Editing an AP-style article with proper attribution.
Crews have started clearing an 11.47-acre site on State Road 56 for a Home Depot that would be Wesley Chapel's first big-box home improvement store.
The work, which includes land preparation and sewer-related improvements, marks the first physical progress on the project, The Wesley Chapel Loop reported Thursday. The property sits on the north side of SR 56 near Pondside Drive, directly across from Tampa Premium Outlets.
Store site lies in Cypress Creek Town Center
The Wesley Chapel Loop describes the site as being in Lutz, but it falls within the Cypress Creek Town Center area commonly associated with Wesley Chapel. It neighbors Academy Sports + Outdoors and PopStroke along the SR 56 retail corridor.
Plans call for a store of about 107,000 to 107,600 square feet, an outdoor garden center of about 28,000 square feet and about 350 parking spaces, according to The Wesley Chapel Loop.
Bohler Engineering filed the site application with Pasco County, according to Wesley Chapel Community. Preliminary plans cleared an initial county review in July, The Wesley Chapel Loop reported, allowing the project to continue through the permitting process.
New store would fill a long-standing gap
The nearest Home Depot locations are in Zephyrhills and New Tampa, according to Wesley Chapel Community. For many Wesley Chapel households, either drive is a significant detour for large-scale home improvement supplies.
Multiple proposals over the years to bring a Lowe's to the Wesley Chapel area never materialized, Wesley Chapel Community reported. That left the growing community without a nearby big-box option in the category. If the SR 56 store opens as planned, it would fill that gap.
No opening date or construction timeline yet
The current activity is site preparation. Clearing, land preparation and sewer work must finish before building construction can begin.
No opening date has been set, and no construction timeline has been announced in available reports. Residents can follow the project's permitting progress through Pasco County.
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