Despite some concerns about traffic, the Board of County Commissioners said the project would only add to the success of the popular mixed-use complex.

WESLEY CHAPEL — For years, the grassy field in front of the B&B Theatres at the Grove at Wesley Chapel has been a stage for concerts, carnivals, markets and festivals.

But after this year’s Wesley Chapel Fall Festival, the land will give way to housing.

Pasco County commissioners voted on Sept. 2 to let developer Mark Gold add 275 more apartments to his entitlements at the Grove, nearly doubling the number of units already there.

The substantial amendment to the Grove of Wesley Chapel Master Planned Unit Development will increase the residential units from 300 units, currently occupied at Grove West apartments, to 575 in one of Wesley Chapel’s most popular mixed-use hubs.

Commissioners praised Gold for transforming The Grove since purchasing it in 2019, when it was reeling from big-box closures and dwindling tenants. His addition of the Krate container park and entertainment venues has drawn consistent crowds.

But the vote was not unanimous.

Commissioner Jack Mariano opposed the expansion, primarily citing traffic concerns.

The project, located just west of Interstate 75 and approximately 650 feet north of Wesley Chapel Boulevard, is surrounded by burgeoning developments, including a massive Target store in the middle of the MPUD set to open as soon as next month.

“This is a hard area to get in and out of,” Mariano said. “I don’t understand how, with all the traffic we have and all the developments coming in there, that we would want to consider this until at least we did the timing and phasing. It’s going to throw all this extra traffic in the area. I mean, it’s a mess out there.”

Mariano’s concern about congestion in the area did not gain traction with fellow commissioners. And no one from the public objected at the Planning Commission meeting, which first approved it, at the previous week’s meeting.

The walkable entertainment district, anchored by the Krate container park, is home to dozens of small businesses and a live music stage that draws thousands on some nights. The only primary road into the Grove is Oakley Boulevard, which does suffer from congestion on busy nights.

But Commissioner Ron Oakley pointed to ongoing road work, including widening Old Pasco Road from two to four lanes, as proof infrastructure is catching up.

He also claimed that there are “three or four different ways to get out of there,” easing some of the crunch Mariano worries about.

The new apartment buildings will be four stories tall, and the complex will have a park.

The approval includes specific conditions, such as pedestrian safety improvements like new stop signs and crosswalks. The project will integrate with existing pedestrian connections, allowing residents to easily access nearby amenities like the Krate and surrounding businesses.

An infusion of new residents will only contribute to the success of the complex, “a classic mixed-use project, the way we’re always asked to do them,” attorney Barbara Wilhite said.

“We’re trying to evolve this project over time and keep it viable,” she added. “It’s 165 acres. This is not a walk in the park to try to keep a 165-acre project like this viable over time, as nationals go out of business, and as some of the newer projects take away a lot of the use of the users and a lot of the businesses.”

Commissioner Seth Weightman shared the same idea.

“I just hope that this project will bring more foot traffic to the businesses that are here,” Weightman said. “If it was ever an appropriate place in this county to have multifamily, this is it.”

The apartments aren’t the only piece of the plan. Commissioner Kathryn Starkey and Mariano expressed concern that Gold hasn’t exercised any of his 500,000 square feet of office entitlements yet, and they would like to see more of that kind of space in the Grove.

Mariano is concerned the new apartments will eat up some of that possible space.

“What you see is you don’t have all the hotel or the office (entitlements) being used, and by adding almost double the amount of apartments you’re going to take away from that space,” Mariano said, citing potential job loss. “This goes completely against what the MPUD was approved for years ago.”

But Gold is setting aside 1,000 square feet for a co-working space, essentially a shared office that residents and the public can use, catering to remote workers, and said he is open for more office space.

The demand, however, isn’t currently there for anything larger.

“It’s a very tough time to rent,” he said. “An extremely tough time.”

Beyond the apartments, Gold still has pieces to develop in the area, including additional acreage along Old Pasco Road and remaining entitlements at the Grove like 50,000 square feet of retail and 120 hotel rooms.

He did tell commissioners the hotel is already in the pipeline, with letters of intent already signed.

“I think what you’ve done there is amazing,” Starkey said. “I just hear how people love going to your Krate, which was super innovative. … If we had known better, whenever this whole thing started, I think (we) would say we could have had downtown here.”

By Tampa Beacon @ https://www.tampabeacon.com/pasco_county/new-apartments-approved-for-the-grove-at-wesley-chapel/article_9f9bf878-fd40-459f-bbd6-dad315e30a22.html