• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices

Bay Pines Drive

County seeks business park for future development

January 24, 2018 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County wants to encourage more business parks and diversify the county’s job base.

The county’s Office of Economic Growth is spearheading that effort by scouting for vacant land that can be made site-ready to attract developers on speculation.

In keeping with that goal, county staff members introduced a proposal for the Vibrant Sun Business Park at a Jan. 11 meeting of the Development Review Committee.

The park, on a large triangular swath of county land, would be bordered on the east by Old Pasco Road and on the west by Interstate 75. It also is near State Road 54 and Overpass Road.

If approved, the site would be available for 2.2 million square feet of corporate offices, manufacturing and distribution, industrial, and mixed office uses.

The county especially wants to encourage corporate business parks with campuses of multiple buildings.

A site-ready property could clear the way for quicker development, county officials said.

Committee members voted to recommend approval of a comprehensive land use change, as well as a rezoning of the site.

The Pasco County Commission will make the final decision.

“We have enough residential approved in the county,” said Chris Williams, a committee member and director of planning for Pasco County Schools. “We need some business and light industrial that can attract companies and bring some jobs.”

It’s unknown what development offers might be made to the county, however.

“We’re looking to prepare the site as a ready site. We don’t have a plan in place for disposition of the parcel,” said Peter Lent, program administrator for the county’s Office of Economic Growth. “We don’t have a use in mind right now.”

That bothered some area residents, who live off Old Pasco Road. They said they worried about the lack of information on what businesses might operate on the site. They also had questions about traffic impacts, loss of property values and whether a business park fit well next to residential.

Dennis and Ethel Seaton live on Bay Pines Drive, across from the proposed park. They have a 14-year-old son who has cerebral palsy and is sensitive to “bright lights and sudden noises,” his father said.

“There would be big lights up there,” he said. “This would cause major concern for us. It’s going to cause overwhelming congestion and my son to go into seizures.”

Residents also asked if the county had a plan to deal with the increasing traffic congestion in the area.

The speed limit on Old Pasco Road is 35 mph, but resident Jean Jakes said, “No one, including school buses, obeys it. You’re going to have to put a (traffic) light every three steps.”

Jakes didn’t see how industrial next to residential could be a good fit.

“There is no compatibility,” she said. “It doesn’t match the neighborhood. It doesn’t match the area. It doesn’t match the use of the land.”

County officials said differently zoned areas often sit next to each other, but that buffering requirements would provide separation between the business park and nearby homes.

The 91-acre site is close by an area in northeastern Pasco already targeted for new residential and commercial development.

The Connected City corridor encompasses about 7,800 acres of property designated as a state-approved development district. It is bordered by Interstate 75, State Road 52, and Curley and Overpass roads.

The initiative is focused on creating communities that are the wave of the future, with new jobs based on cutting edge technology. The first master-planned community under construction is Epperson, at Overpass and Curley.

Major road projects are underway to widen State Road 52 and build a new interchange at Overpass and I-75.

Old Pasco Road intersects State Road 52, which is being widened from two lanes to six lanes, from west of Old Pasco to east of Corporate Boulevard.

But, in response to residents’ queries, county officials said there are no plans or funds for widening Old Pasco. Any project likely would be in the long-range plan stretching to 2040.

Right of way is being obtained for the Overpass interchange, but construction isn’t scheduled until 2022.

Published January 24, 2018

Primary Sidebar

A Conversation with Lutz Filmmaker, Alexis Yahre

Search

Sponsored Content

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel Aims to Provide A Sense of Belonging

May 24, 2022 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

For Mental Health Awareness Month, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is focusing on the message: “Together … [Read More...] about Avalon Park Wesley Chapel Aims to Provide A Sense of Belonging

A Guide for Summer Camps in Pasco County 

May 23, 2022 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Summer break is quickly approaching and organizations throughout Pasco County are offering camps for children of all … [Read More...] about A Guide for Summer Camps in Pasco County 

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

05/26/2022 – Food distribution

Farm Share, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, Pasco Sheriff Charities, the Pasco County NAACP, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay will partner for a free food distribution on May 26 starting at 9 a.m., at the Boys & Girls Club of Lacoochee, 38724 Mudcat Grant Blvd., in Dade City. Food will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. The event is a drive-thru, rain or shine. … [Read More...] about 05/26/2022 – Food distribution

05/26/2022 – Lawn fertilization

Keep Pasco Beautiful will host a workshop for HOAs, homeowners and anyone who wants to learn how to properly maintain their lawn, on May 26 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Patel College of Global Sustainability, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Room 136, in Tampa. Panelists will include members from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and the University of Florida Pasco Extension Office, who will explore a range of fertilization topics. For information and to register, visit EventBrite.com. … [Read More...] about 05/26/2022 – Lawn fertilization

05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

The “Let’s Do Good Memorial Day Concert” is scheduled for May 28 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., to benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Tunnel to Towers provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, and builds custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. The foundation is committed to eradicating veteran homelessness and aiding the victims of major U.S. disasters. The event will include vendors, gifts, a Forget-Me-Not Garden, and more. Entertainment will be provided by Fred Chandler, Charles Goodwin, Cruz Er Mac, Mike Henderson, and Travis White. Special guests include Congressman Gus Bilirakis and State Sen. Danny Burgess. Rain date is Sept. 10. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Memorial Day Concert

05/28/2022 – Pet supply drive

Munchies Natural Pet Foods, 1722 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, will host a Pet Supply Drive on May 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., to benefit the Pet Peace of Mind Program at Gulfside Hospice. Gulfside team members will be on site to offer information about the program and to collect donated supplies, such as pet food, cat litter, treats, basic supplies and other items. The donations will be distributed to hospice patients, to help provide care for their pets. For information about the Peace of Mind program, visit Gulfside.org, or call 727-845-5707. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Pet supply drive

05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

The North Tampa Bay Chamber’s Summer Seafood Festival is scheduled for May 28 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., at the Tampa Premium Outlets, 2300 Grand Cypress Drive in Lutz, between the outlets and At Home. There will be seafood, crab races, a kids zone, live bands, craft beer, a local market, a Nautical Art Show, and a crab claw-eating contest. For information, call 727-674-1464. … [Read More...] about 05/28/2022 – Seafood Festival-CANCELLED

05/30/2022 – Memorial Day Ceremony

Lexington Oaks Community Center, 26304 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, will host a Memorial Day Ceremony on May 30 from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., in front of the big flag. There will be patriotic songs and readings, and the playing of "Taps."  The event is weather permitting. … [Read More...] about 05/30/2022 – Memorial Day Ceremony

More of What's Happening

Follow us on Twitter

The Laker/Lutz NewsFollow

Home for all your local news in Land O' Lakes, Lutz, New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

The Laker/Lutz News
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
10h

🪺 Two Lutz residents who are members of the Tampa Audubon Society, maintain and monitor 25 bird boxes throughout Lake Park. Bluebirds and other species of birds use them to lay and hatch eggs during nesting season 🪺 https://lakerlutznews.com/lln/2022/05/101807/

4
Reply on Twitter 1529554228989112320Retweet on Twitter 15295542289891123201Like on Twitter 15295542289891123203Twitter 1529554228989112320
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
12h

FEATURED STORY of the week! 🗞️ Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles is leaving the top job in the county, after five years of serving at the helm. He and his wife, Mandy, are moving overseas to be involved in church development work. https://lakerlutznews.com/lln/2022/05/101809/

Reply on Twitter 1529520173778083841Retweet on Twitter 1529520173778083841Like on Twitter 1529520173778083841Twitter 1529520173778083841
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
16h

"It's not Wednesday until you read The Laker!" This week's stories are in! https://lakerlutznews.com/lln/

Reply on Twitter 1529457252339531779Retweet on Twitter 15294572523395317791Like on Twitter 1529457252339531779Twitter 1529457252339531779
Load More...

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2022 Community News Publications Inc.

    Doc