Trinity In The News: Pasco’s residential and commercial boom continued as the decade ended

27 Dec

According to CT Bowen of the Tampa Bay Times, Trinity is going to be the home of a new Longhorn Steakhouse and an Olive Garden, all in The Villages at Mitchell Ranch! It’s great to see some new restaurants coming to our immediate area!

Source

If you wonder how the Pasco County economy did for the decade, look no further than the interchange of Interstate 75 and State Road 56, where Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel come together.

The area was mostly empty fields through the first half of the 2010s, even though there were plenty of drawings and plans for a retail hub that had been expected to blossom years earlier.

Look now.

Over the past four years, commerce replaced grazing cattle in what is known collectively as the Cypress Creek Town Center. To the south, the Tampa Premium Outlets mall started the commercial boom when it opened in 2015, and warehouse-sized retailers like Costco and At Home followed suit. On the north side of SR 56 came a bevy of food service establishments, a hote, and an Earth Fare grocery as one of the anchors to a strip center.

The construction dust continues with Aldi, Main Event Entertainment and a trio of Bloomin’ Brand restaurants among the projects underway as the year comes to a close.

All told, Pasco County issued 521 permits for new commercial construction in its 2019 fiscal year that ended Oct. 1.

The boom in Lutz/Wesley Chapel was duplicated in west Pasco with the opening of the Village at Mitchell Ranch bringing retailing to the former homestead of the Mitchell family at the corner of Little Road and State Road 54 in Trinity. Sprouts Farmers Market serves as one of the retail anchors, and the restaurants Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse recently filed preliminary plans with Pasco County to locate there.

But those restaurants grocers, and general merchandise stores wouldn’t be opening if they didn’t have customers to serve. The greatest measure of the nearby customer base is the proximity to house rooftops. In the 12-month period ending Oct. 1, Pasco County issued 4,005 construction permits for new single-family homes.

Lennar continued to be nearly omnipresent in Pasco County. Just after the year started, public records showed the home-building giant had acquired 1,443 acres in the Connerton development east of U.S. 41 to bookend its planned Angeline development. Angeline, formerly known as Project Arthur, is slated for the thousands of acres south of State Road 52 between the Suncoast Parkway and the CSX railroad tracks. The project, which includes a planned 800-acre business park, unveiled its first proposed occupant — an expansion of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.

Industrial recruiters stayed busy throughout the year with multiple project announcements, including:

  • Phillips & Jordan, Inc., building a regional headquarters near San Antonio.
  • Fleda Pharmaceuticals Corp., a new pharmaceutical manufacturer, which said it would create 30 jobs at a site in Odessa.
  • JDR Investments, which purchased a vacant 67-acre site in Lacoochee from Columbia Grain and Ingredients Inc., with plans to turn it into a 25-acre precast concrete plant.
  • Colwell Avenue Properties, which will build a pair of three-story office buildings, each totaling 60,000 square feet, along State Road 54 in Lutz.
  • Encompass Health. a provider of patient rehabilitation, home health and hospice services, which is bringing its regional business office and 179 jobs to a planned 37,000-square-foot office and administrative building within the Bexley by Newland Communities on the north side of SR 54.
  • Rooker Properties LLC, which said it will purchase approximately 99 acres owned by Pasco County’s Utilities Department and use a $3.7 million county incentive to build at least 400,000 square feet of industrial and office space. The project will be the largest-ever industrial space built on speculation in Pasco County, Rooker said.

Those aren’t the only things coming to Pasco County. By the end of the fiscal year, more than 1 million tourists had visited the county. They spent an estimated $462.6 million during their stays on hotels, restaurants, shopping, entertainment and attractions, according to a visitor-tracking study by the Tallahassee firm Downs & St. Germain.

It estimated the tourism industry’s yearly economic impact to Pasco County at more than $652 million.

Food Review: Blaze Pizza in Trinity

1 Dec

Prior to Blaze Pizza opening their Trinity location in The Villages at Mitchell Ranch, I had never heard of them before. I was intrigued by their menu and by some of the things I had heard from friends and family who had tried the concept in other areas. I was also interested in trying out their “Keto” pizza.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve been on Keto for almost two years. Keto-friendly pizza is a myth and practically every place that advertises it doesn’t know what they’re talking about and will serve you a pizza that will surely kick you out of Ketosis after the first slice or two. With that said, I gave it a shot. After doing some research on their Keto product, it does, in fact, appear to be completely Keto friendly. I’m sold. Let’s try it.

Blaze Pizza was pretty busy the first time we went there. It was a Saturday night around 6:30 p.m., and the line was well outside of the door. This wasn’t a good first sign, but it turned out the line moved pretty quickly. I was a novice at ordering, so I stumbled a bit but ended up with their Keto crust, spicy red sauce, and some meatballs, pepperoni, sausage, and mushrooms. My family ordered two additional, non-keto friendly Pizzas.

They were quickly sent to the oven, and within a few minutes, our names were called. The pizza’s not only looked fantastic; they were very, very good. Everyone was happy with their pizza, no complaints from anyone in our party.

We’ve been back to Blaze Pizza 4 times in the past two months. Each time, the service has been great, and the resulting pizza has been phenomenal. We haven’t had a bad experience with them, and I don’t think you will either.

Blaze Pizza in Trinity is located in The Village at Mitchell Ranch. Their address is 3194 Word Way, Suite H-3, Trinity, Florida 34655. Their phone number is (727) 250-0777.

Grand Opening – Chipotle in Trinity – July 23rd!

20 Jul

Chipotle is coming! Chipotle is coming! I think it’s the question we get asked the most, when is the new Chipotle in Trinity opening? We have the news! The new Chipotle in the Villages at Mitchell Ranch will be opening on Tuesday, July 23rd!

If you’re not familiar with Chipotle Mexican Grill often known simply as Chipotle, is an American chain of fast casual restaurants in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada,Germany, and France, specializing in tacos and Mission-style burritos. Its name derives from chipotle, the Nahuatl name for a smoked and dried jalapeño chili pepper. The fast casual company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CMG.

Chipotle is one of the first chains of fast casual dining establishments. Chipotle’s menu consists of five items: burritos, bowls, tacos, quesadillas, and salads. The price of each item is based on the choice of chicken, pork carnitas, barbacoa, steak, tofu-based “sofritas”, or vegetarian (with guacamole, which would be at an extra charge otherwise). Additional optional toppings are offered free of charge, including: rice, beans, four types of salsa, sour cream, cheese, and lettuce

Opening Soon: Five Below in Trinity on July 5, 2019

1 Jul

The latest store to schedule their grand opening in the new Villages at Mitchell Ranch is Five Below! Five Below has scheduled their grand opening for Friday, July 5th at 9:00 am.

If you’re not familiar with the brand, Five Below Inc. is a publicly-held chain of discount stores in the United States, which sells a wide array of products costing up to $5.The company’s target demographics are typically children and teens, and typically operates outlets in strip malls.

Five Below carries products in a wide range of categories. Five Below locations may offer items such as trading cards, sports related items, games, toys, fashion accessories, bath and body related items, candy, snacks, beverages, home decor, school supplies and stationery, books, accessories for electronic devices, DVDs, computer software, novelty items and gag items, as well as seasonal items.

This will be the first Five Below location in the Trinity area and we are excited to have them in our community!

Visit Five Below online by clicking here.

Opening Soon: HomeGoods in Trinity – July 7th, 2019

29 Jun

We are happy to see that HomeGoods is opening their new Trinity location on Sunday, July 7th at 8:00 am. HomeGoods in Trinity will be located in The Village at Mitchell Ranch located at 8870 Strength Avenue in Trinity!

HomeGoods is an American brick and mortar chain of discount home furnishing stores founded in 1992. Though it began as a small chain, numerous locations are now present throughout the United States.

The retailer specializes in name brand furniture, linens, cooking products, art and other home accessories offered at discounted prices. Seasonal decorations are also offered at discount prices.

The Goods is their mobile app that customers can use to see unique items in different store locations. HomeGoods is based in Framingham, Massachusetts. It is owned by TJX Companies and is a sister company to T.J. Maxx, Sierra Trading Post, and Marshalls.

For more information, you can check out the new HomeGoods in Trinity Facebook Page or contact the store directly by calling (727) 807-3874.

You can register for the HomeGoods in Trinity Grand Opening Event by clicking here.

Opening Soon: Sprouts Farmers Market – July 31, 2019

24 Jun

We are pretty excited that Sprouts Farms Market is getting close to opening their first Trinity location in the next month. According to their website, the Sprouts Farmers Market at The Village at Mitchell Ranch will open on July 31, 2019.

If you’re not familiar with Sprouts Farmer’s Market, Sprouts is an American supermarket chain headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The stores are full-service and emphasize clean organic foods including the best fresh produce, bulk foods, vitamins and supplements, packaged groceries, meat and seafood, deli, baked goods, dairy products, frozen foods, natural body care and household items. The chain was created to respond to consumers’ growing demand in health and wellness. Sprouts employs more than 30,000 team members and operates more than 300 stores in 20 states from coast to coast. A typical Sprouts Farmers Market store is around 30,000 square feet.

Sprouts Farmers Market at The Village at Mitchell Ranch in Trinity, Florida

The Village at Mitchell Ranch (June 2019 Update!)

14 Jun

The Village at Mitchell Ranch (formerly known as Mitchell 54 West Market) is a 330 +/–acre mixed–use community located at SR–54 & Little Road in southwest Pasco County (Tampa Bay) in the Trinity, Florida community. Stores coming to the new Village at Mitchell Ranch include the following:

  • Sprouts Farmers Market – Opening July 31, 2019 – Announcement
  • HomeGoods – Opening July 7, 2019 – Announcement
  • Michaels
  • Skechers
  • Five Below
  • Ulta
  • PDQ
  • Burger King (Now Open!)
  • Hair Cuttery
  • Organic Nail Bar
  • Amazing Lash
  • Cycle Bar
  • Hand & Stone
  • BrightHouse Networks
  • Louis Pappas
  • Jersey Mike’s
  • Grain & Berry
  • First Watch
  • Mattress One
  • Aspen Dental
  • Chipotle
  • Menchie’s
  • Panda Express
  • Blaze Pizza

UPDATED TO REFLECT BUSINESSES THAT HAVE OPENED! 

Coming to Trinity: Clean Juice

10 May

Clean Juice is coming to The Villages at Mitchell Ranch in Trinity. If you’re not familiar with the Clean Juice brand, here’s an except from their website:

Clean Juice is in a league of its own. Other juice bar franchises are out there, but only Clean Juice can claim USDA-certified organic status. Clean Juice is truly a nutrition and wellness franchise, not just a juice bar. Our products are the purest on earth containing no added sugars, not pesticides, and no antibiotics. Clean Juice is a unique franchise opportunity with limitless potential. We are always looking for passionate business partners to join us on our journey to a healthier world. We’ll get there together, with healthy, organic products!

Clean Juice® started in 2014 as the brainchild of Kat and Landon Eckles. Landon, after spending years traveling internationally, was ready for a career change and more time at home with his growing family. Kat had spent the better part of a decade making smoothies and juices at home and presented the idea of opening a juice bar in the Charlotte area. Landon and Kat quickly jumped into the idea with 100% motivation and heart. They moved to Lake Norman and opened their first location, Birkdale Village, on their 8th wedding anniversary, June 5th, 2015. After just one year of business Clean Juice began franchising becoming the only 100% USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise available. Choosing to become USDA-certified organic and focusing intensely on kindness and gratitude with their guest experience.

This will be the first Clean Juice location in the Pasco County area and will open it’s Trinity location in the coming months.

We will provide further information as it becomes available.

Trinity in the News: Big things in store in Trinity

16 Jan
PAS0116mitchellcenterupdate1.jpg
PAS0116mitchellcenterupdate2.JPG
The walls are now going up for what will be a Michaels store, one of the anchor tenants in The Village at Mitchell Ranch.
TRINITY — As long as they don’t mind a little noise and a little dust, those who pass by the crossing of State Road 54 and Little Road are in store for seven or eight months of watching the fast-paced evolution of a new shopping center.

The first phase of the ambitious and long-awaited project at the southwestern corner of that intersection, now known as The Village at Mitchell Ranch, has entered full-steam-ahead mode, with completion of most shops and restaurants slated for late July or early August. The 22-acre commercial portion of project is now not only seeing constant construction, but its tenant list is nearly full.

It is highlighted by commitments from anchor stores Michaels, HomeGoods and Sprouts Farmers Market ¬— the first unit of the Phoenix-based chain of organic food supermarkets to arrive in Pasco County.

Meanwhile, the smaller stores have quickly followed with commitments. Of the 165,000 square feet available, only 5,700 square feet of in-line storefront — connected to other stores — remains open and only two parcels on the exterior remain up for grabs. They are 0.79 acres along State Road 54 and 0.83 acres on Little Road, next to what is reserved for a future PDQ restaurant.

The sudden progress come on the heels of stagnation dating back to the concept’s unveiling in 2015.

“We love it,” Ryan Jonson, the manager of Steak ’n Shake on Little Road, across from the development, said. “We see this as a huge opportunity for more sales and everyone has been waiting and hoping to see something happen. Based on what I’ve heard, it has been worth waiting for.”

Here’s the rundown of what businesses are on board:

Retail and services

ULTA Beauty, Five Below, Sketchers, Hair Cuttery, Aspen Dental, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, Organic Nail Bar, Spectrum, Cyclebar and Mattress One.

Dining

First Watch, Chipotle, Menchie’s, Jersey Mike’s Subs, PDQ, Blaze Pizza, Louis Pappas and Panda Express.

The walls are already going up where Michaels will sit, on the south end of the plot.

Landing the three large anchor stores was key to the quick turnaround.

“Typically, the smaller ones will follow and flank them and that’s exactly what happened here,” said Jenn Buonanotte, spokeswoman for The Shopping Center Group, the Tampa-based leasing advisor assisting Blackwater Real Estate, the developer of The Village at Mitchell Ranch. “We think there’s the perfect mix here of service providers, national names you’ll recognize, some local favorites, and some soft goods.”

She also credits the area’s continuing population explosion.

“That’s been the catalyst, going back to 2015,” she said. “It just took some time for it to all fall into place.”

Recent traffic studies show that nearly 119,000 consumers with an average household income of nearly $62,000 reside within five miles of The Village at Mitchell Ranch, with an average of nearly 150,000 vehicles traveling daily along State Route 54 and Little Road.

“Everyone has been very familiar with the viability of that market,” Buonanotte said of the area.

Blackwater also developed the Wal-Mart Supercenter in the northwestern corner of Little Road and S.R. 54 and Mitchell Ranch Plaza, in the southeastern corner.

Trinity in the News: Tired of fast food? Maybe there’ll be an Armature Works-like hall in Trinity

18 Jul
MICHELE MILLER   |   Times
Construction has begun on the Village at Mitchell Ranch at the southwest corner of State Road 54 and Little Road.
MICHELE MILLER | Times Construction has begun on the Village at Mitchell Ranch at the southwest corner of State Road 54 and Little Road.
Original Source – Tampa Bay Times

TRINITY — New Jersey-based M&M Realty Partners has a contract to develop the remaining 300 acres of the Mitchell 54 West project at State Road 54 and Little Road.

Land owner Dewey Mitchell shared the information July 11 with a North Tampa Bay Chamber luncheon crowd of 58 people at the Fox Hollow Golf Club in Trinity. Mitchell also offered an enticing tidbit about what might be in the works: A food hall and market place similar to Armature Works in Tampa.

Armature Works is a mixed-use project in Tampa Heights in a historic building that served as the storage facility for Tampa Electric’s street cars. It includes shared work space and meeting rooms and its centerpiece is the 22,000-square-foot Heights Public Market where communal seating is surrounded by 15 food locations.

M&M did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment. The company developed the Market Place at Citrus Park, a 200,000-square-foot project that includes Costco, Aldi, and Ford’s Garage on West Linebaugh Avenue in Tampa.

The company’s web site also hints at more projects coming to the state by noting the ongoing construction of a 50,000-square-foot Boynton Beach Market Place, “one of M&M’s newest projects in Florida, but because of the partners’ aggressive outlook on this state, it will soon be one of many.’’

The 300 acres in Pasco County would be the second phase of the Mitchell project, planned as a 330-acre, mixed-use project of up to 800 homes and nearly 1 million square feet of commercial space. First announced four years ago, the project initially was planned to include an outdoor mall, movie theater, fitness center, offices and public gathering space within walking distance of the residential neighborhood. It’s a design concept referred to as a town center or lifestyle center.

The 30-acre first phase of the Mitchell project, known as the Village at Mitchell Ranch, is under construction.

VMR Development of Alabama acquired that parcel in May for $8.5 million. VMR is a newly formed company that includes the principals of Blackwater Resources of Birmingham, Ala. Blackwater previously developed the Mitchell Ranch shopping plaza on the southeast corner of the intersection.

Sprouts Farmers Market already announced it will be one of the anchors in the Village at Mitchell Ranch. Mitchell distributed maps to the audience that identified other tenants as HomeGoods, Mattress One, Michael’s, Ulta Beauty, PDQ, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Five Below and Skechers.

But the idea of M&M considering an Armature Works-like project for Trinity generated the most buzz.

“I loved hearing that,’’ said financial planner and former Pasco Commissioner Michael Cox, who introduced Mitchell to the audience.

“I think it’s fantastic,’’ said Hope Allen, president and CEO of the North Tampa Bay Chamber. “I think it’s absolutely a necessity. The 54 corridor is a great place for it.’’

She noted the collaborative work space could benefit entrepreneurs, while the food offerings “gives us added culinary options, outside of big box, chain restaurants.’’

Mitchell said the 300-acre second phase could break ground in October or November if the sales contract closes in the fall.