The Laker/Lutz News

Orange Belt Trail

Mixed-use project gets OK on State Road 52, east of Interstate 75

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a mixed-use development on State Road 52, about 2 miles east of Interstate 75.

The 28-acre project, known as Amavi Village, has been approved for 220 units and 74,813 square feet of commercial/office space.

Bruce Landis, a representative for the applicant, appeared at the county board’s April 5 public hearing on the request.

He told board members that the plan is to create a project that is “Live. Work. Stay. Play.”

The site will have a central access off State Road 52, which will serve both the residential and commercial elements of the project, Landis said.

The development has a connectivity plan to encourage people to walk or ride their bicycles within the project area.

It also has a planned limited access off Hartman Road, to the proposed Orange Belt Trail, Landis said.

The development has no plans to use Hartman Road for vehicular access, because “it has a beautiful, beautiful, canopy of oak trees” that the developer doesn’t want to disturb, Landis said.

In addition to the residences, the developer plans a clubhouse/conference center, where residents can schedule business meetings, he said. A park will be adjacent to that facility, enabling parents to wrap up their meetings, while their kids play outside, he said.

The project also will have a pet spa, Landis added.

No one from the public spoke for or against the rezoning request, which received unanimous approval from the board, except for Commissioner Jack Mariano, who was absent.

The request had received recommendations for approval from both the Pasco County Planning Commission and from the county’s planning staff.

On another matter, Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey told her colleagues that she has been in discussion with Nectarios Pittos, director of planning and development, and Marcy Esbjerg, director of community development, regarding the issue of affordable housing.

Starkey said she’d like the county to explore how it can move forward on that issue.

The commission chairwoman wants to know: “What are other counties doing to try to stave off a housing crisis?”

She also wants to talk about accessory dwelling units and other ideas to address the problem.

In her conversation with Pittos and Esbjerg, she said the consensus was that addressing housing affordability and possible solutions “was best done in an affordable housing workshop, so that what’s going on can be articulated to all of the commissioners” and, to discuss possible policy decisions.

On another topic, Commissioner Mike Moore told his colleagues that new numbers are available regarding Pasco County’s official population. He said the U.S. Census Bureau’s updated numbers have Pasco County at 584,067.

“I think it’s still an undercount,” Moore said, but he said he wanted to mention it, to make sure that reports coming to the board are using the updated figure.

Published April 13, 2022

Pasco lifts ceiling on commercial hauling rates

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Commercial haulers now can operate in a free market in Pasco County — meaning competition among private businesses will establish the charges.

The Pasco County Commission voted on Oct. 26 to remove the ceiling on the rates. The action brings Pasco into alliance with the approach used by other counties around the state, according to county staffers.

The change does not affect residential hauling rates.

At the same meeting, the county board approved increasing charges associated with water and wastewater connection fees — previously referred to as impact fees.

The board also established new fire line and fire hydrant rates. The increased rates take effect on Jan. 3. For a complete breakdown of the new charges, visit Pasco County Utilities, on the county’s website, PascoCountyFl.net.

In other action, the county board:

• Accepted a check for nearly $2.9 million, in “excess fees” from Paco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano. The tax collector’s office is funded entirely by fees and commissions, with no direct ad valorem dollars. When the office’s total revenues exceed expenses, the “excess fees” are returned to the county board and other taxing authorities on a pro-rata basis at the end of the fiscal year.

• Approved a change to the comprehensive plan on 37.58 acres, east of Old Pasco Road and north of Overpass Road, to allow for commercial development. The board also approved a companion rezoning, allowing a commercial planned development of use to 315,000 square feet of commercial at that site.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements for a Tower Road route siting and pond siting analysis for an area that begins east of Sunlake Boulevard to east of U.S. 41. The shortlisted firms are: American Consulting Engineers of Florida, LLC (American); Kissinger, Campo & Associates, Corp. (KCA); NV5, Inc. (NV5); Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc. (Baslee); and George F. Young, Inc. (George F. Young). The county board authorized negotiations with the top firm, and if an agreement can’t be reached, authorized staff to negotiate with the remaining firms, in the county’s ranked order.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements for a Tower Road route study and pond siting analysis for an area from the terminus of Rangeland Boulevard to east of Sunlake Boulevard. The shortlisted firms are Kissinger, Campo & Associates, Corp.; WGI, Inc.; American Consulting Engineers of Florida, LLC; NV5, Inc.; Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc.; and, George F. Young, Inc. The county board authorized staff to negotiate with Kissinger, Campo & Associates, and if an agreement can’t be reached, to negotiate with the remaining firms, in the county’s ranked order.

• Approved an agreement to accept a $6.5 million grant, through the state Department of Environmental Protection, to provide water and wastewater infrastructure improvements to stimulate economic growth in the currently underdeveloped area of Pasadena Hills. The county will construct a water and wastewater distribution system including a piping system and appurtenances, a lift station, restoration, project management, and all work necessary to complete the project as outlined in the grant work plan. The grant begins upon execution of the agreement and expires on March 31, 2024. No county match is required and this is a cost-reimbursement agreement.

• Approved a change order involving additional work and a time extension of 129 days for the installation of a drain field at Starkey Ranch District Park. The amount of the contract with R.L. Burns Inc., will increase by $455,234.37, bringing the not-to-exceed total to $3,994,628.37. The new completion date is March 14, 2022.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements with firms to complete an Orange Belt Trail route study, design and permitting. The firms are: Atkins North America, Inc.; HDR Engineering, Inc.; Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP; Burgess & Niple, Inc.; NV5, Inc.; Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc.; and Sand County Studios, LLC. If an agreement cannot be reached with Atkins, the board authorized negotiations with remaining firms, according to the county’s ranked order.

• Approved a change to the county’s comprehensive plan to allow commercial development to be considered on 9.24 acres south of State Road 54 and River Glen Boulevard. The land previously was planned for residential development. The proposed change received a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission on Aug. 26. A change in the land use designation is the first step necessary to change the potential use on the land. A rezoning is required, too, before commercial development could occur.

• Authorized the reappointment of Steven Hickman to the board of the Pasco County Housing Finance Authority and appointed two new members, Jeffrey Sklet, deputy director for the Pasco County Housing Authority, and Stacy Ferreira, vice president of BB&T.

• Adopted a resolution honoring the Friends of the Pasco County Library System, a not-for-profit organization the helps the library through volunteering, fundraising and advocacy.

Published November 17, 2021

County clears way for 350 apartments

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning to allow an apartment development of up to 350 units at the southwest corner of State Road 52 and Old Pasco Road.

The 23.1-acre site currently is occupied by pastureland, some residences and some outbuildings. It abuts the Mango Hills master-planned unit development district, which has been approved for a maximum of 415 single-family detached and single-family attached townhomes.

Properties to the north and the northeast, adjacent to State Road 52, are zoned for general commercial, light industrial and retail, office and residential land uses.

In recommending approval of the request, county planners said the proposed apartments are a logical transition from general commercial and industrial uses.

The request also received a recommendation for approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission.

In addition to approving the rezoning, the county board also granted a variance regarding the number of parking spaces required for the project.

The property is next to where Pasco County will be building the Orange Belt Trail, and the project is planning to construct a bicycle and pedestrian access to that recreational trail.

During the planning board’s public hearing, Attorney Barbara Wilhite, who represented the applicant, said the maximum allowable density, under the county’s comprehensive plan, would be 24 units per acre. But the proposed project calls for a maximum of 15 units per acre.

Wilhite said the proposed apartments would have access to a portion of Old Pasco Road that has four lanes.

She also noted that the proposed apartments are close to the State Road 52/Interstate 75 interchange, and nearby properties are planned for industrial development.

The access to the project is from Old Pasco Road, Wilhite told the county board, during its Aug. 24 public hearing on the request.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey noted the planned access to the Orange Belt Trail.

She told Wilhite that her client should consider using a small piece of land near the trail to create a business that would serve trail users.

Starkey said the county wants to create opportunities for entrepreneurship along its recreational trails, such as a coffee shop, or an ice cream shop or somewhere “that would be a fun place to go, if you’re using the trail.”

She encouraged Wilhite: “Be thinking creatively about a retail or a small commercial experience, next to that trail.”

Wilhite said there is property nearby that could be used for that purpose.

Starkey responded: “It could be on your property, too. One of the things that we’ve (Starkey and county staff) talked about doing is what’s called an overlay district, all along the trail. You see it done in other places, where you have it zoned that, if you want to do something.

“We would put the uses in. Ice cream shop, coffee shop, lemonade stand, whatever, if you’re within 20, 50, 100 feet of the trail — whatever — the right determination is, you can do it.

“It’s just a great benefit and a really cool thing to have along the perimeters of the trail. Especially that trail.

“I hear from people all of the time that we don’t have enough amenities on our trails.

“Once you leave the Starkey Market and Longleaf, you go all of the way to Hernando County before you can buy a drink or an ice cream or anything along our trail.

“I just want to really encourage some little entrepreneurship along the trails,” Starkey said.

Published September 01, 2021

Apartment project proposed on State Road 52

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An apartment development of up to 350 units is being proposed at the southwest corner of State Road 52 and Old Pasco Road.

The 23.1-acre site currently is occupied by pastureland, some residences and some outbuildings, Denise Hernandez, the county’s zoning administrator, said at the planning board’s July 22 meeting.

“The Mango Hills master-planned unit development district abuts the subject property on the west and south,” Hernandez said. “It received approval for a maximum of 415 single-family detached and single-family attached townhome units.”

Properties to the north and the northeast, adjacent to State Road 52, are zoned for general commercial, light industrial and retail, office and residential land uses, Hernandez added.

“Apartments are a logical transition, step-down from general commercial, industrial uses — to residential uses,” the zoning administrator said.

She also noted that the applicant has requested a variance from the county’s land development code to reduce the number of parking spaces required, from 2.25 spaces per unit to 1.9 spaces per unit, which Hernandez said, is consistent with similar project approvals.

Hernandez also noted: “The Orange Belt Trail is planned to be constructed by the county within the property abutting the subject property to the north, and once the Orange Belt Trail is constructed, the subject property shall construct a bike/pedestrian access to the Orange Belt Trail, as noted in the MPUD (master-planned unit development) master plan.”

County staff has found the request to be consistent with the county’s land development code and comprehensive plan, and recommends approval, subject to conditions, Hernandez told the planning board.

Attorney Barbara Wilhite, who represented the applicant, said the maximum allowable density, under the county’s comprehensive plan, would be 24 units per acre.

“We’re looking at a 15 units per acre, maximum,” she said.

The attorney also noted that the site is in an area where “there is quite a bit of employment-generating uses.”

Nancy Russell, who lives on Jenkins Court, raised concerns about proposed traffic from the development.

Russell lives in the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club development, which she said has 1,564 homes and about 3,300 residents.

“The community is parallel to this potential build of 350 multifamily apartments,” she said.

She said Old Pasco Road is already congested, and she mentioned safety issues that could arise from additional traffic.

Wilhite said the proposed apartments would have access to a portion of Old Pasco Road that has four lanes.

Additionally, Wilhite said, the proposed apartments are close to the State Road 52/Interstate 75 interchange, and nearby properties are planned for industrial development.

The attorney said there are no other apartments in the area.

“I hope you will support this project. It’s exactly what we need for the area,” Wilhite told the planning board.

“It’s exciting to see the employment starting to take off, so now we have the demand for housing and different types of housing, in this area, following the plans for this county,” Wilhite said.

The planning board voted unanimously, with Roberto Saez absent, to recommend approval of the request.

The issue now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction over zoning and land use matters.

Published August 04, 2021

Pasco MPO has new executive director

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The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has a new executive director.

Carl Mikyska assumed the helm of the organization in March, and took part in his first MPO board meeting on April 8.

Nectarios Pittos, who had been serving as the interim executive director, shared some of Mikyska’s background with MPO board members before turning the meeting over to him.

Mikyska was selected after a lengthy search, said Pittos, who is Pasco County’s director of planning.

Prior to coming to the Pasco MPO, Mikyska was the executive director of the Florida MPO Advisory Council.

That job involved collaborating with the 27 MPOs in the state of Florida, he said.

Before that, Mikyska said he worked with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Chicago MPO and the Federal Highway Administration. His experience in the transportation field dates back to 1990.

He told the Pasco MPO board members: “I’m active in our national associations and hope to continue to do so, to represent the interests of Florida, particularly as we look at federal policy.”

Randy Stovall, of the Pasco MPO board’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), told the board that at its meeting, BPAC was “most interested in the item of building some wildlife culverts under S.R. (State Road) 52,” which had been discussed by the board at its last meeting.

“Our ears perk up when we think: Is there an opportunity for some kind of a public use there? Some walking? Some bike riding? Whenever culverts come up, there’s an opportunity, perhaps,” Stovall said.

He also shared that information from the county, regarding the intention to build some restrooms at the junction of Starkey Trail and Suncoast Trail.

“Certainly, that’s very well-received. I think there’s a need there that will be served,” Stovall said.

He said that BPAC was informed of a strategy that involves building segments of the Orange Belt Trail — rather than waiting for all of the funding to be available before getting started.

“I thought that made a lot of sense,” Stovall said.

“We also received an update about the Hardy Trail here in Dade City and the Withlacoochee Trail to the north, and the (U.S.) 301 Trail to the south, and related to that, I’ll just say, some of us attended the groundbreaking here on Dade City, here on March 10, for the new bike hub

visitor center that’s going to be constructed about two blocks from here (Historic Pasco County Courthouse), in the center of the Hardy Trail.

“That will provide really a good stop for people. Bathrooms and other facilities if they wish to stop here, and go up and down the trail — particularly with those connections to the north and south,” Stovall said.

Kurt Scheible, Pasco County Public Transportation director, also updated board members on a few issues.

He told them his department is getting ready to purchase three more vehicles through the Florida Department of Transportation. By doing that, they’ll be able to pay $9,000 versus $90,000 a vehicle, he said.

He also reported: “We’re still seeing some of the effect of COVID, but we’re starting to see some of the numbers rise up. It looks like our ridership is starting to recover, slowly but surely.”

The county bus system also is planning to take a look at all of its service areas, through a route contraction/route expansion study.

As part of that, the department plans to look into adding some transit in Dade City, St. Leo/San Antonio and south of Zephyrhills in the Crystal Springs area, he said.

“We really haven’t moved the transit routes around in a long, long time,” Scheible said.

But, he noted that significant input will be sought from all stakeholders during that process.

The Pasco County MPO is the lead transportation planning agency in Pasco County that serves the following municipalities in Pasco: Zephyrhills, San Antonio, St. Leo, New Port Richey, Port Richey and Dade City.

According to federal and state laws, the Pasco County MPO is responsible for establishing a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process for Pasco County. Key responsibilities include the creation of the 20-year Long Range Transportation Plan, the five-year Unified Planning Work Program and the five-year Transportation Improvement program.

Published April 21, 2021