SAN ANTONIO, Fla. — A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday for the Double Branch development in San Antonio.

Situated near the intersection of State Road 52 and I-75, the 956-acre site is expected to bring 6,000 jobs to the county once completed, as well as $600 million in long term economic impact.

"Double Branch has been anticipated in Pasco County for nearly two decades,"  Daniel Traylor, the managing principal of Columnar/Double Branch, said in a statement provided by the Pasco Economic Development Council. "Today marks the beginning of the first phase of development for a project that will have a tremendous impact on generations of Pasco County residents."

Formerly known as Pasco Town Center, Double Branch is expected to include 400,000 square feet of retail space, 725,000 square feet of offices, and four million square feet of industrial development.

"About 400,000 of that will be speculative space, which will not be just to recruit businesses here to Pasco, but we have a lot of businesses in Pasco that are looking to expand and need space here to do so," said Mike Bishop, director of stakeholder engagement for Pasco EDC.

According to the council, 3,500 housing units and 300 hotel beds will also be part of the project. 

Double Branch is only a few miles from the Mirada community, where Jonathan Ankcroum moved with his family about a year ago. He said he hadn't heard about the project before being asked about it by Spectrum Bay News 9.

"I think it has some pluses — more pluses than negative," he said after hearing details. "Of course, the negative will be traffic, but I'm a trucker, so I get it. But as far as the pluses, I mean, everything will be localized, centralized, so you won't have to go all the way down to Wesley Chapel just to get something you like."

Some of Ankcroum's neighbors echoed his thoughts, saying they like the idea of more jobs coming to the area.

"It's this industrial and commercial space that helps keep the residents' taxes lower," Bishop said. "It's also important to know that these are good, high-paying jobs for citizens."

According to the EDC, developer Columnar has invested more than $60 million in the project so far and Phase 1 infrastructure will cost another $75 million to build.

The build-out for the entire project is estimated to cost $2 billion.

The council said Pasco commissioners approved $55.8 million in incentives for the development last year, and that for every $1 the county contributes, Double Branch is expected to produce $100 in return.

Bishop said the first industrial flex buildings are expected to begin construction in the first quarter of next year.

"There's a commitment from Columnar to develop those buildings, and that's going to help us at the EDC to recruit target industries like life sciences, advanced manufacturing, or businesses in high technology," Bishop said.

According to Bishop, the entire project is expected to take 10-15 years to complete.