By B.C. Manion
New developments are starting to spring up in the Wiregrass Ranch area, and other projects are expected to follow suit later this year.
Projects underway include a behavioral health facility on SR 56 and a new Pasco-Hernando Community College (PHCC) satellite campus. A Panera Bread location recently opened at The Shops at Wiregrass. And, new housing projects — including a high-end apartment development — are expected to begin construction in the coming year.
The area is ripe for development, said J.D. Porter, whose family owns thousands of acres of citrus groves and ranch land in the area. The family has played a prominent role in the development of Wiregrass Ranch.
During a recent tour of the area, Porter described why the Wiregrass Ranch area is primed for new growth.
For one thing, it is in the heart of Wesley Chapel, which has the region’s second-highest median income, Porter said.
For another thing, the area has excellent infrastructure to support new development.
The recent completion of projects, coupled with those that are planned or under way, also increases the area’s attraction, Porter said.
For instance, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and its Health & Wellness Center are helping spur other projects and residential growth, Porter said.
Porter talked about planned and possible projects for 2013.
On the list is a hotel that would be built between the hospital and The Shops at Wiregrass. Other potential projects include popular chains that may be moving into the area.
“There are a lot of users that we are talking to, and I know The Shops (at Wiregrass) are talking to as well, that are game-changers,” Porter said. That list includes P.F. Chang’s, Cheesecake Factory and The Fresh Market.
“None of them are signed up,” Porter said, but he expects at least some of the talks to result in new developments.
Heavy equipment has been kicking up dirt at a site for a new Walmart off SR 54 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
Walmart is planning a 200,000-square-foot super center there, which is expected to have about 300 employees, mostly full-time, according to William C. Wertz, a director of community and media relations for Walmart. A specific opening date has not yet been determined, but Wertz said it is likely in early 2014.
Publix Super Markets has signed a letter of intent for a site across Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard from Walmart, Porter said.
Porter thinks the community will benefit from Publix and Walmart battling it out.
“I think it creates a good venue for shoppers. Everybody is going to be trying to make a better deal,” Porter said.
Other projects will also be happening at the site off SR 54 and Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard, which will be built in segments, Porter said.
“There are several out parcels,” he said. “We have a lot of interest up on that end, whether it be banks, whether it be types of restaurants. There are a lot of people looking at that corridor because (SR) 54 is still such a traveled road.”
Meanwhile, construction has begun on the other end of Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard, directly opposite Mansfield Boulevard, at SR 56. The new road will lead to the anticipated Raymond James office complex.
The financial services company has signed a letter of intent to purchase land for the office development. Porter said he expects the closing to occur this spring.
The site offers superior infrastructure and excellent access Porter said.
The new Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch is taking shape just across the street from the Raymond James site. The new satellite campus of PHCC is expected to begin offering classes in January 2014. It also is expected to offer two four-year degree programs and to draw enrollment from Pasco, Hillsborough and Hernando counties.
Other projects also are starting to pop up on SR 56.
The Porters have gone to contract with an apartment developer on a parcel near the Raymond James site.
“Pasco hasn’t seen something like this before,” Porter said. “Rather than your typical three-story walk-ups that you have, this is a four-story elevator. Much higher-end, really catering to the hospital, Raymond James. … It will be a nice layout, higher density. It really creates that urban hub that the county is pushing.”
The project will have 300 to 320 units with plenty of amenities.
At another site off SR 56, DeAngelis Diamond Healthcare Group is constructing a 75-bed psychiatric hospital for United Medical Corporation. The 60,000-square-foot facility, called Ten Broeck Wesley Chapel, is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2013, said Jason Sain, a project manager for DeAngelis Diamond.
The development will likely spin-off other projects nearby, Porter said.
On the south side of SR 56, the Porters are planning to do their first residential development.
“We have a letter of intent for our first residential development, coming out of the ground back there,” Porter said, pointing to a site set back from SR 56. “It’s roughly 220 net usable acres. We’re looking at anywhere from 550 to 650 residential units.”
He expects the homes to sell for $300,000 to $600,000.
The residential development doesn’t straddle SR 56 because the Porter family wants to reserve the frontage for other uses, Porter said.
Meanwhile, Standard Pacific Homes has acquired 675 acres off Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and the future extension of Chancey Road.
The extension of Chancey is expected to begin construction within the next two months, Porter said.
Standard Pacific Homes plans to construct 1,181 homes, according to Frank Messina, Tampa Division president for Standard Pacific Homes. The development, known informally as Standard Pacific Homes’ Wiregrass community, will feature 20 all-new architectural designs, with homes ranging from 1,800 square feet to 5,000 square feet. Prices will range from $300,000 to $600,000, with the project’s grand opening expected in early 2014.
Meanwhile, the Porters have completed the creation of a lake near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel aimed at providing a place of tranquility for visitors.
The Porters donated 224 acres to Pasco County in November as part of an effort to bring a sports complex to Wesley Chapel, which would attract national tournaments. If the county is unable to make the sports complex happen, terms of the deal call for the county to use the land for a regional park.
On top of what’s already happening, Porter said he expects four other big announcements to be made before the end of May.
