Is there an Area 51 in your neighborhood?

 

Ever since moving to Tampa in 1984 we noticed this strange building about a mile from home, why do I call it strange?

Well it is obvious that something strange goes on in there based on the secrecy surrounding it, the building doesn’t have a business name on the front, it only has the street number (check it out with Google street view 28.011611, -82.524328 ), it is like a warehouse with many truck garage rolling doors on both sides, as can be observed from the street the garage doors are always kept half way up and the whole building is surrounded by a 10 feet high privacy fence and a remote controlled gate.

I drive by often since it is on the road out from our neighborhood, although the building has large truck garage doors on both sides I have never seen a truck enter or leave the facility, whenever a car enters or leaves through the remote activated gate the vehicle stops until the gate is close before proceeding preventing any other vehicles from entering at the same time.

Judging by what can be seen in the Google map picture ( 28.011611, -82.524328 ) counting the amount of cars inside the fence you can guess how many people work there.

At times during night hours I have spotted a regular Police car parked on the front parking area even though never seen anyone else park there.

Care to speculate what goes on in there?

Is it a secret government facility?

Should I call ex-governor Jesse Ventura Conspiracy Theory to investigate? confused

--
Garmin 38 - Magellan Gold - Garmin Yellow eTrex - Nuvi 260 - Nuvi 2460LMT - Google Nexus 7 - Toyota Entune NAV

Drugs

Sounds like it is involved in illegal drugs. smile

School?

Can't read the sign on the street view, but the satellite view looks like a school next door. Maybe part of the school?
- Merry Christmas grin

--
I have seen the future and it is now!

there are 2

Here are two more

38.88989712255097,-77.00894594192505

and

38.897662970821784, -77.03654050827026

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Nothing of importance

Box Car wrote:

Here are two more

38.88989712255097,-77.00894594192505

and

38.897662970821784, -77.03654050827026

Can't be anything going on at this location. Maybe hot air maufacturing???

--
I have seen the future and it is now!

Probably some kind of online facility

Even a drug manufacturing plant would have raw materials going in and product leaving. Online is all done over the wire. AC power, information... Only traffic seen would be cars.

--
Striving to make the NYC Metro area project the best.

YES

Is there an Area 51 in your neighborhood? The Area 51 used to be in my daughter's bedroom 10 years ago when she lived at home.

Maybe

It is where Santa is hiding all his stuff smile

--
johnm405 660 & MSS&T

debunking

@jjen illegal drugs? Much doubt it, sometime there is a police cruiser parked at front like guarding the premises.

@ jgracey The sign was probably a political sign and no longer there, yes to the right is Leto High and in between the school grounds and the mysterious building there is a fence and street for access to the businesses at the back of the building in question.

@camerabob if it has to do with information over the wire why have it in a non descriptive warehouse surrounded by garage doors partially open all the time, day and night, winter and summer; the type of business you describe can be found most often in office buildings with all the comforts and A/C running

@ johnm405 You mean Santa moved and is now in sunny Florida

--
Garmin 38 - Magellan Gold - Garmin Yellow eTrex - Nuvi 260 - Nuvi 2460LMT - Google Nexus 7 - Toyota Entune NAV

flaco wrote: Judging by what

flaco wrote:

Judging by what can be seen in the Google map picture ( 28.011611, -82.524328 ) counting the amount of cars inside the fence you can guess how many people work there.

Couple of things I noticed. Around the top and left sides of the building the stalls appear to be marked/numbered, whereas the stalls on the right side appear to be unmarked. And a large percentage of the vehicles in the marked stalls seem to have something attached to their roofs (dark black spots). Lastly, a lot of those vehicles seem to be the same make/model (although its obviously quite hard to be sure from a satellite image).

So maybe some sort of vehicle testing facility?

Don't think so

If it was Government - there would be a Guard shack.

Hillsborough County property records list 2 trustees and states that business there is Auto repair.
See records at http://www.hcpafl.org/

No communication tower and no Sat dishes.

Lots of cars with Sun Roofs. Much higher percentage than lot across street and to the West.

My guess is that they install sun roofs for dealers and do other custom work.

My 2 cents.

--
Metricman DriveSmart 76 Williamsburg, VA

good detective work

@gadgetguy2008 Very good observation, seems like the cars on the numbered stalls are a few of the same make and model, also some of those also have the same color, the black spots are the sun roofs that metricman mentioned

@metricman I like your detective work with the property owners and your 2 cents but I’m not all convinced yet, if is just a car repair center why the secrecy, I’m not the only one that thinks something fishy is going on there, many of my family members noticed the activity and questioned me if I knew, some of my neighbors also have questions about the site.

There is not one single thing that makes me suspicious, but looking at all of them in combination is what arouses my curiosity.

--
Garmin 38 - Magellan Gold - Garmin Yellow eTrex - Nuvi 260 - Nuvi 2460LMT - Google Nexus 7 - Toyota Entune NAV

Vehicle Modification

Could be where vehicles are modifided for ssecret service or rich people that what more protected vehicles.

--
johnm405 660 & MSS&T

Area 51?

Is this going to be the basis for a new TV show?

They're probably dissecting

They're probably dissecting aliens in there. smile

--
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21626 - red light cameras do not work

Used to be a lot

Here in the MD suburbs of DC there used to be quite a few 'odd' buildings & 'businesses' that I remember from the 60's & 70's. So many that I stopped paying too much attention to them. A few have been 'outed' over the years as well.

Recently though I've noticed an odd one nearby, but this thread caused me to look at it for the first time on Google maps. Now it's even stranger looking than it is when driving past!

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=White+Oa...

Google maps tags it as 'Citibank', but it has no (or VERY few windows, serious fencing, gates, and security shacks, and I've just seen the backside from the air.. what does Citibank need with that big storage tower/tank??

Also check out the triangle part of the 'roof' on the north end. Almost looks transparant & like a courtyard. But that part of the building has walls without windows.

Funny location too. Pretty suburban-congested.

edit- I just noticed what is on the road behind the place, & why I never saw the backside. It's always been a building with tons of sat dishes. But, it seemed to make sense because the one with the dishes is supposed to be Gannett News. Now that I think about that place too, it always has very little traffic & few cars in the big lot.

Things that make you go ..hmmm.

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

Preparing humans

nuvic320 wrote:

They're probably dissecting aliens in there. smile

Probably preparing humans for the V's

--
Being ALL I can be for HIM! Jesus. Kenwood DNX9980HD Garmin 885t

Vocational Dept for HS

Due to it's appearance and proximity to A.P. Leto High School, I would take a guess that this is the Vocational Department where students learn to repair cars. There is evidence someone had done donuts in the dirt off the NW side of the pavement. The privacy fence is probably an ordinance thing for salvage yards. The similar cars are probably obtained for parts. Just to the east is what appears to be a driver's ed area.

--
"There's no substitute for local knowledge" nüvi 750, nüvi 3597

flaco wrote: it only has

flaco wrote:

it only has the street number (check it out with Google street view 28.011611, -82.524328 ), it is like a warehouse with many truck garage rolling doors on both sides, as can be observed from the street the garage doors are always kept half way up and the whole building is surrounded by a 10 feet high privacy fence and a remote controlled gate.

If this is the same place, http://www.golfmk5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65055 speculates it is some sort of VW test facility.

Hillsborough County Appraiser lists 4811 W SLIGH AV as Property Use: 2753 AUTO REPAIR C
http://www.hcpafl.org/CamaDisplay.aspx?OutputMode=Display&Se...

Could it be a Masonic

Could it be a Masonic Training fascility? shock

Santa is a "Senior Citizen" ...

johnm405 wrote:

It is where Santa is hiding all his stuff smile

so he does have a right to be in Florida.

Any sign of Reindeer? Unexplained red glowing? Heaps of coal? Bells, jingle? Accommodations for the altitudenally challenged?

Ho Ho Hideout!

My answer

Companies at this address:

Amsler Morton D. I’. S. C., Inc.
Bowman, E.W.
Daniel & Jones International, Inc.
Daniel & Jones Sheet Metal, Inc.
Engelke, Bobby D.
McNabb, Eugene R
Pyramid Sheet Metal, Inc.

People at this address:

G Bradford Cook
Wilfred Goodwyn

http://goo.gl/pefuh

Go to this forum scroll down until you see the address 4811 W Sligh Ave Tampa. This person says:

http://goo.gl/N8iOG or
http://goo.gl/GtyyZ

This secret test facility operates on two shifts. (A-shift and B-shift) There are 4 teams per shift and each team has approx. 5 cars per team. Each car leaves the station about 2 minutes apart as to not cause attention to the neighborhood. You can witness for yourself the cars departing and arriving by following the shift times below. A-shift cars start departing around 9:15 am monday - saturday. they start arriving by 6:30 pm. B-shift cars start departing around 9:15 pm monday - saturday. They arrive the next morning starting at 630 am. The front gate opens by code only but if you place your car next to the gate while it's still closing, the gate will open back up. The employees are told to tell everyone that they transport cars. They are even told to lie to law enforcement. I will post a copy of thier routes soon!! Stay tuned!!

This top secret proto-type vehicle testing facility is operated by TRANSWORLD QUALITY ENGINEERING SERVICES INC. The exact address to this top secret proto-type vehicle test facility is:

4811 W. Sligh Ave. Tampa, Fl. 33614

(located just west of Leto High School) => The parent company is TRANSWORLD DIVERSIFIED SERVICES INC. The main headquarter's address is:

4115 W. Spruce St. Tampa, Fl. 33607

So if this is all true, looks like it is an area 51. smile

--
If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else. - Yogi Berra

that could very

well be one of VW/Audi's test facilities for hot weather. I've seen some snapshots people in Tampa area have grabbed of odd VWs over the years.

You can clearly see many of the vehicles have similar shapes. Furthermore, the Panorama roofs on many vehicles are sort of a give-away wink

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(2) Nuvi 1450LMT + 3597LMTHD + 2557LMT + DS61LMT-S Boston MA

fotos here:

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(2) Nuvi 1450LMT + 3597LMTHD + 2557LMT + DS61LMT-S Boston MA

That could very

uber360 wrote:

well be one of VW/Audi's test facilities for hot weather.

Ahh, but perhaps that is simply their cover...

CSI Tampa

Congratulations to dmcfz30.flylow and Last Mrk for the fine detective work, it is amazing what can be done on the Internet, one fellow from Olympia, WA and another from Crystal Lake IL were able to decipher what people here in Tampa could not.

Looking back there is not one single thing that made me suspicious but looking at all of them in combination is what got my curiosity.

The first thing that caught my eye about the place was the way cars entered and exited trough the remote activated gates, if going in the car would stop on the other side of the gate until the gate closed, same way with cars leaving, that is not the way normal people drive, most people once a electronic gate is open they go thru, leave and don’t stand around.

After posting here yesterday got me thinking about one more estrange thing, I have never seen more than one car leave or enter the premises at one time, the place is open 24x7 and apparently doesn’t have a set hour for employees to begin work or quit for the day since cars come and go at different hours but never more than one at a time.

TXRVer you are correct to the East of the building there is a drivers ed facility of Leto High School but the building in question has nothing to do with the school, my two kids attended that High School and we are familiar with the school property.

The information uncovered by dmcfz30.flylow and Last Mrk sound plausible, more than just one of the mill car repair center as described in the property appraiser web page.

Reading at some of the information uncovered it dates back to 2002, 2004, 2008 and I can vouch that whatever was going on in there back then it hasn’t changed, I was today at the park noted by one of the fellows in the VW forum and can attest they are still in business.

So this latest information debunks what nuvic320 jokingly suggested that they are dissecting aliens in there.

--
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Meth Lab

;^))

Had to chuckle at this.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3325579-My-VW-Audi... Last post, #270, dated 10/07/2010.

"I still see them from time to time in the area, last car I saw a few months ago was the Jetta VI on the interstate, there was a job posting on monster.com about working there, needed to speak german though"

Most plausible

metricman wrote:

If it was Government - there would be a Guard shack.

Hillsborough County property records list 2 trustees and states that business there is Auto repair.
See records at http://www.hcpafl.org/

No communication tower and no Sat dishes.

Lots of cars with Sun Roofs. Much higher percentage than lot across street and to the West.

My guess is that they install sun roofs for dealers and do other custom work.

My 2 cents.

This is the most plausible answer. My guess is that it is an expanded operation owned by a car dealer, hence no signage. They conduct custom modifications primarily sunroofs and potentially install other aftermarket options; only on a B2B bases instead of a consumer retail operation.

To answer the original question - nothing like that in Troy, OH.

--
JRoz -- DriveSmart 55 & Traffic

Youtube video of facility here:

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(2) Nuvi 1450LMT + 3597LMTHD + 2557LMT + DS61LMT-S Boston MA

VW Test Facility makes sense

The VW test facility makes sense to me. At Land Rover we had a facility like that on the outskirts of Phoenix and it looked similar. They picked Phoenix because they could do hot weather driving, limited off-road driving, and mountain driving within a short radius.

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

+1

JD4x4 wrote:

The VW test facility makes sense to me. At Land Rover we had a facility like that on the outskirts of Phoenix and it looked similar. They picked Phoenix because they could do hot weather driving, limited off-road driving, and mountain driving within a short radius.

+1

flaco wrote:

..."I have never seen more than one car leave or enter the premises at one time, the place is open 24x7 and apparently doesn’t have a set hour for employees to begin work or quit for the day since cars come and go at different hours but never more than one at a time."

Note that flaco states it is open 24/7.

metricman wrote:

My guess is that they install sun roofs for dealers and do other custom work.

jrozsnaki wrote:

This is the most plausible answer. My guess is that it is an expanded operation owned by a car dealer, hence no signage. They conduct custom modifications primarily sunroofs and potentially install other aftermarket options; only on a B2B bases instead of a consumer retail operation.

I cannot see installing sunroofs or aftermarket options 24/7, even on a b2b basis, as a plausible explanation.

Good Work!

Last Mrk wrote:

Companies at this address:

This top secret proto-type vehicle testing facility is operated by TRANSWORLD QUALITY ENGINEERING SERVICES INC. The exact address to this top secret proto-type vehicle test facility is:

4811 W. Sligh Ave. Tampa, Fl. 33614

(located just west of Leto High School) => The parent company is TRANSWORLD DIVERSIFIED SERVICES INC. The main headquarter's address is:

4115 W. Spruce St. Tampa, Fl. 33607

So if this is all true, looks like it is an area 51. smile

Amazing! You can find out most anything on the INTERNET!

--
I have seen the future and it is now!

Yup!

jgracey wrote:

Amazing! You can find out most anything on the INTERNET!

Sandra Bullock's shoe size is 9

Source: sizematcher.com

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Illiterate? Write for free help.

mmm

Box Car wrote:

Sandra Bullock's shoe size is 9

Source: sizematcher.com

mmm. Sandra Bullock smothered in beef jerky.

..wait, I'm confusing this with another thread here.

..wait again. I don't care. mmmm.

--
It's about the Line- If a line can be drawn between the powers granted and the rights retained, it would seem to be the same thing, whether the latter be secured by declaring that they shall not be abridged, or that the former shall not be extended.

Area 51?

No area 51 at all. Top secret, yes. Government involvement, more or less. I know what goes on behind those electric gates because I lived it for 6 years.

--
Samantha Spade

mmm is right

smile

JD4x4 wrote:
Box Car wrote:

Sandra Bullock's shoe size is 9

Source: sizematcher.com

mmm. Sandra Bullock smothered in beef jerky.

..wait, I'm confusing this with another thread here.

..wait again. I don't care. mmmm.

I agree even with out the size 9 shoe smile

--
johnm405 660 & MSS&T

guessing

My guess is its a datacenter, or possibly a phone company hub of some kind. THe garage doors are probably kept open for ventilation.

Lets face it, its NOT a good idea to put a big sign out front of a regional phone hub, especially these days, or make it easy for people to get in/out. Think OKC bombing + 9/11...and how quickly the entire state of florida could be taken off the phone grid, if people knew this was a regional phone hub.

another guess

sadiemae wrote:

No area 51 at all. Top secret, yes. Government involvement, more or less. I know what goes on behind those electric gates because I lived it for 6 years.

In that case, my guess is a research facility of some kind - considering its in florida - possible weather data analysis, especially for hurricanes, etc? but...its top secret...so ya cant tell us...

besides...they'd never put Aliens or alien spacecraft that close to the general population....unless they were REALLY desperate for guinea pigs...but i figure thats what federal prisons are for....

blah

http://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Tampa/transworld-qual...

Lists * Vip Mobile Detailing, Inc.

as a possibly related company. Vehicle modification sounds like the best answer:-) government related? well, if they're installing security stuff (bullet proof glass, armoring) then very likely they do work for the gubment..

Honestly, I am SHOCKED that this thread didn't...

also find OBL first.

Such talent here at POI-Factory!

There was something similar,

There was something similar, on a much smaller scale, where I used to live in Virginia. There was no identification on the building, and when I had to go there on business I went up to an unmarked door, with a video camera, and had to identify myself and explain why I was there. The door opened into a room with a second door and a second camera. The second door didn't open until the first one was closed. But, it was nothing sinister, just a company that manufactured gold and platinum jewelry, which explained the anonymity and the high security.

--
"Recalculating... drive 0.2 miles, then abandon vehicle." ------------- [ETrex Venture CX; Nüvi 40; Drive 52]

there is more

Dsorgnzd wrote:

There was no identification on the building, and when I had to go there on business I went up to an unmarked door, with a video camera, and had to identify myself and explain why I was there. The door opened into a room with a second door and a second camera. The second door didn't open until the first one was closed.

I’m 99.99% certain it has to do with VW , after my original post I kept track when driving by of the vehicles going in and out and the vast majority are VW, I surmise that employees arrive in their own make and model cars but the testing is done on VW.

The gate mystery deepens, not only the vehicle entering or exiting stop and gives time for the gate to close but the other day I saw two vehicles together approach the gate to enter, after the gate opened the second vehicle did not make an attempt to enter following the first, it waited for gate to close and then swiped his ID for it to open again.

Before I retired I worked for the phone company and we all had our ID cards to swipe at the buildings we were allowed to enter, don’t remember anyone stopping a stranger or co-worker with no tag following somebody in.

--
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Flaco will never be heard

Flaco will never be heard from again.

bribe?

Peterock39 wrote:

Flaco will never be heard from again.

If tomorrow I find a shiny brand new VW in my driveway with keys and title you will never hear from me again regarding this subject.

--
Garmin 38 - Magellan Gold - Garmin Yellow eTrex - Nuvi 260 - Nuvi 2460LMT - Google Nexus 7 - Toyota Entune NAV

I say VW's for all my men!

flaco wrote:
Peterock39 wrote:

Flaco will never be heard from again.

If tomorrow I find a shiny brand new VW in my driveway with keys and title you will never hear from me again regarding this subject.

And why not for the rest of the denizens of this thread!

Please make mine a Veyron...

Couldn't be...

jgracey wrote:
Box Car wrote:

Here are two more

38.88989712255097,-77.00894594192505

and

38.897662970821784, -77.03654050827026

Can't be anything going on at this location. Maybe hot air maufacturing???

hot air is manufactured mostly in Washingto D.C.!

--
"Backward, turn backward, oh time in your flight, make me a child again, just for tonight."