Trout Creek Developer Taking Recession in Stride

If developer Maher Alagal is sweating the current state of the economy, he is not saying so. 

“The market is the market,” said the president of The Maher Group Properties, which built the new Trout Creek Commons retail complex.

Alagal’s 15,000-square-foot plaza at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Trout Creek Drive was finished a few months ago but only has one tenant nailed down as of last week — Burger 21.

But “the market is coming up,” Alagal said. “We are seeing more calls and people and more movement with businesses. ... No worries.”

Alagal said Trout Creek Commons is an ideal location for commercial business because of its access to both Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and County Line Road, ideally drawing traffic from Pasco and Hillsborough counties alike. Alagal too sees potential in the future tenants next door at Colonial Grand at Hampton Preserve, a 486-unit apartment complex that Alagal said will be completed at the end of the year.

Trout Creek Commons features nine commercial slots not including the Burger 21 space. Lease prices are averaging $25 a square foot, said Alagal, who added the price is competitive in New Tampa.

Burger 21, a "fast casual, chef-inspired" burger and shake joint, announced late December that it was taking the anchor spot at Trout Creek. They will be opening sometime in the spring of this year. 

"As we expand Burger 21 across Tampa Bay and beyond, we're targeting established retail and restaurant hubs within family-prone areas with diverse populations," Alisha dos Santos, communications manager for owner Front Burner Brands, said at the time. "New Tampa certainly fits that criteria."

Alagal added to other potential tenants: "We're completed," he said. "It's all good to go."