WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Mark Gold has been a part of developing plazas all around the United States.
Now four weeks after buying The Grove off I-75 for nearly $63 million, he says he’s already on the way to transforming it into Wesley Chapel’s downtown entertainment district.
“Wesley Chapel is an amazing area with amazing people what is missing here is entertainment, what is missing here is restaurants. What is missing here in activities for families," said Gold, a partner with Mishorim USA.
Gold says the main plaza will have some new additions to go with the traditional stores already there.
But the Village section has several new tenants coming soon, including a dueling piano bar and a fitness studio.
And there are plans for a large container park lined shops and eateries.
Susan Clark already comes to the Grove for the Creative Painting Studio and she says this area needs more to do.
“Otherwise a lot of these different activities and businesses that they have here they’ve got them down in Brandon or they’ve got them further down in Sarasota you’ve got them going out of the area. Why not keep them here? Have something for everybody to do," said Clark.
The movie theater will also remain, but have more surrounding it.
Possibilities include a trampoline park and mini-golf course.
Gold says with 50,000 new houses coming to Wesley Chapel, the need is here. And so is the customer base.
“You cannot find these kind of places with so high income, with so high education and so many people coming to this area," said Gold.
The numbers back up Gold’s hopes.
A new Tampa Bay Times report found Wesley Chapel with the highest median household income in the Tampa Bay area at more than $86,000.
