.

On the north side, 54 Crossings is a proposed 60,000-square-foot Class A office building, at Aprile Drive, adjacent to Ballantrae’s row of fast-food restaurants that includes Taco Bell and Dairy Queen Grill & Chill.

East of the Suncoast Parkway, the master-planned community of Bexley at Newland is moving dirt for a major retail and business center, off State Road 54 and Bexley Village Drive. Known as the Hub at Bexley, the commercial complex is scheduled for a summer 2022 opening.

Bexley’s website describes the Hub as a “retail and business destination,” with a summer 2022 opening. Bexley residents can walk or bike along connecting trails to enjoy dining, shopping, live concerts and family events. But it also is envisioned as an attraction for Tampa Bay residents with easy interstate access.

Construction continues at The Towns of Oakstead, on the north side of State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes. (Fred Bellet)

The Hub also includes a large outparcel on Bexley Village Drive, adjacent to the Springhill Suites hotel and opposite the delivery entrance into the Amazon warehouse. The site will become home to 4 & Co., with about 35,000 square feet of Class A offices and co-work spaces. Memberships and limited passes will be offered. Amenities will include a gym, yoga studio, sauna, a treatment room for acupuncture and massages, and conference rooms.

West of Suncoast Parkway, the Shoppes at Crossings Boulevard initially welcomed HotWorx and Jimmy John’s restaurant. New signs in the development indicate additional tenants will be there, including Beyond 2020 Vision Specialists, PTI Solutions, Touch Nail Spa, and Shauby Dental Institute.

Another apartment complex, Avilla Suncoast, is under construction at Redstone Way and Crossings Boulevard, immediately behind the new Hooters restaurant.

Next along the route, The Preserve Marketplace, off South Branch Road, is increasing its retail and business options with Caring Paws Animal Hospital, 100% Chiropractic, PostNet, Lin China restaurant, Papa Johns restaurant, Burger Fi, Chipotle, Panera Bread, and the USF Federal Credit Union. The shopping center is anchored by the Greenwise Publix grocery store.

Starkey Ranch Town Center, at Gunn Highway and State Road 54, is expanding, too. A shell building is under construction, but the new tenants are not yet identified.

Starkey Ranch Business Park on Heart Pine Avenue recently added Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop. Tropical Smoothie Café has a ‘coming soon’ sign. Butcher’s Mark Fresh Meats and Marinades is another shop on its way.

Clearly, there’s a lot going on, along State Road 54/State Road 56 — and there’s no indication that the pace of activity will slow anytime soon.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

By Kathy Steele