The Laker-Wesley Chapel/New Tampa-June 8, 2016

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WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA EDITION

Lacrosse tournament to stay in town

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Cheddars Scratch Kitchen opened on June 6 in front of Tampa Premium Outlets.

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen opens, Chick-fil-A comes next By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

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Pasco County residents looking to grab a bite to eat will have two new dining options starting this month. One of those options, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, opened on June 6. Chick-fil-A will open June 30. The restaurants are side-by-side on Sun Vista Drive, in front of Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 56, in Wesley Chapel. Before opening day at Cheddar’s, about 170 employees received training and worked at an invitation-only dinner session to get ready for customers. “I think we’re excited. It’s a new destination, a new area,” said Mark Garcia, a general manager from Laredo,Texas. He was on temporary assignment to launch Cheddar’s at the Cypress Creek Town Center, a major retail center anchored by the outlet mall. Pasco County resident John Seebach will be the new restaurant’s general manager. Diners weren’t the only ones eager to have Cheddar’s on their radar. Garcia said about 1,500 people applied for jobs. The restaurant seats nearly 320 people and serves meals made fresh from scratch daily. Menu items include hand-battered onion rings, grilled hand-cut salmon, homemade chicken pot pie and hot fudge cake sundaes. “Everything is made pretty much in house,” Garcia said. This is the first Cheddar’s in Pasco. Next door, construction crews are busy

Construction is nearing an end at Chick-fil-A on Sun Vista Drive, by Tampa Premium Outlets. Opening is June 30.

getting Chick-fil-A primed for its opening. Owner Britt Young previously owned a Chick-fil-A in Moultrie, Georgia. “I’ve got family all around here,” said Young, who lives in Lutz.“We love the area.” The chicken chain got its start in 1946 as a diner in Atlanta, opened by Truett Cathy. Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-A brand restaurant in 1967, also in Atlanta. From the beginning, Cathy kept his restaurants closed on Sundays, saying employees needed time to spend with their families. According to the company website, Chick-fil-A has about 1,700 locations in 38 states and Washington D.C.

Lacrosse players from across the nation will compete in Wesley Chapel at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions for at least the next two years. Pasco County and NDP (National Development Program) Lacrosse have entered into an agreement that covers the tournament for 2016 and 2017. Last year’s tournament had a $2.1 million economic impact on Pasco and Hillsborough counties, said Ed Caum, Pasco County’s tourism manager. With new developments — such as Tampa Premium Outlets and Florida Hospital Center Ice, as well as other businesses and restaurants — there’s potential for an even greater economic return from the visitors, Caum said. "We are very pleased the Dick's Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions lacrosse tournament will be returning to Wesley Chapel,” Tracy Clouser, board chair of The Greater Wesley Chamber of Commerce, said via email.“We feel the area has a lot to offer tournament attendees and their support of our hotels, restaurants and shopping venues has a significant economic impact on our community." Besides the economic boost, the tournament offers lacrosse players a chance to showcase their skills, and colleges a chance to scout for players, Caum said. Teams from the United States and Canada earn bids at qualifying tournaments to compete for the national championship across five divisions. The tournament has been held at the Wesley Chapel District Park and at Wesley Chapel High School since 2008. This past year, 73 teams competed. Fiftynine came from out-of-state and 14 were from Florida, Caum said. The 2015 tournament involved 1,533 players and 219 coaches.There were about 3,250 spectators on each day of the tournament, which takes place each year from Dec. 29 through Dec. 31. On average, those traveling to the tournament stayed in the area for 3 ½ days to 4 days, Caum said. But, the tourism manager thinks more can be done to extend their stay. And, he’s begun reaching out to area sponsors to help make that happen. “The event kicks off at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Store.They are at The Grove every year. “There’s a number of other days that See LACROSSE, page 11A

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Pasco property values on the rise By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

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Pasco County property values grew by about $1.1 billion in 2015, according to tax estimates released by the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s Office. That’s about 5.2 percent higher than the current tax roll and shows accelerated growth, compared to the previous steady growth of 4 percent, year to year. Much of the increase is being fueled by nearly $685 million in new residential and commercial construction. The southern half of Pasco, particularly along the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor is driving the growth, said Wade Barber, chief deputy at Pasco County Property Appraiser’s office. “I think it will continue to be so,” he said. “Nothing up north is really going gangbusters yet.” County records reflect the rising values. Tampa Premium Outlets, which opened with more than 90 stores in October 2015, currently is valued at about $98 million. A year earlier with only vacant land to assess, the county pegged the property’s taxable value at nearly $12 million. Lowe’s on State Road 54 in Lutz jumped from about $1.8 million in taxable value in 2015 to about $8.8 million now, records show.The home improvement store opened in April 2015. More new housing construction is on the way, including Bexley Ranch in Odessa and Union Station in Wesley Chapel. Florida Hospital Center Ice Complex in Wesley Chapel is expected to open in October. The upward trend in valuations could continue, but Ward cautioned that state-imposed caps on increases play a role in holding values down. State law limits increases in valuations to no higher than 10 percent for commercial, nonresidential properties, and no more than 3 percent for homesteaded properties.

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Crowds gathered outside stores on opening day at Tampa Premium Outlets. The mall was part of nearly $685 million in new construction that is pushing up Pasco County’s property values.

Lowe’s home improvement store on State Road 54 is valued at about $18 million by Pasco County Property Appraiser’s office, and helped boost overall county property values.

“It really holds you to the 5 percent range without new construction,” Barber said. Overall, the boost in valuations spread to

Pasco’s cities as well. Estimated values and percentage increases are: Zephyrhills, $609 million, a 1 percent increase; Dade City, $265.7 million, a 2.1 percent increase; San Antonio, nearly $56 million, a 3.2 percent increase; Port Richey, nearly $252 million, a .08 percent increase; and New Port Richey, $504 million, a .08 percent increase. The Town of St. Leo showed a modest increase of about $22,400 to an estimated value of about $8.7 million. But, the town’s property values remain in the doldrums compared to the nearly $10 million value in 2014. The town lost about 85 homes in the Lake Jovita subdivision when Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill to de-annex the homes in 2014.The homes were added to unincorporated Pasco’s tax base.


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