The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval on a number of requests for zoning changes that will enable sizable projects.
Some of the projects call for adding industrial land, but others feature a mixture of residential and commercial growth.
One request, titled I-75 Logistics Center, MPUD (master-planned unit development) was formerly known as the Pasco Commerce Center MPUD.
The planning commission has recommended approval for a request for a substantial modification of this project to 56.17 additional acres of land to the site, and to increase the maximum entitlements for development to 1.9 million square feet of industrial on approximately 224.57 acres.
The item was recommended for approval, with conditions, by county planners and had been part of the planning board’s consent agenda. Items on the consent agenda are approved in a single motion, unless someone pulls the item for discussion.
In this case, planning board member Chris Poole pulled the item.
“I’m super excited about this project,” Poole said. However, he voiced concerns about the distance for the stacking of trucks that are headed northbound on Interstate 75 and are trying to come off to go to the commerce center.
Poole asked how the trucks will make the movement across three lanes of traffic to get to the site.
Brad Tippin, the county’s development review manager, noted that the Flying J. Travel Center is already located in this area.
Attorney Clarke Hobby, representing the applicant, asked his transportation expert, Steve Henry, of Lincks & Associates, to address Poole’s question.
Henry told Poole: “We have met with DOT (Department of Transportation) on numerous occasions on this, on working out the geometry of how that is all going to work.
“We’re also working with Flying J because they do have a median opening in the left-hand turning lane.
“We believe that with all of the improvements we’re doing out there, that it will function actually better than it is today.”
Poole asked directly: “So will trucks coming off northbound (I) 75 onto (State Road) 52, will they still be able to get across there, into that lane, coming across three lanes of traffic?”
Henry responded: “Sure.They may have to stop, so on red, they’ll be able to turn or once they have a green light, they’ll be able to get across there without any conflict in traffic.”
Poole added: “I’m concerned about any backing onto 75, so I wanted to raise the issue.”
Henry added: “We’re making sure that geometry works.”
In another application, relating to a proposed development in Land O’ Lakes, concerns were raised by an area resident about maintaining access to an existing property.
The request, under the name of Zona Law MPUD, is for up to 130 single-family units and associated infrastructure on 75.65 acres.
Attorney Clarke Hobby, representing the applicant, said this is the third MPUD from an original tract of land.
“The net residential density is under 3 (units per acre),” Hobby said.
He said he was aware that some neighbors are concerned about getting out onto U.S. 41.
He also noted that “for many years, DOT was against having a signal at Lake Patience and (U.S.) 41, but we understand that that has changed, and as part of this MPUD, my client is paying a proportion- ate, or fair share, towards the signalization, even though it’s probably a quarter or a half-mile away from the site.”
Hobby added:“I think the project fits in very well with the neighborhood.”
Betsy Law Lamoy, who lives in the area, told the planning board: “Several of my family members and I live on property directly south of this parcel being reviewed. I can’t say that I’m really for it being developed, but I understand, these things happen.
“My concern — our concern — is about a driveway, a road that provides access to our family property, that has been in our family for greater than 75 years,” she said.
The small driveway comes off a road that may be part of a future vision road, she said.
“It provides access to our property,” she said, adding the family wants to be sure it remains that way.
Hobby told the planning board:“We’re not going to land lock them. We can assure that there is no loss of access.”
The planning board recommended approval.
In other action, the planning board also recommended approval of these requests:
• A rezoning of a 740-acre site on the northeast quadrant of State Road 52 and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard for a request in the name of Hillcrest MPUD.The request is to allow a maximum of 1,800 detached single-family residences, 600 townhomes; 450,000 square feet of retail and, 200,000 square feet of light industrial/office on 740.2 acres. No one spoke against the request.
• A county-initiated rezoning for One Lacoochee Center WREC Property/EDC project. The request is from a residential designation to light industrial.
These requests now go to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction over land use and zoning requests.
Published on June 8, 2022.
