The Laker/Lutz News

Melanie Kendrick

Developers get $6 million county loan to build offices

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A project to build two upscale, premier office buildings will get a $6 million loan from Pasco County.

The Pasco County Commission approved the loan agreement with Atlanta-based Land Investment Partners at its March 14 meeting in Dade City.

No tenants are pre-signed for the office space.

However, if certain performance goals in leasing the buildings are met, the entire loan could be forgiven. It is initially an interest-only loan, with a 10-year term.

Land Investment Partners plans to build two premier office buildings at Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54. Each of the three-story buildings will be 75,000 square feet. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Each three-story building, described as Class A, will provide 75,000 square feet, for a total of 150,000 square feet of premium office space at the southeast corner of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54.

The site is part of the Suncoast Crossings development property, and is north of Mettler Toledo.

The manufacturing company is building a 250,000-square-foot building in Northpointe Village.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said she thinks that intersection offers an excellent example of development.

“I wish all the corners of all our interstates developed this way,” she said.

County officials estimate the project will produce 400 new jobs, and add about $43 million annually to the county’s gross product. Jobs from the project are expected to generate nearly $28 million in total salaries from direct and indirect employment.

“It’s nice and window-y and very pretty,” said Melanie Kendrick, the county’s program administrator for the Office of Economic Growth.

Under agreement terms, the county will wipe out $3 million of the loan if leases are obtained for 75 percent of the first building. The same terms, and elimination of the last $3 million, will apply to the second building.

Land Investment Partners will receive no reduction in principal if the goals aren’t met.

For the project to be profitable, developers estimated rents should be in the range of $32 a square foot to $33 a square foot. But, in the current market for that area, the rents realistically would only be $27 a square foot to $28 a square foot, according to attorney Clarke Hobby, who represents the investors.

“We’re bridging the gap to make it economically feasible,” Hobby said, of the loan.

Pasco’s Office of Economic Growth is pursuing a strategy of building a more diverse economic base that includes industrial and office projects that are more often seen in urbanized areas.

If this project is successful, Hobby said Pasco could “get more urbanized projects to come to Pasco.”

Published March 21, 2018

Preparing for industrial development

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It may not sound exciting, but a sewer line is one of the elements needed to help spur industrial development near Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

And, thanks to $3.2 million from Pasco County, the city will be able to pay for about 20,000 linear feet of sewer, as well as two lift stations.

The sewer line will serve about 600 acres.

It is the next step in a multiphase project to create a build-ready site that will appeal to developers.

Construction is expected to begin in September or October, and would take about 18 months to complete.

Zephyrhills City Council approved a cooperative agreement with Pasco County on June 13.

The City of Zephyrhills already has committed about $4.5 million to infrastructure at the site, including improvements to water lines to increase capacity and pressure. Dade City has participated, too.

“It’s a definite partnership, ” said Melanie Kendrick, Pasco County’s acting program director for the office of economic growth.

In 2015, Duke Energy and consultants with McCallum Sweeney completed a study and site assessment of about 480 acres around the airport. They found that about 414 acres at the site could accommodate aerospace, manufacturing, light industrial and assembly companies, and the plastics industry.

But, first the site had to be made market-ready with infrastructure including water and sewer lines. One selling point already is in place. A CSX rail line runs through the property.

The project will widen beyond the scope of the study to impact about 600 acres.

“It helps us build an industrial core,” said Steve Spina, city manager for Zephyrhills.

With infrastructure in the ground, the expectations are for the site to be marketed faster.

“We cannot attract anybody at this time because it would take up to two years to apply for permits, get the site ready and install remaining infrastructure on the site,” Kendrick said. “If we act now, with what the City of Zephyrhills has going there, we can piggyback on the existing contracts.”

The targeted land also is part of the county’s “pad ready” program, which seeks to promote industrial sites with similar infrastructure installations.

County commissioners last month approved the renewal of its contract with the Pasco Economic Development Council. Among the council’s goals is to use its $2.9 million budget to target 2,500 acres of industrial property for similar infrastructure upgrades.

“This is very exciting,” said Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey. “I think it will be big for the county.”

Published June 22, 2016

 

Pasco encourages commercial growth

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A revolving loan program, with an initial outlay of up to $15 million, could soon prime the pump for new commercial development, and bring more jobs to Pasco County.

The funds can be used by private investors to make land site-ready for development or to construct shell buildings for potential office, industrial and flex-space uses.

The goal is to entice greater investment in the one area of growth lacking in the county – offices and industrial space.

“We don’t have the product,” said Melanie Kendrick, the county’s acting program director for the Office of Economic Growth.

There is land available, Kendrick said, but investors want to move quickly and want site-ready properties.

On the other side, land owners may be reluctant to invest in utility infrastructure or speculative construction.

“We’re trying to lower the carrying costs to fill that gap,” Kendrick said.

The county initially launched the loan program in late 2015. But, the request for proposals was tweaked for a relaunching in February.

Funding is from the Penny for Pasco program, which was approved through voter referendum in 2012, and began collecting revenues in 2015. The money goes into the Jobs and Economic Opportunities Trust Fund. To date, more than $4.3 million has been collected. Over 10 years the program is expected to collect nearly $54 million that will be parceled out over 25 years for economic development.

The county’s goal is to create more than 100,000 jobs in 10 years.

The loan program has two parts.

Pasco Accelerate Development Sites (PADS) gets sites shovel-ready with funds that help install water, sewer and other utility improvements.

Pasco Occupant Ready Shells (PORS) helps with construction costs on shell buildings, without a tenant or buyer. But, having a building ready can attract an employer who wants to begin operations quickly. The “shell” can be completed to the specifications needed.

Application deadline for the program is April 11 at 2 p.m. Pasco County commissioners will be asked to rank applicants’ proposals, based on staff recommendations. The item likely will be reviewed at their May 24 meeting.

Commissioners can decide which projects will receive funding, and how much each will receive.

Pasco County officially distributes solicitation documents through the Florida Online Bid System. Solicitation documents may be downloaded at no cost.

Documents also may be obtained from the county’s purchasing department in accordance with Florida Statutes that pertain to public records.

Published March 2, 2016

Pasco County adopts new marketing approach

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Saying that Pasco County is a place with “room to grow” is all but passé, now that developers are on a building spree that is gobbling up wide-open spaces.

Retail, rooftops, offices, hotels are plowing up dirt and raising expectations for a more diversified suburban community that accommodates hipper, trendier living.

So, out with the old, in with the new.

Pasco County is highlighting its ‘Open Spaces. Vibrant Places.’ The new slogan and a logo with the sand hill crane in flight are part of the county’s new marketing strategy.
Pasco County is highlighting its ‘Open Spaces. Vibrant Places.’ The new slogan and a logo with the sand hill crane in flight are part of the county’s new marketing strategy.

The county’s marketing slogan “Room to Grow” is gone. And the county seal – a green circle with the Historic Dade City Courthouse in the middle – will be phased out over the next two years, except on public documents.

The new slogan will be “Open Spaces. Vibrant Places.” Underscore the word vibrant.

And for a logo, watch the sand hill crane take flight as it rises before a bright orange sun.

“It’s a symbol of Pasco County, which is also taking flight,” said Jennifer Lachtara, marketing communications coordinator at the Pasco Economic Development Council.

The new marketing strategy acknowledges that Pasco is “neither overly built out nor overly rural,” Lachtara said.

The logo will begin showing up on business cards and county vehicles over time.

Residents got their first look at the new logo in May, when the county rolled out its “My Pasco” app for mobile phones.

On Nov. 17, Pasco County commissioners voted to approve the new logo, and the rollout of a re-branding program.

Commissioners voted 4 to 1, with Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano dissenting.

The new logo’s message doesn’t capture all that is happening in Pasco, with zip lines, skydiving and the upcoming ice rink, he said.

“I’d like to see something a little more active, more youth-oriented,” Mariano said.

But, Pasco Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey can’t wait to get new business cards.

“I think it’s very elegant,” Starkey said. “I think it describes us perfectly, open spaces and vibrant places.”

Efforts to create the new branding plan began more than a year ago, and included employees from the county’s Office of Economic Growth, Tourism Development, and the Pasco EDC.

Market testing included area chambers of commerce and homeowners’ associations.

A public perception survey received more than 530 responses, with most people in favor of the new logo. Only 29 negative comments were made, said Melanie Kendrick, the county’s acting program director for the Office of Economic Growth.

In such a large county, it is difficult to find a unifying theme that captures the diversity of west, east and central Pasco, Kendrick said.

The county currently has about 20 logos being used, plus logos adopted by its constitutional officers.

The next step is to create standards to license the logo for use by businesses, parks and other venues that highlight the open spaces, vibrant places image.

No funding is required to make the initial changes to business cards and stationery.

“As the items are being used up, we have to replace them anyway,” Kendrick said.

Published December 2, 2015

Loan program aims to attract Pasco jobs

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Pasco County has earmarked $15 million for a revolving loan program ultimately aimed at creating more jobs.

The program seeks to encourage investors to prepare sites for development, or build shell buildings for office or industrial use, thus speeding the process for companies that want to set up shop in Pasco County.

The deadline for applications for this new loan program is Nov. 13.

The revolving loan program stems from a demonstrated need in the county, said John Hagen, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.

John Hagen
John Hagen

“We have kind of a product shortage here,” Hagen said. The lack of ready office or industrial space has resulted in missed opportunities for Pasco, he said.

“We’re getting these companies that are coming to us that are looking for a building, or they’re looking for a piece of land that they can go build something on immediately, and it’s not there,” Hagen said.

When there’s not something available in Pasco, they go looking elsewhere, he said.

“It’s really about speed to market,” Hagen said.

Investors may be willing to take the risk, but they have a hard time getting credit unless there are known tenants for the office or industrial space, Hagen said.

There also are sites that may be entitled for industrial uses, but they don’t have the proper infrastructure – such as a road leading to it, or proper utilities — to support it.

The revolving loan program is designed to offer terms that would encourage private investment.

Hagen believes there’s demand for this product, once it is demonstrated that inventory is available.

Ideally, as buildings go up or sites are prepared, new business ventures will step forward, which will allow the loans to be repaid and new loans to be issued, Hagen said

“We don’t know what the private sector ultimately will do, until somebody submits an application, but I think it’s a great tool for us. If we do a couple of them, it will hopefully stimulate other development, but also it will get revolved into other projects.”

The creation of the loan program is a result of combined efforts between Pasco County and the Pasco EDC’s Competitive Task Force.

Melanie Kendrick, acting program director for Pasco County’s Office of Economic Growth said the revolving loan program aims to set the stage for private investors to step forward.

“We know that the holding costs are going to be expensive for the property owners or the developers, and they don’t want to take the risks right now because they’re not sure whether or not that the market is going to support it, or they’re not going to be able to get somebody in there quickly enough to recoup their costs as quickly as they’d like to have a return on their own investment,” she said.

There are two parts to the county’s program.

The Pasco Accelerate Development Sites (PADS) program gets the site as close to development-ready as possible.

The PORS (Pasco Occupant Ready Shells) program provides buildings to shorten the time it takes for a company to set up in Pasco.

“They would build the building. It doesn’t have to be finished on the inside. It can be just the four walls and the roof. They can have a tenant build-out. It can be multi-tenant or single tenant,” Kendrick said.

Both programs have the same goal.

“They can get up and running quicker than if they had to start from scratch,” she said.

“The real end game here is that we want employers to move into a building and create some jobs,” Hagen said.

Pasco County officially distributes solicitation documents through the Florida Online Bid System. Solicitation documents may be downloaded at no cost.

Documents also may also be obtained from the county’s purchasing department in accordance with Florida Statutes that pertain to public records.

Published November 4, 2015

 

Retail jobs on the rise

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But more jobs are needed to diversify Pasco’s economy

Heading south on Interstate 275 into Tampa, and points beyond, cars stack up and slow to a crawl as commuters in the morning rush hour out of Pasco County’s bedroom communities hit the brakes.

Motorists going north, mostly zip along at a steady clip.

In the afternoon the traffic flow reverses.

It’s all about where the jobs are and where they aren’t.

The volume of people who commute daily to jobs outside Pasco is about 46 percent, according to county data.

But flipping that trend is the goal of the county’s Planning and Development Department, and its marketing partner, the Pasco County Economic Development Council.

Holiday Inn Express is one hotel ready for construction with an opening in 2016. The hotel is next to Florida Hospital Center Ice, an ice rink and sports complex that is under construction, off State Road 56. Both will be job producers. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Holiday Inn Express is one hotel ready for construction with an opening in 2016. The hotel is next to Florida Hospital Center Ice, an ice rink and sports complex that is under construction, off State Road 56. Both will be job producers.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

There are good signs in the job market especially in retail, but county officials say Pasco needs higher paying jobs and a diverse employer-base to shed its bedroom community status.

And that could take years of steady, patient marketing.

For now, dirt is flying especially along the prime corridors of State Road 56 and State Road 54, around the Interstate 75 interchange.

“The retail is following the rooftops,” said Melanie Kendrick, senior planner for economic development in Pasco.

Tampa Premium Outlets, the centerpiece for Cypress Creek Town Center, is sprouting. It is expected to have more than 110 stores and will provide an estimated 800 jobs.

The Shops at Wiregrass is expanding. And, other retail development, including Mercedes Benz, Buffalo Wild Wings and Dairy Queen, is popping up.

Abutting the outlet mall, the town center also will have more retail including Kohl’s, Costco, Culver’s, Cheddar’s Casual Café, and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse. Job numbers for this project aren’t available.

More hotels, shops, restaurants and offices are on a waiting list, marked ‘coming soon’ for a site on the north side of State Road 56, also part of Cypress Creek Town Center.

On Oct. 29, Tampa Premium Outlets will be the first to hit the start button.

“This is like a bonus,” said John Hagen, president of the PEDC. “It will definitely raise the amount of money coming into the community. It makes the economic pie bigger.”

People are put to work, the Penny for Pasco program gets fattened with more pennies and Pasco’s image shines brighter in the marketplace.

“It is a destination… It will help people understand that there is a Pasco County,” Hagen said. “This is a place. It has place-making attributes that are important to us. It’s hard for people to think about (Pasco) in terms of a place.”

Retail already has shown it can spark other development.

Pasco-Hernando State College located its Porter Campus at the mall. It currently has a staff of about 60 employees and 100 adjunct faculty members.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, near Wiregrass, added 600 jobs to the economy when it opened nearly three years ago. The hospital is investing $78 million in an expansion at the hospital. And Florida Medical Clinic, just north of Wiregrass, also is expanding in Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

On State Road 54, a new Lowe’s warehouse store opened in April, bringing with it as many as 160 jobs.

Businessman Gordie Zimmerman is building Florida Hospital Center Ice, a sports complex with four ice rinks and a removable pad that can allow for more sports such as volleyball, soccer, basketball and lacrosse. The 150,000 square foot facility, off State Road 56, can also accommodate non-sports events such as dog shows and graduations.

It is expected to attract national and international sports competitions.

All of these generate more sales tax revenues from people shopping and dining in Pasco.

And, a portion of those Pasco pennies will be dedicated this year to the Jobs and Economic Trust Fund to provide business incentives to locate in Pasco.

County officials have estimated that $45 million to $50 million will flow from the Penny for Pasco program to stimulate economic development.

Hagen recently delivered the PEDC’s third quarter report to the Pasco County Commission. The data showed that to date, 415 jobs had been created through the agency’s efforts in 2015.

On July 24, the PEDC upped that number by 124 jobs with its announcement that Leggett & Platt, a global manufacturing company, plans to open an 80,000-square- foot facility near Spring Hill. The plant will assemble adjustable bed bases. Company officials have pledged to hire locally and contract with suppliers within the Tampa Bay region.

Hagen sees Leggett & Platt taking a position as one of the county’s top employers with room for expansion in future.

On another front, the SMARTstart business incubator program has created 45 jobs. Currently, 13 startup companies are sharing space on-site in Dade City. Another three entrepreneurs are located off-site. “They are all trying to get their businesses off the ground,” Hagen said.

While some of these new businesses may only generate a small number of jobs, there always is potential that one or more could take off with an idea that is “scalable” into a regional or national company, Hagen said.

The county set clear goals in the long-range Economic Development Plan, adopted in 2013.

One target is to add between 160,000 and 185,000 new jobs to the economy over the next decade, said Richard Gehring, the county’s planning and development administrator.

That has to be reached by fostering a business-friendly environment where private companies want to invest in Pasco, Hagen said.

“I kind of like to differentiate between creating a business climate and making business deals,” he said. “I think we’re creating a business climate where things can happen.”

One example of private investment that paid off is Compark 75. The business park, off Wesley Chapel Boulevard, will expand in 2016 with the addition of a 65,000 square foot building. The existing park, with four buildings, is leased nearly to capacity.

Two new tenants, Streetside Classic Cars and an as yet-unidentified orthodontics company will open there in October.

Hagen would like to see 10 more projects similar to Compark 75.

Over the years, Pasco has evolved from a rural community into a service-based economy that catered to senior retirees and then into the bedroom community for counties such as Hillsborough and Pinellas.

The current building boom is picking up where developers left off before the Great Recession. Predictably, the new development began with housing because that offers reasonably quick turnaround on investment, Hagen said.

But many of these projects have also set aside space for retail, offices and in some cases industrial, Hagen said.

“It’s kind of setting the stage for other development,” he said.

But, it is crucial to Pasco’s economic growth to encourage more business parks. That was one issue identified in a study completed recently by Duke Energy of the large acreage in and around the Zephyrhills airport.

“I don’t mean to sound alarmist,” Hagen said. “I think we’re trying to put some thought into that. We probably need to be more active in acquiring and controlling parcels that would make good industrial parks before they get gobbled into retail.”

Still Hagen isn’t what he describes as a “retail snob.”

Jobs of every kind are needed, he said. “If it puts them to work, then it’s a good thing.”

Tampa Premium Outlets hosts center-wide job fair
What: The grand opening of Tampa Premium Outlets is scheduled for October.

Retailers are seeking job applicants for more than 800 open seasonal, part-time, full-time and management positions. The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce is the job fair sponsor.

When: Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Where: Embassy Suites Tampa USF/Busch Gardens,  3705 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa

Cost: Free and open to the community. Dress professionally and bring lots of resumes.

Information: Call (813) 909-8716, or visit PremiumOutlets.com/tampa.

Published August 5, 2015

Penny for Pasco funds to help spur local economy

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Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said the county wants to keep an application process open to private parties to submit unsolicited applications for part of the Penny for Pasco proceeds to spur economic development.
Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said the county wants to keep an application process open to private parties to submit unsolicited applications for part of the Penny for Pasco proceeds to spur economic development.

The Pasco County Commission soon will be deciding how to allocate funds from Penny for Pasco proceeds to create jobs and spur the county’s economy.

Before they can do that, though, they must adopt a resolution that establishes how funds from the Penny for Pasco Jobs and Economic Trust Fund will be allocated.

The resolution will define eligible applicants, such as Pasco County, the Pasco Economic Development Council and private industry, that can submit unsolicited proposals.

Commissioners had a workshop on Jan. 20 to discuss how to proceed in choosing investments and allocating funds.

The particulars haven’t been ironed out, but the process is expected to include an application process, a ranking system and an economic investment council.

Commissioners will appoint an economic investment council, which likely will have members possessing expertise in a variety of fields, such as manufacturing, commercial/industrial, site selection, real estate and agriculture.

Commission Chairman Ted Schrader told county staff that the council should include a representative from the health care industry.

“Health care obviously is the economic engine in Pasco County,” Schrader said. “I think that’s critically important.”

Pasco is notorious for the tens of thousands of residents who head out of the county for work in the morning and return to the county at night.

It’s been trying to shake the image of being a bedroom community for years and wants to use Penny for Pasco funds to inject energy into the county’s economic development.

With so many people leaving the county each day, it’s obvious that Pasco has an available work force, said Commissioner Mike Moore.

“What jobs are they leaving for?” Moore asked. “That’s where our focus should be initially.”

The primary goal of the trust fund is to attract jobs to Pasco, said Richard Gehring, the county’s planning and development administrator.

Gehring said the county has a number of opportunities.

There’s a railroad corridor in East Pasco, as well as heavy industrial zoning, which the county could use to create new opportunities, he said.

There are also buildings that can be recycled for other uses, he said.

The county needs to develop a method for scoring applications because those who are not selected will want to know why, Gehring said.

The county is expected to generate $45 million to $50 million for economic development through Penny for Pasco.

The goal is for the county to get a 4-to-1 return on investment, said Melanie Kendrick, senior planner for economic development in Pasco.

The county is going after jobs being generated in the Tampa Bay region, with the aim of Pasco becoming a prime player, Gehring said.

John Hagen, president and chief executive officer of the Pasco Economic Development Council, said putting money into acquiring an industrial site would not create jobs directly, but would set the stage for that to happen.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey would like the county to invest in infrastructure into areas where it could attract numerous end-users.

County Administrator Michele Baker said that allowing private applicants to make unsolicited applications could result in attracting potential development the county had not even imagined.

“Part of the problem is not knowing what ideas are out there that might come forward,” Baker said. “We don’t know, what we don’t know.”

Hagen urged the county to adopt a process that is easy to understand.

“If it is too complicated or too difficult, people will go, ‘I can’t deal with that,’” Hagen said.

Since the board cannot take action at a workshop, the Jan. 20 session was intended to give the staff additional direction before preparing a resolution to bring back for the board’s consideration.

Published January 28, 2015

 

They are coming, will Pasco be able to build it?

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For decades, the population center of Pasco County has been on its western, coastal side. Areas surrounding Port Richey and New Port Richey have always been the focus of activity thanks to their proximity to Pinellas County.

But by 2025, that could all change. The southern portion of Pasco County, which as late as 1990 had population rivaling only the northern rural parts of the county, will not only overtake the New Port Richey area, but will become the most populous in Pasco.

The population of Pasco County is shifting from the western side, which officials have called ‘The Harbors,’ to the southern side. By 2040, areas like Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch could have 309,000 people, a population jump of more than 900 percent since 1990. (Image courtesy of Pasco County)
The population of Pasco County is shifting from the western side, which officials have called ‘The Harbors,’ to the southern side. By 2040, areas like Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch could have 309,000 people, a population jump of more than 900 percent since 1990. (Image courtesy of Pasco County)

The area, which includes Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch, could reach as high as 309,000 people by 2040, putting Pasco on the path to 1 million residents. And the county will have to be ready.

“We have a big responsibility in the Tampa Bay area,” Melanie Kendrick, senior planner in Pasco County’s economic development department, told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce late last month. “As companies are looking to come to this area, and companies in Hillsborough and Pinellas are expanding, they don’t have the room. And great cities grow north.”

In 1990, the southern portion of the county — which officials are calling “Gateway Crossings” — had just 30,500 residents, compared to the nearly 142,000 on the western side. In 2010, Gateway Crossings expanded to a little less than 120,000, a jump of 293 percent, while the western side grew just 28 percent to 182,000.

By 2025, Gateway Crossings is expected to grow to 214,000 people compared to 194,000 on the western side, according to numbers provided by Pasco County officials.

Already, 94 percent of Pasco’s population resides in the unincorporated areas.

“If the Pasco County Commission were a city commission, we would be the 12th largest city in the state,” Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said at the chamber meeting. “It’s an interesting challenge for us as commissioners as we have to act like a city commission, while other commissions like the one in Pinellas actually controls very little with so many incorporated areas there.”

Pasco is one of the fastest growing areas in the state, but still exports 90,000 people a day to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, while importing just 40,000.

“If we could get people to work here in the county, we could bring our wages up,” Kendrick said.

To make that growth work, planning had to start a long time ago, and the county is getting its act together, Starkey said. One of the first major issues the commission had to address once Starkey arrived was the permitting process, which she described as a “disaster.”

“We were known as a difficult place to do business,” Starkey said. “We still are, but we are working on that.”

Permitting has been streamlined, removing a lot of red tape that existed before, with the hopes that smart growth will be encouraged by the private sector. That does mean, however, building up rather than out. Density is going to be key, but Pasco will need the infrastructure to support it.

Already, key areas like U.S. 41 and the Suncoast Parkway junctions with State Roads 54 and 52 have more than 2 million people living within a 40-minute drive time. Wiregrass Ranch already is not far behind with 1.92 million people within a couple gallons of gas.

Yet, Pasco still wants to keep its community spirit with aspects like sidewalks and neighborhoods. Yet, some traffic arteries must remain arteries.

“State Road 54 will not be a main street,” Kendrick said. “It will not be walkable, ever.”

Communities are springing up on either side of State Road 54, which are pedestrian-friendly, but the county is going to need a much expanded road system to carry the incoming population and avoid traffic gridlock.

“You can see the numbers coming into the area, and they are not going to fit on (State Road) 54,” Starkey said. “You could walk faster.”

The county, however, will have to find ways to pay for it. Property taxes already are lower than 60 other counties in the state, Kendrick said, and the recent failure of the additional gas tax by the county commission is going to make it nearly impossible to build more roads in the foreseeable future.

“We’ve had to build $8 million out of the budget to fund roads, and we are going to have to do something to fill that gap,” Starkey said. “It’s going to be a challenge.”

Representatives from the Urban Land Institute, which is helping Pasco County officials with long-range economic development plans, are visiting this week to follow up on recommendations made five years ago. Further suggestions on how to enhance and support growth in the county will be made in the coming months.