“Just say no” is the mantra Pasco County officials have been told to adopt when it comes to new development. That is, until they get to the eastern side of the county.
Often overlooked in favor of the coastal side of the county, and more recently the southern tier, Zephyrhills and Dade City have a lot going for them. And county commissioners need to pay close attention to make it work right.
That was the advice of the Urban Land Institute, the independent growth and development analytical group that have explored the ins and outs of the county. Experts from the group made their first major presentation to commissioners earlier this month, telling them they have to work much closer with the communities, both incorporated and not.
“The regional plan of the county and the plans of the towns need to be bought forward and aligned,” said Dan Slone, a ULI representative from Richmond, Va. “Towns need to participate. They need to develop standards that align with the surrounding area.”
That means even cities like Zephyrhills and Dade City will have to plan not just for the growth of those in those municipalities, but also for the county as a whole. County commissioners and city leaders have to work together as one team to promote progress in Pasco.
Ways to do that include matching design standards, for instance. Right now, Zephyrhills may prefer new buildings constructed in one way that’s different from Dade City, which in turn may be different from Port Richey. And all may be much different from what Pasco County is doing.
Both the towns and the county need to find common ground on areas that could affect overall growth, and then stay on that same page moving forward.
“You can’t separate the towns from your development area, but they will have to harmonize,” Slone said. “They don’t have to say the same thing, as with any song, you’re weaker if everyone is the same. They need to be different notes, but they need to work together.”
That would then expand city issues into countywide ones. Like how Zephyrhills may deal with brownfields, for example. Brownfields are open land that was once used for something else, typically contaminating the soil underneath.
Yet, while many think of chemical contamination from factories and the like, Zephyrhills City Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson says her community deals more with contamination caused by high-density agriculture. And now, Zephyrhills is looking at how they can convert that land for future use.
“There are several thousand acres that are assembled in this corridor around the Zephyrhills industrial area,” Wilkeson said, pointing out the city’s municipal airport area off Chancey Road. “There really is a very focused target there for big users, but there is going to need to be some incentives available to get those big users.”
City officials already are working on a plan to widen runways at the Zephyrhills airport to 100 feet from the current 75, which they hope will accommodate larger planes. And while they may have missed out on opportunities to lure in companies like Amazon.com in recent months, there could be other possibilities.
Michele Baker, Pasco’s county administrator, agrees that more collaboration is needed.
“We cannot do it alone,” she said. “It requires better dialogue between us and the cities, and us and the development community to seek out the opportunities for us to take advantage of.”
Obstacles facing Pasco County
The Urban Land Institute outlined the key areas that are holding Pasco County back. They include:
• Absorption and Projections — Approved growth far exceeds the county’s absorption capacity, meaning it will take decades for all the approved developments to actually be built.
• Sustainable Site Systems — Pasco needs to increase the priority for quality of life services, like affordable housing and transportation.
• Transportation Planning and Funding — Pasco needs to collaborate on regional transportation services, working with other counties to make everything connect.
• Economic Development — The biggest focus here must be on the medical industry as well as ecotourism.
• Shaping Strategies — County planners have to think further out with more effective plans to make future growth work.
• Leadership — Get rid of old habits. It’s holding the county back.
• Fiscal — The overall vision needs funding. That means reconsidering the gas tax, and possibly increasing the tourism room tax.
