The Laker/Lutz News

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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Caliente Boulevard

U.S. 41 getting new look and feel

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Portions of U.S. 41 soon will be repaved, or will have new landscaping, on the corridor, which runs through Lutz and Land O’ Lakes.

In Land O’ Lakes, resurfacing will be done on U.S. 41, to give motorists a smoother ride between Ehren Cutoff and Caliente Boulevard.

New trees, shrubs and groundcover are being installed at the apex where U.S. 41 and North Florida Avenue split. The $500,000 project will create a more inviting entry, as motorists head into Lutz or Tampa, depending which way they are driving. (Brian Fernandes)

Repaving began last summer and includes both sides of the four-lane stretch – divided by a median.

The $2.5-million project also includes a sidewalk on the west side of U.S. 41, where it intersects with Lake Bambi Circle and Gator Lane.

It also incorporates a shared use path along the east side of U.S. 41, where it intersects with Caliente Boulevard and Carriker Road.

Plans also call for minor drainage modifications.

Roadwork is occurring during the day and evening, with lane closures.

The Lutz project involves new landscaping at the apex of U.S. 41 and North Florida Avenue, to create a more inviting entry into Lutz or Tampa, depending which way you are driving.

The $500,000 project began in January.

New landscaping is being installed in the medians, which includes native trees, palms, shrubs and groundcover, surrounded by decorative wood fencing.

Both projects are scheduled to be completed by spring.

Published February 19, 2020

Central Pasco changes being considered

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A number of land-use and zoning changes are being considered on properties within Central Pasco County.

The proposals were considered by the Pasco County Commission and its advisory body, the Pasco County Planning Commission last week.

The County Commission:

  • Transmitted to the state Department of Economic Opportunity and reviewing agencies a request to amend the county’s land-use plan from a designation allowing one dwelling per acre to one that allows six dwelling units per acre on 39.93 acres at the southwest corner of Ehren Cutoff at Caliente Boulevard. The site is about one-quarter mile to the northwest of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. The applicant is proposing 120 single-family dwelling units, which would be regulated by an associate Master Plan Unit Development zoning.

The proposed 120-unit subdivision would result in 22 students for Pine View Elementary, 12 students for Pine View Middle and 15 students for Land O’ Lakes High School

Commissioners are expected to consider the final adoption for the land-use change on May 21.

  • Adopted a change to the county’s land-use map to allow a commercial development on 2.51 acres that previously was designated for residential use. The site is east of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, and 778 feet south of Wilderness Lakes Boulevard. The applicant is proposing 8,600 square feet of office uses and 9,800 square feet of office/retail, for a total of 18,400 nonresidential uses.

The county’s planning staff and its planning commission recommended approval of the request. The project is consistent with surrounding Wilderness Commons, Shamrock Plaza and Caliente Resort, according to planners.

The Planning Commission:

  • Approved a request by the Susan A. MacManus Living Trust to rezone a 5-acre site on the west side of Collier Parkway, about 300 feet south of Weeks Boulevard, extending west to Old Collier Road. The current zoning is agricultural. The proposed zoning would allow a professional office district. The current site is unimproved; the applicant proposes a 43,000-square-foot professional office park. The surrounding area is characterized by educational and religious institutions, mixed commercial and residential. County planners recommend approval. The Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction, is scheduled to hear the request on April 23, at 1:30 p.m. at the Government Center in New Port Richey.
  • Approved a request by Starkey Ranch Investment Company LLC to rezone 2.86 acres at the northwest corner of Starkey and Rangeland boulevards. The current zoning is agricultural; the proposed zoning is neighborhood commercial. Planners recommended approval of the request. The Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction, is scheduled to hear the request on April 23 at 1:30 p.m., at the Government Center in New Port Richey.

Published April 17, 2019

FDOT budgeting future land purchases for 54/41 project

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A local task force is expected to make recommendations next year on a traffic fix for the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41, but the Florida Department of Transportation already is budgeting about $32 million for land purchases connected to the project.

The funding is slated for fiscal year 2023, as part of the agency’s five-year work plan.

Florida Department of Transportation is budgeting about $32 million for rights of way purchases in fiscal year 2023 for an as-yet-undecided project to improve State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection. (File)

The funding for the rights of way for the State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection is a conservative amount programmed in advance to give Pasco County time to do outreach, and determine the community’s vision for this project, according to FDOT spokeswoman, Kris Carson, in an email response to The Laker/Lutz News.

“The amount may be reduced or increased or we can shift the funds elsewhere if the no-build is selected,” Carson wrote.

The department also is working on interim improvements for the intersection, she added.

One anticipated project would lengthen some of the turn lanes at the intersection to improve traffic flow.

In October, the 17-member Vision 54/56 Task Force scheduled a workshop to review in more detail traffic projects that are being proposed as solutions.

The group’s options include 11 major highway and transit alternatives, as well as a no-build alternative for the intersection. Some alternatives would be at-grade re-designs with express transit lanes; others would have flyovers, and toll lanes.

The task force is expected to schedule its next public meeting in November or December. Additional public meetings into 2018 also are expected in order to complete the second of three phases of the traffic study.

The entire study includes the State Road 54/56 corridor, from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east to U.S. 19 on the west. However, for the current phase of the study the focus is on two intersections: Little Road and State Road 54 in New Port Richey, and U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

The Land O’ Lakes segment is getting intense scrutiny as it is among the busiest intersections, with nearly 100,000 vehicles per day.

Representatives from Pasco County Planning and Development, the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, FDOT and consultants are assisting in the study.

The FDOT also is expected to fund a detailed analysis and evaluation of the State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection, likely in 2018. MPO officials say it is the only segment included in the study that has funding.

The MPO established the task force in 2015, and started with two separate groups. One studied issues for west Pasco; the other for east Pasco.

In late 2016, a single task force, with some members from the first groups, began studying a list of potential options. They include 11 major highway and transit alternatives, as well as a no-build alternative for the intersection.

The task force initiative got underway after the FDOT proposed a flyover for the intersection, with room for express toll lanes. The project met with opposition from the community, and FDOT officials agreed to back off while a task force tried to reach consensus on what should be done.

The FDOT’s five-year work plan is updated annually.

Some projects to redesign, expand and resurface roadways are slated for 2018/19. They are:

  • Resurfacing U.S. 41 from north of Ehren Cutoff to north of Caliente Boulevard for about $2.3 million
  • Resurfacing U.S. 301 from Pond Avenue to north of Long Avenue/Pioneer Museum for about $2.3 million
  • Realignment, widening and new construction on State Road 52 from Uradco Place to west of Fort King Road for about $83.3 million
  • Widening State Road 52 from two lanes to six lanes, from west of Suncoast Parkway to east of U.S. 41 at cost of about $75 million. This also includes intersection improvements, sidewalks and 12-foot trail.
  • Right of way purchase for U.S. 41 from north of Connerton Boulevard to south of State Road 52 for about $739,000. Construction of that project, in 2020, would cost about $20.3 million.

For more information, visit FDOT.gov.

Published November 15, 2017

Pristine Lakes community moves planned entrance to Ehren Cutoff

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Homeowners living along Fletch Road may have won a battle to stop their small rural street from becoming the primary entrance of a large new community.

Southern Crafted Homes, which had proposed a 120-unit project around Curve Lake just northwest of Ehren Cutoff, has apparently abandoned its plans to use Fletch Road’s indirect access to U.S. 41, and instead looks poised to purchase nearby property to provide direct access to Ehren Cutoff.

Fletch and Barcellona roads are the only way Silver Lakes residents can get out onto Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, a four-lane expressway without a traffic light. (File Photo)
Fletch and Barcellona roads are the only way Silver Lakes residents can get out onto Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, a four-lane expressway without a traffic light. (File Photo)

That’s exactly what one neighbor, Bobbi Smith, hoped she would someday hear.

“All we wanted was for the traffic to go a different way,” Smith said. “That’s the answer to everybody’s concern.”

Southern Crafted worked to get approvals for its project — now known as Pristine Lakes — last May. At the time, the developers had no options of going to Ehren Cutoff because they couldn’t come to terms with a neighboring landowner to purchase his property.

But that changed last month when Southern Crafted asked to meet with Pasco County officials again, this time to talk about amending its plan, cutting through cropland property currently owned by Steven Brewer. This new parcel has more than 27 acres, including a 6,000-square-foot house built in 2007, according to county property records. It was part of a larger land purchase Brewer made in 2001 for $700,000.

The amended plan for Pristine Lakes filed on Friday, however, would only use a portion of the property, suggesting it may be divided. Southern Crafted did not return a request last week for comment.

County officials had yet to fully review the amended plan, but there is a chance that the developer will have to deal with existing wetlands on the new tract, according to county planner Corelynn Burns.

“I’m just looking at this for the first time, and I see there is a wetland through there,” Burns said. “That may or may not be an issue.”

With the additional land, Southern Crafted also is asking the county to allow 60 more homes in the project, bringing the total to 180. Pristine Lakes, in its current form, involves 61 acres of land, not including the 27 acres currently owned by Brewer. John and Theresa Edwards own the primary land in the project, with the original plan calling for an additional 7 acres along Fletch Road owned by Leonard Gerage.

The Gerage property, however, appears to be no longer part of the project, according to the amended development plans.

One aspect of the revised Pristine Lakes that worries Smith, however, is that an emergency access road to her street still remains.

“Our street is just not suited for that,” Smith said. “We wouldn’t be happy with this going through.”

Using Fletch Road was problematic for Pristine Lakes, primarily because of its size, and the fact that it’s an indirect road leading to U.S. 41. Cars would have to travel Fletch, then turn onto Barcellona Road, before finally reaching the main highway, also known as Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

The property is located at the gravel end of Fletch Road, neighboring the Silver Lakes community that includes homes owned by Smith and 40 others.

Ehren Cutoff always was the preferred route because access would be direct, Burns said, and it would remove potential traffic problems on U.S. 41 as people tried to turn in and out.

If Pristine Lakes needs an emergency access, however, the project needs to consider Caliente Boulevard to the west instead, Smith said.

“It’s already wide enough, and there’s nobody on it,” she said.

Such a change would still need approval from the Pasco County Commission, but the changes likely wouldn’t come before them until early next year.

Published November 19, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

In Print: It’s a week filled with art, roads and the Guv’na

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Trevor Nichols is heading to Washington, D.C. And it’s thanks to Coach Keppel.

That’s Land O’ Lakes High School cross-country coach Kris Keppel, of course, who served as the inspiration for a pencil drawing Nichols made that earned him accolades from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ Congressional Art Competition.

“I really wanted to give my coach something as a gift, something he could have to remind him of me,” Nichols told reporter B.C. Manion.

Keppel is battling pancreatic cancer, which has inspired not just the athletes on his team, but the entire school as well.

Read what Coach Keppel had to say about the drawing, and check it out for yourself in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News. Or you can read it online by clicking here.

Anyone who has ever had to pull out onto Land O’ Lakes Boulevard knows that it’s not for the timid. And that’s why some residents in the community of Silver Lakes off Fletch and Barcellona roads are not too keen about a 100-home project proposed for Curve Lake that could make it even harder for people to get in and out of the neighborhood.

More agricultural land in northern Land O’ Lakes could be history if Pasco County approves the rezoning of more than 68 acres just off Fletch Road south of Caliente Boulevard. Southern Crafted Homes wants to build 100 homes there off Curve Lake. (Staff photo by Michael Hinman)
More agricultural land in northern Land O’ Lakes could be history if Pasco County approves the rezoning of more than 68 acres just off Fletch Road south of Caliente Boulevard. Southern Crafted Homes wants to build 100 homes there off Curve Lake. (Staff photo by Michael Hinman)

“The thing is truly the safety issue of getting in and getting out,” Silver Lakes homeowner Bobbi Smith told reporter Michael Hinman. “There’s no way you can have all those homes, and have just one road to get out.”

A recent Pasco County Development Review Committee meeting addressed some of the traffic issues, and liked the idea of eventually connecting the community with Caliente Boulevard in one direction, or Ehren Cutoff in the other. But there’s a big obstacle in the way of that, and you can read about it in this week’s The Laker, or read the e-edition right here.

Finally, it’s election time again, and some Lutz “politicians” are looking for voters willing to buy their candidate into victory. A debate among the Lutz Guv’na candidates May 10 looks to raise more than $10,000 for local charities.

“It’s a silly, community spirit, wonderful thing for Lutz,” current Guv’na Suzin Carr told reporter Michael Murillo. “It’s supposed to be tacky. It’s supposed to be off-the-cuff crazy.”

Who’s running? Find out in this week’s Lutz News, or read it online by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.