Bern's farm to become Wawa, soccer field

TAMPA — The former Bern's Steak House 8-acre organic farm is being redeveloped into a new Wawa convenience store and a professional soccer team practice field.

Last year, Bern's Steak House said it planned to stop farming the plot at 5702 W. Waters Ave., Tampa, which provided produce for the well-known Tampa restaurant, and instead planned to farm a smaller lot nearby.

In October, the Laxer family sold a 0.9-acre portion of the farm to Tampa-based developer RMC Property Group for $1.45 million. Construction work has since started on that portion of the site for the new convenience store, says Cory Hopkins, who works in development for RMC Property Group.