The Pasco County Commission has approved a mixed-use development on State Road 52, about 2 miles east of Interstate 75.
The 28-acre project, known as Amavi Village, has been approved for 220 units and 74,813 square feet of commercial/office space.
Bruce Landis, a representative for the applicant, appeared at the county board’s April 5 public hearing on the request.
He told board members that the plan is to create a project that is “Live. Work. Stay. Play.”
The site will have a central access off State Road 52, which will serve both the residential and commercial elements of the project, Landis said.
The development has a connectivity plan to encourage people to walk or ride their bicycles within the project area.
It also has a planned limited access off Hartman Road, to the proposed Orange Belt Trail, Landis said.
The development has no plans to use Hartman Road for vehicular access, because “it has a beautiful, beautiful, canopy of oak trees” that the developer doesn’t want to disturb, Landis said.
In addition to the residences, the developer plans a clubhouse/conference center, where residents can schedule business meetings, he said. A park will be adjacent to that facility, enabling parents to wrap up their meetings, while their kids play outside, he said.
The project also will have a pet spa, Landis added.
No one from the public spoke for or against the rezoning request, which received unanimous approval from the board, except for Commissioner Jack Mariano, who was absent.
The request had received recommendations for approval from both the Pasco County Planning Commission and from the county’s planning staff.
On another matter, Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey told her colleagues that she has been in discussion with Nectarios Pittos, director of planning and development, and Marcy Esbjerg, director of community development, regarding the issue of affordable housing.
Starkey said she’d like the county to explore how it can move forward on that issue.
The commission chairwoman wants to know: “What are other counties doing to try to stave off a housing crisis?”
She also wants to talk about accessory dwelling units and other ideas to address the problem.
In her conversation with Pittos and Esbjerg, she said the consensus was that addressing housing affordability and possible solutions “was best done in an affordable housing workshop, so that what’s going on can be articulated to all of the commissioners” and, to discuss possible policy decisions.
On another topic, Commissioner Mike Moore told his colleagues that new numbers are available regarding Pasco County’s official population. He said the U.S. Census Bureau’s updated numbers have Pasco County at 584,067.
“I think it’s still an undercount,” Moore said, but he said he wanted to mention it, to make sure that reports coming to the board are using the updated figure.
Published April 13, 2022
