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Zephyrhills is gearing up for big changes in 2020

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As a new decade approaches, the City of Zephyrhills plans to open a much-anticipated tennis facility, plans to extend its airport runway, will be engaged in infrastructure improvements and could possibly end a 60-year tradition of operating its own fire department.

Here’s a closer look for what’s on the horizon for 2020 and beyond:

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center
The $4.9 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center is expected to be open in late summer, about a year after its July 2019 groundbreaking.

The much-ballyhooed facility, at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills, will feature:

  • Eleven outdoor tennis courts (eight clay, two hard surface, one exhibition), eight pickleball courts and four padel courts
  • An adjoining 7,400-square-foot indoor wellness center, with a fitness and rehabilitation studio, salt/sauna room, cryotherapy, pro shop, café, kid’s area and more.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe recently told The Laker/Lutz News that the city also has requested an additional $1.5 million in state appropriations for a second phase of the project, which would encompass a 30,000-square-foot multipurpose indoor facility for tennis, soccer, athletic training, banquets, receptions and so on.

Zephyrhills Fire Department consolidation?
The Zephyrhills Fire Department could be absorbed by Pasco County Fire Rescue sometime in 2020, after nearly 60 years of operation and tradition.

The county is drafting up a tentative agreement that will be presented and reviewed by Zephyrhills officials sometime in early 2020, Poe said.

The move is due in part to funding and staffing issues that have plagued the city’s fire department, the city manager said.

Should the merger occur, Pasco County Fire Rescue would operate the city’s two fire stations and would absorb the city’s fire department personnel at their proper pay step.

The county also would ensure and maintain additional staffing needs at both stations and place an ambulance within the city limits.

Zephyrhills Municipal Airport’s runway 1-19 is getting a $5.9 million extension. (File)

Airport runway extension
Work is progressing to extend Zephyrhills Municipal Airport’s runway 1-19, a measure to accommodate larger passenger and corporate jets, and spur aviation and industrial development.

The city received $5.9 million in state appropriations to extend the runway by 1,200 linear feet — which will bring it to about 6,200 feet.

Engineers and officials are analyzing the design of the project, keeping in mind any potential  impacts it could have on Skydive City’s landing zone, Poe said.

The airport also is set to receive an upgraded fuel farm, as well as airfield beacons and lighting improvements, he said.

Relocation of U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road traffic signal
Development plans at and near the corners of U.S. 301 and Pretty Pond Road have prompted the relocation of the traffic signal that currently is located at Merchants Square and Townview shopping centers, to a new location at Pretty Pond Road.

The city is working with the Florida Department of Transportation on the design, and has requested $2.3 million in state funds  for the project. If funding comes through, construction likely would begin in August or September. Completion is targeted for early 2021, the city manager said. Relocating the signal would improve traffic flow, he said.

Meanwhile, the city has budgeted $600,000 for road resurfacings in 2020, the most significant being 12th Street in front of Zephyrhills High School.

New developments on tap
Zephyrhills expects to see a surge in population growth over the new decade, as residents move in to make their homes in residential projects that are now at the permitting stage, are already coming out of the ground, or have received entitlements for future development.

Larger single-family developments include The District at Abbott’s Square, Zephyr Lakes, Hidden River, as well as expansions to the Silver Oaks and Silverado communities. Meanwhile, Wire Ranch Apartments and Pretty Pond/Wire Road Apartments are some of the larger multifamily units in the works.

Commercial development is expected to follow.

Chipotle and a Chick-Fil-A are expected to open in Zephyrhills, and there are rumors the city could become home to some other chain restaurants and businesses.

Published January 01, 2020

Development projects underway in Zephyrhills

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Much development is on tap for the city of Zephyrhills — from new commercial and residential properties, to ongoing road construction projects.

Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg discussed a number of those projects as the guest speaker of the East Pasco Networking Group’s February breakfast meeting.

Among the most ballyhooed is the Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center, which will be situated west of Simons Road.

Zephyrhills city planner Todd Vande Berg discussed several city development projects at a recent East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

The speaker said the $3.5 million project is expected to break ground in May or June: “We’re getting real close with the final engineered site plan, as well as the architect plans.”

The facility will include a mix of 11 full-size outdoor clay courts and hard courts, including an exhibition court to attract various United States Tennis Association (USTA) sanctioned tournaments.

It also will feature multiple pickleball and padel courts, racquet sports “becoming more and more popular,” Vande Berg said.

Meanwhile, the indoor portion of the center will include a lobby and seating area, community room, kid’s club room, fitness center, plus “other unique elements,” like cryotherapy and salt room chambers. Additionally, Wesley Chapel-based Buttermilk Provisions restaurant will have an in-house bakery and coffee shop with artisan offerings.

The project is a public-private partnership between the city and Tennis P.R.O and its owner, Pascal Collard, who will operate and manage the tennis facility.

The tennis center is named after Vande Berg’s daughter, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Much of the project’s funding is being offset by various impact fees and grants, Vande Berg said.

The city planner believes the tennis center could have international draw.

He said the USTA recently inquired about having the facility someday host matches for the Fed Cup, regarded as the premier international team competition in women’s tennis.

“It’s going to be a unique opportunity for all Pasco County and the region,” Vande Berg said of the tennis facility. “It’s going to be a huge deal.”

The speaker also noted some indoor/covered tennis courts could potentially be phased in later, at the discretion of the facility’s management team.

“That would make us very unique in the state of Florida, because there’s only one other facility in the state that offers that,” he said.

Also in the arena of business development, Vande Berg mentioned the city is working on a master plan for its industrial corridor — which encompasses about 4,000 untapped acres of property along the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — to create a regional hub for light manufacturing companies.

Vande Berg said the master plan ties in with the four-lane extension of State Road 56 to U.S. 301.

The speaker noted Zephyrhills is also pursuing an additional extension to State Road 56 that would link to State Road 39; the city received $1 million in the Florida 2019 budget to fund a planning study for the project.

“One thing that we’ve heard from some manufacturers was, ‘Well, we need access to a four-lane road,’” Vande Berg said, “so that’ll make a big difference.”

Aside from trying to expand its industrial footprint, other commercial projects are in the works in Zephyrhills.

The city is set to get a Chick-Fil-A, Aldi Supermarket, PetSmart, Marriott Fairfield Hotel and Dollar General, along with other businesses.

Florida Medical Clinic is also undergoing a major health care facility expansion along Eiland Boulevard and Simons Road, Vande Berg said.

“There’s a lot going on in Zephyrhills,” the city planner said.

Vande Berg also touched on the city’s residential development, noting thousands of new homes and apartments will be coming online in the next decade.

Some of the larger developments include The District at Abbott’s Square, Zephyr Lakes, Hidden River, and expansions to the Silver Oaks and Silverado communities, while Wire Ranch Apartments and Pretty Pond/Wire Road Apartments are some the larger multifamily units in the works.

“The residential housing is booming,” Vande Berg said. “We have a couple thousand units coming on board and they’re not all retirees. A lot of these homes are single-family, younger families with kids.”

Published March 06, 2019