The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Chancey Road

Part of Chancey Road is closed for repairs

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Chancey Road — between Sixth Avenue and Copeland Drive — is closed for repairs.

The project was scheduled to begin on May 1 and is expected to take about 30 days to complete depending on weather conditions, according to a news release.

The Pasco County public works project is addressing an area of the roadway where a hole formed. Crews will fill in the area and resurface the road.

Signs along Chancey Road will direct drivers to detour routes.

The construction crews will be working from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., on weekdays, with some week- end work possible.

Southern Road & Bridge LLC is the contractor on the job.

Published on June 8, 2022.

Pasco seeks to strengthen trade ties with German town

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The Pasco County Commission welcomed Andreas Siegel, the consul general of Germany, to its meeting last week and celebrated its Document of Friendship with Germersheim, Germany.

The Document of Friendship establishes the basis for developing and promoting a transatlantic exchange of mutually beneficial information, cooperation and fosters a relationship of understanding between the peoples of the District of Germersheim and Pasco County

The friendship pact also calls for the continued promotion of economic development, educational opportunities and cultural exchange.

The document came about during a trade mission to Germany last October.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey, Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick, state Rep. Amber Mariano and others accompanied Bill Cronin, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, Inc., on the mission, which involved exploring opportunities to establish business relationships and to learn more about apprenticeship programs, among other things.

The ties between Pasco and Germersheim date back to 2008, when Pasco County Schools established a student exchange program with the German district.

Starkey said Siegel, who is based in Miami, has been instrumental in strengthening the relationship between Pasco and Germany. She said Seigel planned to meet with the Pasco EDC later in the week.

On another matter, the board delayed, until March 22, its consideration of a temporary moratorium on the submission and acceptance of applications for building permits, site plans, special exception uses, conditional uses, rezonings and comprehensive plan amendments proposing to increase entitlements on land around the airports in Pasco County.

The moratorium would apply to land near the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, Tampa North Aero Park, Pilot Country, Hidden Lake Airport and a portion of the conical and horizontal surfaces of the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport.

In other action, taken on Feb. 8 or Feb. 22, the county board:

  • Approved a task order for Coastal Design Consultants Inc., to perform work connected to an expansion at Starkey Ranch District Park.

The task order involves architectural, engineering, and related services for six multipurpose fields, an additional parking area, a concession stand, and to extend the multi-use path around the existing stormwater pond area.

The work is to be done for price is not to to exceed $177,600 for fiscal year 2022.

  • Approved of a task order with ESA Scheda Corporation to provide environmental engineering and consulting services for the county’s Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources’ Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program. The consultant will work with its subconsultant, Wildlands Conservation Inc., to provide environmental and land management planning services for five Pasco County ELAMP sites. These sites will be referred to as:
  • Pasco Palms Preserve (116 acres)
  • Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve (129 acres) with the northern portion of the Arthur Site (195 acres)
  • Five Mile Creek Conservation Area (179 acres) with the southern portion of the Arthur Site (647 acres)
  • Jumping Gully Preserve (1,839 acres)
  • Crockett Lake Tract (519 acres)

The effort aims to review all available information, former land management plans, desktop data reviews, and interviews with the county’s land managers, coupled with thorough site investigations to provide land management approaches that enhance, conserve, and protect natural resources, while achieving short and long-term objectives.

Funding for the project is budgeted at $190,806.00 and is in fiscal year 2022.

  • Amended the county’s land use plan from a designation for residential to a designation allowing commercial uses on 3.34acres at the Intersection of Gall Boulevard and Chancey Road.

Published March 02, 2022

75-home subdivision proposed on Happy Hill

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a proposed subdivision of up to 75 homes at the northwest corner of Happy Hill and Sarah Lynn Drive, in Dade City.

The land currently is zoned for agricultural and rural density use, but, if approved by the Pasco County Commission, will be rezoned to a residential-4, high-density residential district. The county board has final jurisdiction in land use and rezoning requests.

County planners also have recommended approval of the application by Distinct Development Dade City/Happy Hill Road to rezone the 18.78 acres.

The site currently consists of undeveloped hayfields.

Access to the proposed subdivision will be from Happy Hill Road, which is a county-maintained collector road.

In accordance with an interlocal agreement between the county and the City of Dade City, the county has requested a review of the subject request from the City of Dade City and has not received any comments, according to materials in the planning board’s agenda packet.

The area surrounding the site is characterized by residential development and agricultural pursuits. The site is designated in the county’s land use plan for up to six residential units per acre.

Attorney Clarke Hobby represented the applicant at the planning board’s Jan. 6 public hearing.

He told planning commissioners that his client opted for the R-4 zoning request, rather than seeking a master-planned unit development that would have yielded the potential for approximately 120 houses.

The site is “immediately adjacent to the Sweetwater apartment complex to the south. Two of the sites adjacent to this site are zoned MF-1, so they allow multifamily at considerably higher density.”

A traffic study shows that after the development occurs, Happy Hill Road “will still be at level of service A and B, depending on whether you are north or south of the site. There’s a lot of capacity there.

“There’s a lot going on in that area and there’s really two big influences in the area, that’s from the crest of the hill, down to (State Road) 52, on Happy Hill. One is, the roads, including the Clinton Extension, which you can see from these sites looking down. So, you have (State Road) 52 and the Clinton Extension, which are going to be major, major game-changers in this area.

“And then the second thing is, the City of Dade City has annexed a considerable number of parcels, not very far north of this site and now have approved basically 1,000 units with lots that are smaller than this site,” he said.

Alisa Weaver, who lives directly across the road from the proposed rezoning, urged the planning board to recommend denial of the request.

“My question is: How does this zoning change positively affect the health, safety, welfare and morals of the surrounding community? And, how does this change benefit the surrounding homeowners?

“That’s a lot of houses in a small area, and I don’t feel any of the resident homeowners are benefiting from this,” she said.

She’s concerned about traffic on Happy Hill Road.

“It’s always been a two-lane rural road,” she said.

But she pointed out, there’s already a problem with traffic and that’s likely to worsen with increased development.

The speed limit is 45 mph, and 35 mph near the school and church, she said.

“Nobody goes 45 (mph). I’ve been run off the road. I’ve got my blinker on, turning left. They go around you,” she said, adding that even county vehicles have nearly run her off the road.

“It’s very hazardous, and now we’re looking at additional homes, on top of what’s already going to go in down the road (on the land that Dade City has annexed).

“My question is: What is the county going to do to protect me and my visitors and my property? What is going to keep us safe?

“Now, is the time to support your current homeowner residents before allowing additional high-density development.

“I ask you to deny this proposal on Happy Hill Road,” she said.

Hobby told the planning board that the transportation analysis, completed by an expert in the field, showed there’s sufficient capacity on the roadway.

He also said that lot sizes in the proposed subdivision will have frontages of at least 60 feet.

The planning board unanimously recommended approval of the request.

In other action, planning commissioners recommended approval of a request by Rucks Cobblestone for a land use change to allow commercial use on 3.34 acres at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Chancey Road.

The land currently is designated for residential development, at up to nine dwellings per acre. The applicant is seeking a designation to allow commercial uses.

In recommending approval, the planning board concurred with county planners, who supported the request.

In supporting the request, county planners found that shifting the land use to commercial would “create little or no objectionable, external effect upon neighboring land uses.”

Planners also noted that the proposed commercial site is at the intersection of two arterial roadways; is not located internally to an existing single-family neighborhood and will not act as an intrusion.

Planners also found that the development intensity is limited and designed to serve the needs of the immediate neighborhoods.

The request now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning issues.

Published January 12, 2022

More residential and commercial growth coming to East Pasco

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Zephyrhills is hitting its stride as growth and development gain momentum along the traffic corridors of what is now Pasco County’s largest city.

The signs of new growth are everywhere along Zephyrhills’ major corridors including U.S. 301/Gall Boulevard, and State Road 56.

Construction is changing the city’s landscape.

Heavy equipment prepares land for the construction of a new Radiant Gas Station and other retail on the west side of Gall Boulevard, in Zephyrhills. (Fred Bellet)

New developments include The District at Abbott Square, a master-planned community behind the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, and Abbott Park, a residential community off Dean Dairy Road.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport is expanding and there’s new retail at Zephyr Commons shopping complex.

These signal the city’s increasing population.

It grew from more than 13,000 residents in 2010 to more than 17,000 residents in 2020, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census.

In addition to Abbott Square and Abbott Park, Hidden River and the Links at Calusa Springs also are adding rooftops to Zephyrhills.

“The fact is that the need for housing is just exploding statewide. Tampa is running out of space,” said Todd Vande Berg, Zephyrhills’ planning director. “We were the next logical location.”

The view from the exit of Tropical Acres on Blue Lagoon Drive will soon change as ongoing construction site preparation will transform the east side of U.S. 301.

The widening of State Road 56 to four lanes opened Zephyrhills to more development, Vande Berg said.

He also noted that city officials have worked to ensure that residential projects were not “cookie-cutter.”

Abbott Square, as an example, will offer one-story villas, two-story townhouses, and will feature three different lot sizes.

“I think people appreciate that. Not all residential is on 40-foot-wide lots like every other development,” he said.

Preserving trees, installing sidewalks and adding trails are highlights of new residential development.

Zephyrhills is building on Pasco’s countywide efforts to attract tourism through an emphasis on sports facilities such as the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center.

In coming months, Vande Berg said the tennis center will add dormitories to accommodate increasing interest in tournaments and training opportunities.

The facility also is attracting new residential including the Abbott Square project. The Lennar Homes development, on Simons Road behind the tennis center, will build about 700 residential units of single-family houses, townhouses, and apartments.

West of Dade City on State Road 52, a new residential development, Abbey Glen, is under construction.

Abbott Park, off Kossik Road near Zephyr Commons, is a new residential community by Metro Places.

Summerstone is a new single-family and townhome development, off State Road 56, west of Morris Bridge Road. It is located in Wesley Chapel, just a short distance west of Zephyrhills.

Chipotle’s restaurant recently opened at Zephyr Commons. Planet Fitness had a recent ribbon-cutting. Chick-Fil-A opened, too, on an outparcel of the shopping center on the northeast corner with Pretty Pond Road.

More retail is anticipated. And plans for the site include about 400 residential units.

The Pretty Pond intersection is becoming a hub for Zephyrhills shoppers, who are adding Zephyr Commons to their destinations along with established plazas along Gall Boulevard (U.S. 301), including Merchants Square, Towne View Square Shopping Center, and North Town Center.

On the west side of Gall Boulevard, at Pretty Pond, the former site of Rainbow Court and Brightside Manor mobile home park, is being prepped for new commercial development. A sign planted at the site advertises a coming Radiant gas station and convenience store. A car wash also is anticipated at the site.

Zephyrhills’ downtown, on Fifth Avenue, is enjoying its own commercial revival.

The opening of Zephyrhills Brewing Company in 2016 set the stage for renewed interest in downtown, said Melonie Monson, president, and chief executive officer of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

“It has been an economic driver,” she said. “It’s brought traffic in on weekends.”

New shops opening within the past year include Vintage Chix, a boutique clothing store; A.O.K., a sports bar featuring axe throwing; and Your Turn, a board game café that serves coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and a choice of hundreds of board games to play.

A site preparation worker makes his way through a parcel of land on Gall Boulevard, just south of North Town Center on Gall Boulevard in Zephyrhills.

Tina & Joe’s Café opened recently in the historic Jeffries House, built in 1910 for Zephyrhills’s founder Captain A. B. Jeffries. The café serves salads, sandwiches, lobster rolls and desserts.

Also, Planet Jupiter, a hookah lounge, is “coming soon” to a storefront on Fifth Avenue.

“Our downtown is really growing,” said Monson.

On Gall Boulevard, near downtown, Jerry’s Crystal Bar reopened after being ravaged by fire in 2020.

Checkers on Gall and Culver’s on Eiland Boulevard are new additions to the quick service food options.

The chamber recently hosted a ribbon-cutting for Hoops Heaven, on Chancey Road along the city’s industrial corridor. The indoor training facility offers basketball training for youth in the Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel area.

Hoops Heaven adds to both Zephyrhills’ and Pasco County’s goal of advocating for sports and ecotourism to build economic growth and bring jobs, Vande Berg said.

“Someone came from out of town and saw a need for youth basketball,” the planning director said.

By Kathy Steele

Published January 05, 2022

Higher density approved near Zephyrhills

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a land use change that will allow greater density on about 30 acres near Zephyrhills.

The change increases the allowable density from three units per acre to six units per acre and lays the groundwork for a future rezoning.

The rezoning, which is being pursued, will accommodate the expansion of the Forest Lakes Estates community, a 1,000-home manufactured housing community for people age 55 and older.

Clarke Hobby, an attorney representing Equity Lifestyles, said his client owns the existing 1,000-unit manufactured housing community, which is on the east side of Gateway Drive, and wants to add about 90 additional units on the 30-acre property, on the west side of Gateway Drive, south of County Road 54.

During the Dec. 7 county board meeting, Hobby said the land use change makes sense.

“There’s Res-6 across County Road 54 from us, and there’s a large swath of I-L (light industrial) that’s immediately to our west. So we don’t feel that the change from Res-3 to Res-6 is a big issue, from a land use planning perspective.”

Hobby also told board members: “Gateway Drive runs from County Road 54 down through the eastern part of the project.

“Our plan is to swap right of way and build the neighbors a new road on our western side, so we’ll be able to ultimately join our projects, and we’ve agreed, in a private agreement to — in addition to that, at our own costs, to give our neighbors enough money to resurface the entirety of Marx Avenue and Frontier Drive to the south, which approximately is a mile or so, in addition.

“So, my client has made a big commitment to help with the betterment of this area,” he said.

Area resident Cindi Buckel objected to the change.

She urged commissioners to reject the request, citing concerns about area traffic and increasing traffic fatalities, as the county continues to allow new subdivisions along two-lane roads.

She also noted the difficulty motorists face, as they attempt to get around in an area that’s growing increasingly congested.

“The roads have not been looked at, as the subdivisions just keep growing, and growing and growing,” Buckel said.

She noted it already takes a long time — even without the new houses — to get out onto County Road 54, from Gateway.

“You have construction trucks, nonstop, heading in both directions towards Polk, towards Zephyrhills,” she said, while also noting a double fatality accident that recently occurred — involving a construction truck and a RAV-4 on Chancey Road.

Commissioner Ron Oakley applauded the developer’s plan to build the additional road.

“The real bonus was when they decided to build a new road for the residents behind it. It keeps from splitting that park up and it joins it together. And it makes it a lot better for the residents that are on larger tracts, right in behind them,” Oakley said.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey asked if the new development would have landscaping requirements.

Hobby said it will.

Hobby also noted that County Road 54 has been rated at a Level of Service B.

The land use change was approved on a 5-0 vote.

In a separate action, related to the same property, the county board has set a public hearing for Jan. 11 at 1:30 p.m., to consider the advisability of closing a portion of Gateway Drive, from County Road 54 to Marx Avenue.

Hobby’s client has proposed constructing a new alignment to connect County Road 54 to Frontier Drive, which then connects to Marx Avenue, and, upon completion of the Frontier Drive Extension, to exchange the newly constructed Frontier Drive Extension with the Gateway Drive parcels.

Published December 15, 2021

Upgrades on tap for Zephyrhills Municipal Airport

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Major renovations and changes are coming to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — in an effort to transform the facility from a general aviation airport to one that offers more accommodations for corporate jets.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe dished on the various happenings at the city-owned airport, located at 39459 South Ave., while speaking during the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit at Zephyrhills City Hall.

The Oct. 13 event was organized by the City of Zephyrhills, Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, Zephyrhills Economic Development Coalition, Main Street Zephyrhills, Pasco Economic Development Council (Pasco EDC), and AdventHealth Zephyrhills/Dade City.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport is undergoing several upgrades and improvements. Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe detailed the forthcoming changes during the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit earlier this month. (File)

The city manager was among several speakers during the economic summit.

Poe quipped that the local airport is “the best in Pasco County,” adding, “part of that is because we’re the only general aviation airport in Pasco County, but we are growing.”

He opened his briefing by mentioning the progress coming along on the extension of Runway 1/19 — with tree-clearing already underway along Chancey Road.

The project lengthens the runway by 1,500 feet — up to 6,200 feet, from the current 4,700 feet.

The work is being funded through a $5.9 million state appropriation that was received back in 2018.

The 1,500-foot extension will allow the airport to accommodate an additional 17 different types of aircraft (including C-2 and D-2 corporate jets that hold anywhere from 14 to 20 passengers), Poe explained.

“We’re trying to grow, we’re trying to go more toward the corporate customers,” Poe said.

The airport also received $3 million from the state this past year to construct itinerant parking for all aircraft arrivals and departures other than local aircraft operations.

This upgrade goes hand in hand with the Runway 1/19 extension.

The parking is for the additional corporate jets the airport is hoping to attract through its longer runway, the city manager said.

Presently, incoming and outgoing aircraft are forced to park in front of the airport’s fixed-base operation terminal, which is not ideal, Poe noted.

“We have issues with the jet parking, right in front of the terminal, trying to get gas. It’s just not good; there’s a lot of potential issues that happen with that,” said the city manager.

Other airport improvement projects also are in the pipeline. These are mostly being funded with help from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT), with the city contributing a smaller share. The list includes:

  • Rehabilitation and pavement of Taxiway A
  • Upgrades to the fuel farm
  • Upgrades to airfield beacons

Zephyrhills has its eyes set on greater aviation infrastructure improvements, too.

In advance of the 2022 legislative session, the city is requesting an additional $5.33 million from the state that would encompass building another taxiway, two box hangars and a newly renovated fixed-base operator terminal.

The most expensive proposition of the three-pronged initiative — if funding is approved — is a new fixed-base operator terminal, which would become a rest stop for pilots flying in and out of the airport, while also serving as an upgraded office space for airport staff.

Said Poe, “When pilots come in, they need to be able to plan the rest of the legs of their flight, have an area to come in, relax, watch some TV, take a shower, grab something to eat.”

Elsewhere, Poe underscored the critical role of the Pasco EDC — specifically business development director Tom Ryan — for helping to promote the municipal airport at ongoing events and conferences nationwide.

Ryan is responsible for business development of new and expanding office, technology, and industrial related businesses and parks, according to the Pasco EDC’s website.

His responsibilities also include coordinating strategies to support economic development efforts in targeted areas, including confidential site analysis, regulatory assistance, compiling location data and incentive programs.

“Tom makes trips all over the country and talks highly of Zephyrhills, and helps to market us (to places) where the city cannot get out to,” Poe said.

Poe also emphasized the airport could not make major improvements without grants from the DOT, FAA and state legislature.

He pointed out the city has received roughly $10 million worth of grants in the past three years alone, adding, “there’s (been) a number of grants, millions of dollars before that, and there’s hopefully, millions of dollars after that.”

Published October 27, 2021

Pasco board moves ahead on jail expansion funding

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The Pasco County Commission has authorized county staff to secure funding from the county’s general obligation bonds to pay for expansion of the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center.

The expansion is funded through general obligation bonds that Pasco voters approved in November 2018. The board unanimously authorized an amount of nearly $108 million of those funds to pay for the work.

The project will add 1,000 new beds, plus major upgrades to the jail’s central services, including medical, laundry, kitchen, intake and administrative facilities to meet a larger capacity.

At completion, the 352,700-foot-facility will be about 200,000 square feet larger.

The current facility has 1,432 beds, but is operating above capacity.

Completion of the expansion will allow the facility, at 20101 Central Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, to house more than 3,000 inmates.

Commissioner Jack Mariano requested an update on the project for the board and County Administrator Dan Biles said he would schedule a presentation sometime in July or August.

On another matter, the board agreed to amend an ordinance, at the county administrator’s request, to permit greater flexibility in how the county spends it transportation tax increment funds.

Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein told the board the proposed change would allow the funds to be transferred to the general fund for other public facilities and services — to the extent they’re not needed for mobility fee subsidies.

“The exact amount of this transfer will be determined yearly, as part of the budget process,” Goldstein said.

The change also will apply to the Villages of Pasadena Hills, which has its own tax increment financing district. Those funds also had been restricted to transportation-only related costs, Goldstein said.

No one from the public spoke either for, or against, the change.

In another item, the board appointed members to the Northeast Pasco Rural Advisory Committee.

The county’s planning and development department sought applicants for the 13-member volunteer board and received 22 applications.

The committee’s task will be to  evaluate policies and regulations related to the Northeast Pasco Rural Protection Overlay District, and to recommend commercial development design standards and guidelines to the Pasco County Commission.

The northeast rural area is bordered by Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, the Green Swamp, State Road 52 and the Hernando County line.

Those appointed to the committee are:

  • Area residents: Nancy Hazelwood, Anthony Midthun, Lisa Moretti, Mary Kaye Harrison and Diana Hughes Diaz
  • Area business owners: Craig Linton Jr., James N. Hancock, Paul Boetcher, Frank Greco and Ronnie L. Deese
  • Land-use attorney: G. Randall (Randy) James
  • At-large members: Cyndi Tarapani and Chris Williams

The board, at the suggestion of Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, also appointed Seth Weightman, one of the applicants, to serve as an alternate.

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley, whose district includes the area, said “the staff did a good job of selecting the 13 out of the 22.”

With Northeast Pasco’s growth, the board will be able to address issues regarding the need for workforce housing and other issues, he said.

Oakley said the board will provide an avenue for input.

“People will be able to voice their opinion,” the commission chairman said.

Advisory committee members will serve until a final recommendation is made to the county board and then the committee will disband.

On another issue, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said she would like to pursue a board workshop on the issue of the county’s vacation rentals ordinance.

She said she knows that opinions are divided on the issue, but she thinks something must be done regarding the county’s current ordinance — which she said is not working.

It is not yet known whether a workshop will be held.

In other action, the board:

  • Authorized the acquisition of 7.41 acres on State Road 54 for what will become Fire Station No. 5, and will serve central Wesley Chapel and communities within a 5-mile radius. A market value appraisal was completed on Feb. 8, using a sales comparison approach and it came in at about $3.1 million. The parcel is vacant and is zoned for commercial uses. The county’s purchase price is $2,450,000.
  • Approved a task order with Fleishman and Garcia Architects and Planners, AIA, PA (FGA) to perform architectural, engineering and related services for the design and construction of Fire Station No. 18 on Chancey Road in Zephyrhills in an amount not to exceed $261,230 for fiscal year 2021.
  • Accepted the donation of an electronic varsity scoreboard from the Dade City Little League, Inc. for John S. Burks Memorial Park. The 8-foot-by-4-foot LED scoreboard with wireless remote control, is valued at $3,090. It will be used for baseball games.

Published June 16, 2021

Growth is coming to Zephyrhills

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Activity is on the rise in the City of Zephyrhills — from multiple new housing developments, to myriad airport and roadway improvements, to the prospect of wholesale changes to its local 911 communication operations.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe offered a look at what’s happening in the city, during a speaking engagement at last month’s East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe was the guest speaker at the East Pasco Networking Group’s March 9 breakfast meeting, at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

The city’s residential development is booming, Poe said.

“You see it when you’re driving down the road, driving down (State Road) 56, everywhere you go, anywhere you go, you see the development happening,” he said, during the March 9 breakfast meeting.

There are nine housing developments totaling about 3,000 units on the books, Poe said. The housing styles include townhomes, single-family homes and apartments.

The additional housing is expected to bring an estimated 7,000 new residents to the municipality, when all is said and done, Poe said.

These developments are predominately situated beyond the Zephyr Commons Shopping Center and Walmart off Gall Boulevard, as well as around the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center along Simons Road. The projects are in varying stages, from preliminary plans to homes under construction, Poe said.

“Zephyrhills will definitely be changing as we move through this, God willing the economy stays the way it’s going for us,” Poe said.

Airport gets a lift
Several enhancements are coming to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, which spans some 900 acres of land donated to the city after World War II.

Most notable is moving forward with the extension of Runway 1-19. It’s increasing to 6,200 feet, up from 4,700 feet.

The longer runway will accommodate larger corporate jets and will bolster industry in the surrounding airport vicinity. It also will provide support, in the long-term, for an industrial corridor, in the area of Chancey Road.

The Runway 1-19 project also calls for a Taxiway B extension, paved runway shoulders and construction of an access road.

The $6.5 million runway extension project, funded via state appropriations and Penny for Pasco, is expected to be completed in November. The city recently awarded a construction bid to Plant City-based C.W. Roberts Contracting for the work.

Poe detailed how instrumental State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby was in securing funding, given that improved transportation via air travel is one of Florida’s long-range goals for its communities.

Poe put it this way: “Sen. Simpson helped push this project forward, because he saw the importance of having a longer runway and being able to bring in those corporate jets to Zephyrhills.”

Poe also emphasized that the move isn’t a preamble for the airport to eventually expand into  a cargo hub — something recently implemented at Lakeland’s Linder International Airport in partnership with Amazon.

“There’s been some rumblings that, ‘Hey we’re going to go try to look like Lakeland and try to get cargo jets and all that.’ That is not true. Our goal is to be the best general aviation airport around,” Poe said.

For that scenario to even be considered, Poe said, the airport would need to install a tower and an Airport Rescue and Firefighting Station (ARFF) to clear zones and angles, among other considerations. “A lot of things that would have to be done,” he said. “Now, if somebody wants to come in and pay for that, we can have a conversation, (but) the city is not doing that.”

Other boosts are planned for the airport, too.

This includes upgrading its fuel farm, which features a pair of 20,000-gallon tanks some 25 years old. Poe said the state is funding 80% of the fuel farm upgrade, while the city is on the hook for 20%. The bid for this project is expected to be awarded in May.

There’s also plans to rehabilitate Taxiway A — which runs along Runway 5-23 — due to asphalt pavement reaching the end of its useful life. The project is currently in the design phase with projected construction coming in November. Poe said the FAA will fund 90% of the $3.3 million project, with the FDOT (8%) and the city (2%) contributing the remaining sum. “We would not be able to do it without partnerships with DOT, FAA, the state, all of those different grant dollars,” he said.

Installing some more corporate hangars at the airport is another objective, among others Poe said.

Roadwork improvements en route
Aside from the airport, several roadwork projects also are in the pipeline for the burgeoning East Pasco municipality.

Among other roadway improvements, the city has entered the design phase for paving the remaining northern portion of Simons Road, from the Links of Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road. It will create a continuous north-south connector linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The city manager said activity is well underway on the U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road intersection project, which calls for the relocation of an existing signalized intersection from the shopping plaza entrance to Pretty Pond Road, a signalized intersection at Medical Arts Court, and all other required roadway improvements. The addition of signalized intersections at these locations serves to improve the mobility of the northeast section of the city, and become an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond to be developed into a national grocery store, national chain hotel, pet supply store and chain restaurants.

The $2.3 million project is fully funded through a state appropriation.

Meantime, the city has entered the design phase to pave the remaining northern portion of Simons Road, from the Links of Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road, making a continuous north-south connector linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. Upon completion, residents living on the north end of town will have another option onto Eiland Boulevard, and otherwise helping eliminate congested traffic.

The city manager expects the Simons Road construction project to bid out around October, adding “hopefully by this time next year that road will be open.”

He explained the reason the city didn’t pave the entire road all at once was due to obstructing Duke Energy transmission poles. Now, the utilities company is in the process of relocating those poles at no cost to the city, Poe said, noting it would’ve cost the city around $2 million to move them at the time a couple years ago. “The city works very hard to get those grant dollars and tries to stretch the taxpayer dollars as far as we possibly can,” he said.

He added the city also is seeking grant funding, plus partnerships with the county and Lennar development to add a traffic signal at the Simons Road/Eiland Boulevard intersection, to alleviate traffic coming to and from the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road.

Elsewhere, the city plans to extend Dean Dairy Road from Pretty Pond Road north to Kossick Road. This action, Poe said would “help alleviate some of the traffic going up onto U.S. 301 and being able to access (Zephyr Commons) Publix and things from that back road.”

Poe otherwise detailed how the city spends roughly $400,000 per year repaving and rehabbing its local roadway network, using techniques like full-depth reclamation and micro seal to extend their useful life. The city’s streets department otherwise maintains roughly 66 miles of roadways throughout Zephyrhills, the city manager said.

Published April 07, 2021

City manager recaps possible 911 dispatch merger

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During a recent breakfast meeting with the East Pasco Networking Group, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe briefed those gathered on the city’s current consideration of combining its  911 police communications system with the Pasco County Department of Emergency Services in New Port Richey.

The looming decision “has nothing to do with finances,” Poe said.

Instead, he said, it is “all about officer safety, citizen safety.”

The City of Zephyrhills is in talks to combine its 911 police communications system with Pasco County operations. (File)

The move would essentially create a centrally located communications center for all emergency personnel and shared CAD/RMS (computer-aided dispatch systems and records management systems), to eliminate 911 calls being answered by dispatches from the Zephyrhills Police Department (ZPD) and Pasco Sheriff’s Office — and the need to transfer wireless callers between agencies.

A full dispatch consolidation model would mirror what’s now in place at the Dade City Police Department, which joined Pasco’s 911 system in 2015.

Under this setup, the county handles all 911 calls, prioritizing calls by importance and dispatching the closest city or county units accordingly, on the same radio frequency. At the same time, Dade City police employees answer all non-emergency calls.

Poe was city manager of Dade City when the systems were combined.

He underscored the benefits of the shift. It has improved communication channels between agencies and has provided access to important records to individuals or suspects crossing jurisdictional boundaries between the city and the county.

For instance, it allows the agencies to have background on someone’s previous encounters with law enforcement entities, such as knowing if there’s a documented history of fighting or resisting arrest with personnel from the Zephyrhills and Dade City police departments, or the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

It also has proven to be beneficial in terms of law enforcement response, he said.

He cited an incident involving the report of a gun at a Dade City area McDonald’s. Seven nearby  sheriff’s deputies and four on-duty Dade City police officers responded immediately to the scene without incident.

“I like to think it works well,” Poe surmised, regarding the merged communications system.

Meanwhile, the city manager dispelled any conjecture that a 911 system consolidation is a means to eventually disband Zephyrhills Police into sheriff’s office operations, similar to the merger that happened with the city’s fire department.

“There’s zero percent chance that the police department will merge with Pasco County,” said Poe.

The city manager said he has a great relationship with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, but noted they cannot offer the same level of service to residents of Zephyrhills as the local police department provides.

That’s because of the number and types of calls that the Sheriff’s Office must respond to, Poe explained.

“Consolidated dispatch, has nothing to do with the rest of the department. We are not looking to get rid of our police department. That is not the case at all. It is solely communications, and it is all about officer safety and citizen safety,” Poe said.

The Zephyrhills City Council, however, voted last September to consolidate its local fire department into Pasco County Fire Rescue — whereby the county assumed control of two stations on Sixth Avenue and Dean Dairy Road.

“That was not a fun thing to go through,” Poe said.

“I know council didn’t like it,” Poe said, referring to the decision to end the city’s independent fire department that had served the city for more than 100 years.

However, Poe said, in contracting out fire service responsibilities to Pasco County, both area stations now have an ambulance and increased staffing.

Response times were another consideration.

“It just made sense to have one responding agency, because they space it out, they know what they’re doing, they space them so they have minimal response times for each station, and so to be able to add two stations to the mix was huge for Pasco County…and I think the residents won,” Poe said.

The two former fire stations have been renamed, but the fire trucks retain some local flavor, with signage that indicates they are serving the City of Zephyrhills.

Poe said there also are plans to add another Pasco County Fire Rescue Station in Zephyrhills within the next few years, at the corner of Chancey Road and Yonkers Boulevard. When that comes online, Pasco County Fire Rescue Station 18 in Crystal Springs will be abandoned, he said.

That’s important because the city has never had three fire stations in the area, Poe said.

Published April 07, 2021

Zephyrhills adapts to growth, economic shifts

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If 2020 demonstrated anything, it was the necessity for area communities to have economic resiliency — that is, the ability to prevent, withstand and quickly recover from shocks to its economic base, whether that’s in response to a pandemic, natural disaster or stock market volatility.

In Zephyrhills, it’s something city planning director Todd Vande Berg and other city officials are actively balancing and preparing for, as the East Pasco municipality experiences a wave of growth and development, as well as transportation and infrastructure improvements.

Zephyrhills Planning Director Todd Vande Berg outlined how the city is setting itself up for future economic windfall during the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit. (Courtesy of Todd Vande Berg)

Vande Berg provided an in-depth look at the city’s ongoing efforts during the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit that was held this fall.

One key moving forward, he said, is reevaluating, updating and incorporating some “best practices” into the city’s comprehensive plan and land development code.

This includes taking a harder look at density bonuses and floor area ratios, as well as stream-lining permitting processes and broadening permitted uses, he said.

Prioritizing municipal investments in transportation (multi-modal, pedestrian-oriented, public transit) and infrastructure (water, sewer, communication networks), and recreation is important, too, he said.

Ripe for industrial manufacturing
The city is banking on diversifying its local economy and bringing high-wage jobs to town via a regional industrial/manufacturing buildout.

Local leaders believe this can be achieved through leveraging approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres) of land in the southeast portion of the city around the State Road 39/Chancey Road corridor and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. There is 3,000 acres to 4,000 acres available for potential industrial development.

Roughly a third of the entire property is within city limits and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County — representing the largest aggregation of industrial lands in the county.

Within the area is 442 divisible acres of what’s known as the Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park, a build-ready site equipped with water, sewer and electric utilities, and accessible to natural gas.

As industrial space along the Interstate 4 corridor begins to fill up along Tampa, Lakeland and Orlando, Zephyrhills “might be a next logical location for industrial manufacturing to come to,” Vande Berg said.

He reasoned the city’s vast land offerings is ripe to someday be home to a mix of light and heavy industrial and commercial uses — such as building spaces large enough to house semi-trailer truck bays.

The City of Zephyrhills and other local partners are working to bring industrial manufacturing to several thousands of acres of aggregate vacant land in the southeast portion of the city situated around the Chancey Road/State Road 39 corridor and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

The planning director explained it makes sense now more than ever to prepare for a long-range industrial plan, as Central Florida is following national trends of heavier investment in warehousing than retail construction.

The COVID-19 pandemic expedited this trend as more people and business are working and providing services remotely, in addition to the rise of Amazon and other e-commerce companies, Vande Berg said.

The city also enjoys north-south and east-west state and county road connections that support the long-term vision for industrial development, the planning director said. The city’s municipal airport, CSX main line rail access and close proximity to Port Tampa Bay and Central Florida markets are among its selling points.

“We’re pretty unique in that we have a pretty good roadway network being developed. That’s going to benefit the industrial corridor, to again make us very resilient, but we’ve got to continue to work on that,” he said.

The planning director acknowledged one challenge involves finding a way to widen the U.S. 301 corridor to four lanes from Fowler Avenue in Hillsborough County up through Zephyrhills. The roadway presently stretches four lanes from Port Tampa Bay to Fowler, but transitions to two lanes north through Pasco.

Vande Berg acknowledged that the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) hasn’t been on board with widening the road further north.

To resolve the impasse, the Pasco MPO needs to gather and collaborate with Hillsborough, Vande Berg said, “and really emphasize the importance of getting that segment of road, four lanes.”

He continued: “That four-lane corridor, I think, will pay off huge dividends for manufacturing and just overall betterment of our transportation network.”

Aside from stated transportation improvements to supplement an industrial corridor, Vande Berg also emphasized the importance of having a mechanism that provides workforce training opportunities, as people look to transition to manufacturing jobs.

“I feel like we need to look at identifying, and supporting and incentivizing all those things to provide for more of a diverse workforce,” he said.

Some next steps in the measured industrial corridor planning process include meeting with large industrial property owners; coordinating additional stakeholder meetings; having more discussions with industrial brokers; making airport and railroad improvements; and, continuing with various citywide master plan updates, Vande Berg said.

Growth already ramping up in Zephyrhills
While efforts continue to shape a future industrial hub, plenty is already happening in Zephyrhills in the way of new development, particularly residential construction.

A slew of new housing communities set to come online — such as Abbott Square, 700-plus units surrounding the new Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center off Simons Road; and Abbott Park, 500-plus units tucked behind the Zephyr Commons Publix Shopping Center, off Gall Boulevard.

Other notable homesites include the Link at Calusa Springs, north of Silverado Golf & Country Club; the Oaks at Pasco, southeast of Silverado Golf & Country Club; and Skybird Properties, off Alston Road near the municipal airport.

Various roadway improvements are paving way for new commercial development, too.

Most notable is the $2.3 million state-funded U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road intersection project, now under construction.

The project calls for new traffic signals on U.S. 301 at Pretty Pond and at Medical Arts Court/ Townview Avenue, along with other median and roadway improvements.

The 442-acre Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park is a build-ready site equipped with water, sewer and electric utilities, and is accessible to natural gas. It’s adjacent to the city’s municipal airport and CSX railroad. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

The addition of signalized intersections at these locations is designed to make it easier to move about the area, and to be an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond.

Once construction is complete, the area is poised to land Chick-fil-A and Chipotle chain restaurants, and other businesses.

Vande Berg joked he frequently gets asked about when Chick-fil-A is coming aboard — and said the popular franchise was waiting until the intersection project received the OK to move forward.

“I’m happy to share that they’re still on board,” the city official said.

He also mentioned enhancements coming to a 1.31-mile stretch on County Road 54, east of U.S. 301, east to 23rd Street.

The city is splitting the cost of the $6.5 million project with Pasco County, which will include the addition of intersection turn lanes; a traffic signal at 23rd Street; and multi-use paths and trails on the north and south sides of the road, among other improvements.

The project is addressing one of the city’s “bigger areas of need” to improve traffic capacity along a busy and sometimes dangerous roadway, Vande Berg said.

Elsewhere, the planning director highlighted a slew of other forthcoming projects and goals, further giving a look inside the booming activity in the city:

  • Mixed-use properties along the Zephyr Commons gateway
  • New Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic off Eiland Boulevard
  • Upgrades to Hercules Park, at U.S. 301 and County Road 54, adjacent to Zephyrhills High and Woodlands Elementary schools.
  • Implementation of form-based building codes from North Avenue to C Avenue, between Sixth Street and Seventh Street
  • Efforts to have more designated complete streets throughout the city, designed to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. (This may include adding sidewalks, bike lanes ,or wide paved shoulders; special bus lanes; comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities; median islands, accessible pedestrian signals; curb extensions; narrower travel lanes; roundabouts and so on.)

Published December 09, 2020