The Bay area will soon be home to something that no other place in the U.S. has – a Crystal Lagoon.
- Lagoon part of Epperson housing development
- 7-acre lagoon will include swim-up bar, water slide, kid's area, restaurant
- Lagoon complete by February 2018
The massive seven-acre lagoon will be part of the 2,000-home Epperson housing development in Wesley Chapel, just north of State Road 54. Some of the first pools of water have been put in this week.
Metro Development Group president Greg Singleton said the Crystal Lagoons are popular all over the world, and the one in Pasco County will be the first of its kind in the United States.
“The exciting thing is that we built the lagoon not just for people to look at, but to get in the water,” Singleton said.
Some of the amenities in and around the lagoon include a swim-up bar, water slide, kids area, restaurant and other diversions that will make landlocked residents feel like they’re at the beach.
“Here in Pasco and in a lot of Florida, you’re not really near a beach,” said marketing manager Jen Austin. “So what we’re doing is bringing the best of the shoreline inland.”
Singleton said they’re seeing what they’re calling a “lagoon effect" on home sales.
“There’s a lot of demand for houses out here. It’s one of the reasons we built the lagoon,” Singleton said.
He also said they have a state-of-the-art cleaning system to keep the water fresh.
The lagoon will be finished by February of next year.
The company, Crystal Lagoon, also hired Olympian Michael Phelps as its brand ambassador. He will be there for the grand opening in February.