The Pasco County Commission — at the urging of board chairman Ron Oakley — has directed the county’s planners to take another look at long-range plans for the Greater Lacoochee area.
The county board had been scheduled to adopt a “nonbinding” plan for the area – but speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting asked the county board to send it back to the Pasco County Planning Commission for a second presentation.
The planning board, at the urging of residents, had asked the county board to consider sending it back to them to allow a second presentation of the plan, followed by public comment.
Initially, during the county board’s Jan. 9 meeting, county board member Jack Mariano made a motion to send it back to the planning board, seconded by Kathryn Starkey.
But Oakley objected.
He said it didn’t make sense to send a “nonbinding plan” back to the planning board, since the plan is nonbinding.
Doing that, according to Oakley, would be a waste of time.
Instead, Oakley suggested sending the plan back to the county’s planning staff.
Oakley recommended designating some areas for a minimum lot size of 1 acre per home. He said that lot size is considered to be a rural development category.
He also said there’s a demand for homes on lots of 1 acre or more, especially among executives who want to live on lots that are much larger than those with a 40-foot frontage.
Oakley also pointed out there is land already designated for greater density and those areas need to remain that way to support workforce housing.
Oakley’s colleagues deferred to his wishes.
County planning staff is expected to bring back the results of their work to individual board members before the issue would come back to the board.
A public hearing is required before the board can make any changes to the county’s long-range land use plan.
Published January 24, 2024
