The Laker/Lutz News

Ron Oakley

Divided board rejects Seven Oaks’ apartments

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The Pasco County Commission has denied a request that would have allowed 320 apartments and 20,000 square of commercial office/retail use in Seven Oaks, a master-planned community in Wesley Chapel.

Commissioners voted 3-2 to reject the request for a modification to Seven Oaks’ master plan, which would have set the stage for a resort-style development by Stock Luxury Apartment Living, a developer based in Naples.

Commissioner Mike Moore made the motion to deny the request, which was seconded by Commissioner Ron Oakley. Commissioner Jack Mariano also voted against the proposal.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey and Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick disagreed with their colleagues, voting against Moore’s motion.

The action followed hours of public testimony.

Applicant Keith Gelder, of Stock Luxury Apartment Living, wanted Seven Oaks to be the location for his first Pasco project.

He told county board members: “We do high-quality, large amenity, lifestyle-driven projects.”

Gelder said plans called for a resort-style pool, multi-story buildings with commercial uses on the first floor, a dog park, a parking garage and angled street parking for customers using the shops.

His presentation included photographs, to give commissioners an idea of what to expect. He also mentioned that developments his company has done include amenities such as golf simulators, fitness centers, a catering kitchen, spin room, outdoor cabanas and gaming.

“We want to bring a beautiful project here to Pasco,” he said. “We feel like this is the right project and right location.”

Seven Oaks residents disagreed.

Resident Barbara Foss said she doesn’t oppose additional apartments in Seven Oaks, but objects to the location of the proposed project.

“We do have a place that is zoned for apartments. It’s on the north end of our property. There are several streets there — for entering and existing our subdivision,” Foss said.

Zachary Besso, another opponent, questioned the need: “We have plenty of luxury apartments in Pasco County. Do we really need more?”

Seven Oaks resident Michael Garbutt told commissioners: “There are many reasons to oppose this change to the master plan.”

One primary problem would be traffic impacts, he said.

“It is easy to look at the roads and conclude generically that they’re adequate for the new residents, but when you have local knowledge of how the roads are actually used, then you see there will be a problem.

“As residents, we’ve learned how to get in and out of our subdivision as efficiently as possible. “So, we can foresee how 500 new residents are likely to use the roads. Do we really want to add more traffic? I don’t think so.”

Jon Tomsu, representing the Seven Oaks Resident Council, presented documents containing 1,220 signatures of opposition to the proposed development.

“It just doesn’t fit,” Tomsu said.

He also questioned the economic formula that was used by the county planning staff as part of its recommendation for approval.

Initially, economic impact calculations were based on 86,000 square feet of commercial retail/office as compared to 320 apartments. An updated comparison was based on 60,000 square feet of commercial office/retail, compared to 320 apartments and 20,000 square feet of commercial office/retail.

“We keep changing the playing field,” Tomsu complained.

The new formula bothered Mariano, too.

The commissioner put it this way: “The scales were tipped in the statistics here, to make the mixed use look better than what the commercial retail would have been, by changing that input.”

Opponents had plenty to say
Neighbors also raised issues about the proposed parking garage. One said it would be an eyesore; another said it would pose security risks. Still others questioned if the plan had adequate parking and surmised that overflow could end up using the Wesley Chapel Sam’s Club parking lot, which they said would be unfair for that business.

Commissioner Oakley said the size of the development was too big for the proposed site. He also voiced concerns about potential safety hazards.

In calling for denial, Moore said “the staff and the applicant both failed to conduct any service consumption cost analysis, therefore the staff and the applicant failed to demonstrate that the project will contribute more to the county in revenue than it will consume in services.”

He also noted the conversion “will place additional unplanned and unmitigated demands on the school, library and park systems.”

Existing entitlements for office or retail would not create those demands, Moore said.

Plus, Moore said, converting the land’s use would be contrary to the legitimate public policy of preserving land for employment-generating uses.

Starkey, however, voiced discomfort with voting down the request.

“I think it’s being denied for different reasons. We heard that people thought it’s going to be ugly. People think we don’t need any more apartments,” Starkey said.

She thinks Pasco needs more apartments — not fewer — and she thinks locating apartments on the edge of a master-planned development is appropriate.

“To put multifamily on a corner like (State Road) 56, where transit is going to be, I think that’s where it needs to be.

“We have said that we want vertical mixed use. I think that’s a great use of our limited space.

The county has a process that allows consideration for a swap of uses within a master-planned unit development — based on using a land use equivalency matrix (LUEM), which ensures that the impacts are equivalent.

Attorney Joel Tew said the county has granted 15 other requests to convert uses within Seven Oaks.

That drew Fitzpatrick’s attention: “What concerns me is that in the past 15 LUEM conversions, not one had been disputed or denied.”

Tew also noted that while his client had to undergo a public hearing process, another applicant  — represented by attorney Barbara Wilhite — received an administrative approval on a similar request.

He also said the reception to his client’s request would have been different, if it had been in a different location.

“Under normal circumstances, you would have given them a hug and a kiss and thanked them for coming to your fair county,” Tew said.

The attorney said that if the proposed request “wasn’t exactly where it is (in Seven Oaks)” that the board “would recognize this as the poster child for the type of vertical mixed-use development that you have begged my client and other development clients to bring to Pasco County for you.”

Moore lives in Seven Oaks and championed the county’s current temporary moratorium on new applications for multi-family development.

Published January 19, 2022

Planning board recommends RV resort in rural area

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Residents in rural northeast Pasco County rallied against the proposed North Pasco RV Resort , but were unable to persuade the county’s planning board to recommend denial.

The Pasco County Commission recommended approval of a land use change and a rezoning, which would clear the way for the 550-space RV resort. The issue now goes before the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning issues.

The proposed 132-acre site borders Interstate 75, east of Lake Iola Road and south of Blanton Road. It is within the county’s Northeast Pasco Rural Protection Overlay Area.

That overlay is intended to protect the character of the rural landscape, preserve scenic views and vistas, and ensure that on-site development is compatible with the character of the surrounding area, according to the county ordinance that established the district.

Attorney Barbara Wilhite represented the applicants, VCARE Consultants LLC, during the planning board’s Jan. 6 public hearings for the zoning and land use requests.

VCARE also hired Frances Chandler Marino, who wrote the Northeast Pasco Rural Protection Overlay Area plan, to review the proposed plan for compliance with the rural plan. The private professional planner testified that the proposed plan is consistent with policies within the rural overlay district.

Marino outlined specific conditions of approval that address provisions in the rural plan.

Wilhite told the planning board that numerous concerns were raised about the proposed plan during the initial neighborhood meeting in September 2019.

In response, she said, “we slowed down the project.

“We really listened to the concerns and I feel we addressed every one of them, except for folks that are just going to say, ‘We don’t want this. We don’t want this project,’” Wilhite said.

The original request called for 675 spaces; the new request calls for a maximum of 550.

The plan also includes a resort lodge and clubhouse facilities.

“We hired a landscape architect,” Wilhite said.

“We designed a specific, regulatory corridor buffer along Lake Iola Road, which is a rural scenic road. Our berm along Lake Iola Road exceeds the Northeast Pasco land development code requirements.

“We took an extra step, which I’ve never seen done before. We did an internal master landscape and tree plan,” she added.

A topographical survey will be done and conditions addressed how the site will be graded, consistent with Northeast Rural Pasco policies, she said. No mining will be allowed on the site, she added.

The development also will have its own wastewater treatment plant.

The conditions are part of the approval for the master-planned unit development, meaning any deviations would require the applicant to go back through the regulatory process, Wilhite said.

Marino told the planning board: “It is a commercial recreation use, a use that’s generally compatible in rural areas. The intensity was compatible, because of the adjacency to the interstate. That level of intensity might not be appropriate (in) other locations, but next to the interstate, it is.”

But opponents raised numerous issues.

Paul Boetcher cited concerns about potential ill effects from runoff on Lake Moody.

Gail Wright questioned where the water will come from for the new development.

“If they go to full capacity of 550, that’s 1,100 people flushing toilets. That’s 1,100 people taking showers,” she said.

Wright’s husband, Carl, objected to the proposed RV resort: “That’s commercial, in my book, and I don’t think that an RV park has any business being in the rural part of Pasco.”

Neighbors also raised questions about impacts on the area’s traffic and about the potential for RVs to be stacked on exterior roads, waiting to enter the resort.

Several residents submitted the same email, which notes the overlay district “was specifically set aside to preserve the rural nature of this unique area of Florida, to preserve the dark skies, to maintain unique viewsheds, minimize sound pollution, and protect fragile, sensitive lands.”

Lisa Moretti, chairwoman of the advisory committee empaneled to offer recommendations on commercial development in the rural area, asked the planning board to delay its decision until the committee could finish its work.

(The Pasco County Commission subsequently disbanded that board at its Jan. 11 meeting, after County Commissioner Ron Oakley complained it was not working the way it was intended.)

While residents voiced objections to the proposed RV resort, planning board members expressed support.

“Although this is in the northeast rural area, it’s an isolated area that uses a lot of the I-75 frontage. It’s in an area that has an RV park right down the street. I think this is miles above and beyond what the adjacent RV park is. That’s why I’m in favor of this,” said planning board member Jaime Girardi.

Planning board member Chris Poole said he appreciated the level of effort that Wilhite and her team put into the planning of this project.

Chairman Charles Grey said Marino’s testimony was persuasive, adding, “we have a responsibility to follow the rule of the law.”

Board member Peter Hanzel said ultimately, this project “may enhance the community, as a whole. It will bring folks to the county, will bring folks to a beautiful area of Pasco County.”

But Planning Commissioner Richard Tonello disagreed.

“This is the rural area. I think the people who live there wanted it to be that way. When we think of rural, we think of 1-acre sites, 5-acre sites, 10-acre sites,” he said.

Approval of this request, he said, “sets something in motion, as sort of a precedent.

“If commercial wants to be done, it can be done at appropriate places,” Tonello said. “This is just not the right place.”

Published January 19, 2022

Pasco county board disbands rural advisory committee

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The Pasco County Commission has disbanded the Northeast Pasco Rural Advisory Committee.

The committee was formed to develop recommendations and guidelines for commercial development within the Northeast Rural Overlay District.

The advisory panel was approved by the Pasco County Commission and was empaneled by Commissioner Ron Oakley — whose district includes the area — and the Pasco County Planning and Development Department.

At the county board’s Jan. 11 meeting, Oakley told his colleagues that the chairwoman of the advisory committee had appeared to speak at a Pasco County Planning Commission, during a case involving a proposed RV resort.

Lisa Moretti, the chairwoman of the advisory committee, asked the planning board to delay the RV park request until after the advisory committee completed its recommendations.

Oakley said: “I don’t think anyone directed her to do so (speak at the planning commission meeting in her advisory panel role), but she did.

“I don’t think that’s the way that this advisory committee should work,” Oakley said.

He then expressed frustration about the way the advisory committee had been operating.

“To let you know, we’ve had three or four meetings. We haven’t gotten a lot of good advice from this committee —  to say the least —  to be able to advise you on much of anything.

“Most of the answers from it (the committee) are negative, are ‘No, we can’t do that. We don’t want to do that. We don’t want traffic down County Road 41.’

“That’s an arterial road (County Road 41) from the Interstate (75) to Dade City. We have to have traffic on that.

“But they’ve said ‘No’ to that. They don’t want any development around that intersection, which is a major intersection of Pasco County, as you come from the north, down (Interstate) 75.

“They don’t want anything there.

“I’m not getting advice. I’m getting negative, Nos, about a lot of things,” Oakley said.

When the committee began, Oakley said he told panel members he didn’t expect them to say yes to everything, but also didn’t expect them to say no to everything.

He said he told them: “You’re an advisory committee. I want your advice about how things should look in this area, or how you would like to see it look, for the best of all of the citizens.

“Closing the whole area off just doesn’t work,” Oakley said.

Commissioner Mike Moore noted: “We have a planning commission that gives recommendations to the board when it comes to items we’re actually going to vote on. I think the last thing you want to see in an advisory role, or an advisory committee, is debating on projects that are going to come in front of us for a vote.”

Moore then told Oakley: “Listen, if you’re asking this board — I don’t know if you are, or not — to do away with it, I’m on your side, man. It’s your call. If you want to be done with it and move on, be done with it.”

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey asked: “Is that what you’re thinking?

“We have the rural protection ordinance for residential and we do not have the rural protection ordinance for commercial.

“I thought you were working on the commercial rural protection ordinance because we do need to address that,” Starkey said.

Oakley said the initial meetings were not productive, but they did give him an idea of how development should occur in a rural area.

“The only way you could have development of any significance in that area, you would have to have numbers. You’d have to have density.

“But I think there’s a way to have density, in areas you don’t see from a roadway,” Oakley said, through the use of trees, landscaping and setbacks.

“My vision has been — you ride down Trilby Road, which is a collector road, from Lacoochee/Trilby area, that goes all of the way to Blanton.

“You could ride down that road and maybe you’ll come a nice entrance into some property, but you don’t see any houses. You don’t see houses next to each other … because that setback has landscaping and things of that nature …”

At the same time, Oakley said: “It would allow property rights for those who have property in that area, to develop something.”

Moore told Oakley the panel could be disbanded, if it’s not taking the advisory role that was intended.

He continued: “We’re here to support you as a district commissioner,” adding, “if you don’t feel it’s a good use of your time or staff’s time, be done with it.”

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder told the board that it’s their advisory committee, so the board can disband it, if so desires.

Typically, when the board forms an advisory committee, it is to review staff work or a consultant’s work product, Steinsnyder said.

Oakley made the motion to disband the committee “because we’re not getting anywhere with it.”

He said he would meet with staff to “try to come up with something better than what we were trying to do. It’s not working.”

Starkey said: “Let’s have staff and commissioner Oakley come back to us with ideas of how to move forward with the East Pasco Rural Protection Ordinance for the commercial because we need that.”

Later in the meeting, Steinsnyder asked the board to repeal Resolution 21-137 that established the rural advisory committee, which board members did.

Published January 19, 2022

Will Pasco pass temporary ban on new ‘used car’ lots?

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The Pasco County Commission has directed its staff to proceed with work to pursue a pause on allowing additional used car lots in the county.

County staff have been investigating potential code violations at existing used car lots.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey asked for a staff update of that work during the county board’s Jan. 11 meeting

Sally Sherman, assistant county administrator for development services, told Starkey: “We will be sharing a report that’s being prepared right now that shows the activity for 67 car lots that have been visited, reviewed — as far as what has transpired on the lot. Some that have complied. Some that are grandfathered in. And we have them all categorized,” Sherman said.

“We do have a very comprehensive report that is being prepared on each one of those lots. That report is going to be finalized and I can share it with each one of you next week,” she told the county board.

“They all differ to a certain degree, chair, because some of them — if they’re grandfathered, there’s nothing that limits them. They just have to keep driveways and access available for emergency,” Sherman said.

Starkey responded: “Even if they’re grandfathered on our new used car overlay ordinance, they still had to have some kind of approval that allowed a certain kind of parking spaces, right, on-site. I think that’s our tool to clean up some of these.”

Sherman told Starkey that some lots will close and then they’ll open up somewhere else.

Sherman added: “So, we’re chasing, continuously, those properties.”

Starkey wants the county to take action now.

“While we’re still cleaning up the mess — and so that it doesn’t proliferate — I think we should do a moratorium on used car lots,” Starkey said. “I think we have so much work to do on the ones that we have, and I’m telling you that they’re popping up all over.

“I think we’ve got to put a stop to it, until we have under control,” Starkey said.

Commissioner Mike Moore chimed in: “I’ll support you.”

Starkey asked: “Would you make a motion?”

Moore continued: “They’re on (U.S.) 41 and (State Road) 52 and obviously, we know (U.S.) 19. You see a couple on your side of (State Road) 54, closer to (U.S.) 19, as well.”

Commissioner Ron Oakley said: “I don’t see it (in his East Pasco district), like you see it on the west side.”

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder told board members that they would have to adopt the moratorium through an ordinance, that there would need to be a plan for fixing the problem and that it would need be to no longer than a year, to be sustainable.

“The last time we did one (apartment moratorium) it was six months, with the ability to extend it for six months,” Steinsnyder said.

Starkey responded: “I would recommend that.”

Steinsnyder added: “It has to be advertised and it’s going to come back to you as a public hearing item. But my concern is that the planning department has to have the resources to actually develop standards for a fix.”

Starkey responded: “I bet they’re out there,” adding, “I think we can come up with some good ideas.”

With that, the county board unanimously approved Moore’s motion to pursue a temporary moratorium on establishing new “used car” lots.

Published January 19, 2022

Pasco MPO eyeing new method for prioritizing projects

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The board of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization — which is the county’s lead agency in transportation planning — is considering a new way to add and rank projects on its priority list.

Carl Mikyska, executive director of the Pasco MPO, discussed the proposed methodology with the MPO board at its Dec. 9 meeting. He asked them to take a closer look at the proposal, with the goal of voting on it at the board’s meeting in February.

One proposed change calls for establishing a separate priority list for bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

Another part of the method calls for using a numerical scoring system to rank the projects.

This approach assigns points to the proposed projects, which are summarized for a total project score. Projects can earn a maximum score of 100, except for up to 10 in additional bonus points — based on how long a project has been on the priority list.

Under the updated methodology, proposed bicycle and pedestrian projects will be ranked based on the total number of points they receive in the following categories: safety and security; mobility and connectivity; economic development; project readiness and project longevity.

Road improvements will be ranked upon the total of points they receive in these categories: safety and security; mobility and connectivity; freight movement and economic development; project readiness and project longevity.

The staff wants to use this method to rank the MPO’s 2022 List of Project Priorities, Mikyska said.

He explained that a separate priority list was created for bicycle and pedestrian improvements because the previous methodology put nonmotorized projects at a disadvantage.

“We recognize the need to have two very similar methodologies but one that focused on our nonmotorized projects because of their attribute of being significantly different from roadways,” he said.

On both lists, safety and security represent a large number of points.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said he would like the scoring methodology to include points for projects that involve shared funding through partnerships.

There are instances when a project is of greater value to the county because it is receiving joint funding from another source, such as a neighboring county or federal government, he said. So, the county can accomplish a greater value, using less money, he said.

Zephyrhills City Councilman Lance Smith agreed: “I think that makes sense.”

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley said it’s important for projects to get on the list, so they can be eligible for funding.

“They need to be on the list, to be funded at the right time,” he said, citing two roundabouts planned in the Dade City area, as examples.

Both are close to receiving funding, Oakley said.

Mikyska said the new approach is aimed at helping “people to understand their likelihood of being able to successfully pursue funding.”

He also noted that it’s important to identify worthy projects because there may be sources of potential funding that is unknown to the county.

“Florida DOT (Department of Transportation) has more money than just federal funds,” he explained. “If they see something on our list that they feel is a good project they may be able to put other funding on it.”

Smith, who chairs the MPO board, urged his colleagues to take a close look at the proposed methodology before the February meeting.

“This is pretty important. This is how we’re going to rank the projects, so we need to all make sure we look at it hard,” Smith said.

Mikyska told board members that he wants to make sure that staff is moving in the right direction.

The goal is to finalize the methodology so it can be used for the MPO’s list of projects due to the state on June 15.

Published January 12, 2022

Pasco moratorium area to expand?

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a proposal that would expand the area where new applications for multifamily are on hold.

The planning board voted to recommend approval of the expansion during its Jan. 6 meeting.

The larger area was proposed by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, who has championed the pause on new multifamily applications — to allow completion of a study to determine whether the county has an oversaturation of entitled apartment developments.

This map depicts the original boundaries for Pasco County’s temporary pause on accepting new multifamily applications, and the proposed expansion area. Approval of the expanded area appears likely, as the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on the issue, directed staff to initiate the process for amending the map. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Moore repeatedly has warned his colleagues about potential long-term consequences from allowing too many approvals of apartment projects.

He fears the prospect of an oversupply leading to buildings being abandoned, as renters move to newer developments. That, he has said, will set the stage for blight and increased crime.

The temporary moratorium on new multifamily applications applies only to an area within Moore’s District 2.

The temporary ban on new applications applies to an area essentially made up of Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

The area initially was generally defined as between State Road 52, on the north; U.S. 41, on the west; State Road 54 on the south; and, Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, on the east. The boundary zigzags between Moore’s District 2 and Commissioner Ron Oakley’s District 1.

The proposed expansion includes several additional areas along the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor.

The expansion area can generally be defined as State Road 54 to Collier Parkway to County Line Road (south) to Mansfield Boulevard to State Road 56; and from just east of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and State Road 54 due north to Interstate 75 to Overpass Road and west to the existing moratorium boundary.

The planning board’s recent recommendation follows Moore’s request to apply the moratorium to areas that became part of his district as a result of redistricting.

(The board recently adopted new boundaries for commission districts in response to population changes recorded by the 2020 U.S. Census. Redistricting is an exercise that aims to balance out population within individual voting districts.)

The call for expanding the moratorium area does not include a request to extend the April 1 deadline on the moratorium.

Originally, the moratorium was set to expire on Sept. 28, 2021, but the county board extended it for 185 days, to allow more time to complete the study.

The study is examining whether there’s a potential oversaturation due to existing and possible future multifamily developments, and to determine whether additional regulations are necessary.

It aims to identify how much multifamily already is entitled and to examine market demand, occupancy rates and other issues.

A housing market research firm is preparing the report and will present it to the board.

That report will cover the current quantity of multifamily dwelling unit entitlements and the current acreage of land zoned for multifamily dwelling units, including the acreage having potential for multifamily units upon approval of a conditional use.

It also will include the potential number of multifamily dwelling units available through existing land use equivalency matrices to accurately calculate and determine the true potential for the oversaturation of multifamily dwelling units within the moratorium area.

If the expansion area is approved by the county board, it would take effect on Jan. 6 — the date of the planning board’s public hearing on the topic.

In extending the original deadline, county staff said the extension was justified because of procedural delays, staff shortages, and the complexities associated with accurate data collection.

In its original approval of the ordinance allowing the temporary pause on new multifamily applications, the county board described the action as being “in the best interest of the public health, safety, and welfare, and (noted) that it advances a valid and important public purpose.”

Published January 12, 2022

Bicyclists have a new spot to relax, in Dade City

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A Dec. 15 ribbon-cutting ceremony officially christened the new bike hub/visitor’s information center in downtown Dade City. From left: Dade City Commissioners Normita Woodard, Knute Nathe and Scott Black; Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore; Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez; Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley; and, Experience Florida’s Sports Coast president/tourism director Adam Thomas. )Courtesy of Experience Florida’s Sports Coast)

East Pasco’s rolling hills and curving countryside attract avid bicyclists from far and wide.

And now, these cyclists will have a spot where they can rest, relax and refuel.

The Spoke —  designed to offer respite for cyclists and other exercise enthusiasts — also features a visitor’s center.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 15 celebrated the new amenity, at 37800 Church Ave., across from the Roy T. Hardy trailhead.

The Spoke features covered porches, restrooms, and places to refill water bottles and tune up bicycles.

Inside the 1,100-square-foot welcome center, guests can check out information about the county’s other tourism amenities through mobile exhibit space, which includes printed information and videos.

The space also is eventually expected to host a local retail shop and satellite food vendor on weekends and during the evening.

“We have some very special things that we’re working on,” Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez said, during the ribbon-cutting.

From the initial idea to its final build out, the project has been some six years in the making.

The Spoke is Dade City’s new bike hub/visitor’s information center in downtown Dade City, at 37800 Church Ave., across from the Roy T. Hardy trailhead. The Spoke is an 1,100-square-foot public space for cyclists, families and outdoor enthusiasts to stop, refill water bottles, grab a snack, tune up their bicycles, and learn more about what the city and county have to offer in terms of events, activities and entertainment.

Hernandez quipped: “I didn’t think that it was going to take that long to birth a baby, because I feel that this is like a baby to me.”

She went on: “This has been a project that I have cradled and that I have hugged, and that I have worked so closely with the TDC (Pasco County Tourist Development Council) and the BOCC (Pasco County Board of County Commissioners).”

The facility’s moniker represents a combination of the city’s rich railway history and its modern trail movement.

Melanie Romagnoli, Dade City’s community and economic development director, is credited with dreaming up the facility’s name.

The Spoke was funded with a $250,000 grant from the Pasco TDC and its official destination marketing organization, Experience Florida’s Sports Coast, which promotes the county’s varied outdoor and recreational offerings.

The amber-colored visitor center reflects the architectural style of the surrounding Church Avenue neighborhood, which commonly features homes with wood siding, columns and brick embellishments.

“The Spoke is going to be something that brings tourism to Pasco County,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, who also chairs the county’s TDC. “You know, (Dade City) is a bike hub, it really is. There’s people from all over the world that come to Dade City to ride here, and we want to continue to do what we can do to promote it. …We look forward to more great things to come from this beautiful city.”

Commissioner Ron Oakley, whose district represents East Pasco, underscored the importance of having designated outdoor exercise-friendly recreational features — amid the booming population growth, and increasing traffic.

“More people will need this kind of (amenity) where they can walk and ride their bikes, and make it safe,” Oakley said.

The Spoke represents the first phase of a larger 2.23-acre city park site that’s anticipated to include a splash pad, all-inclusive playground, nature trail, and possibly an amphitheater.

Its completion will otherwise complement the city’s nearby downtown restaurants and shops, while offering another recreational outlet for youth, residents and visitors alike.

“This whole vision, this beautiful piece of land, it’s just a huge asset to Dade City,” Hernandez said.

The city originally purchased the property for the park site in December 2019 from the family of local businessman Otto Weitzenkorn.

Officials have said the park fits with the city’s vision of fostering a healthy and age-friendly community.

The Spoke also represents Pasco County’s first official tourism welcome center.

Published December 22, 2021

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

Kathryn Starkey is Pasco County’s board chairwoman

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Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey (File)

The Pasco County Commission has selected board member Kathryn Starkey to be the board’s new chairwoman.

Board member Jack Mariano has been named vice chairman.

Starkey represents the commission’s District 3 seat; Mariano represents District 5.

Ron Oakley, the immediate past chairman, represents District 1; Mike Moore, represents District 2; and, Christina Fitzpatrick represents District 4.

In addition to reorganizing the board, the board also approved new district boundaries.

That exercise, known as redistricting, is done every 10 years, following the completion of the U.S. Census.

The idea is to have districts of roughly equal in terms of population size.

The new districts took effect on Dec. 7.

To see the districts and who represents you, visit bit.ly/CommissionDistricts.

Published December 15, 2021

Selection of planning board members to change

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a new process for selecting members of the Pasco County Planning Commission.

Under the new process, each county board member will be able to choose someone to sit on the planning board.

There also will be one at-large member, who will be selected collectively by the county board.

There’s also a representative for the Pasco County School Board on the planning board and that will not change.

County board members approved the process change during their Dec. 7 meeting.

They had discussed their desire to change the selection process during previous meetings and directed county staff to pursue changes to the county’s land development code to effectuate the change.

The amendment required public hearings, and no one stepped forward to speak in favor or in opposition.

The proposed terms of the planning board members would coincide with the term of the county board member who selected him or her.

The new process will take effect on Feb. 22.

Although each county board member will appoint one member of the planning board, there are no restrictions on where the planning board members live.

Three of the current planning board members live in County Commissioner Mike Moore’s district and three live in County Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick’s district. No planning board members live in the districts represented by Kathryn Starkey, Jack Mariano or Ron Oakley.

In previous discussions, Oakley said he didn’t see a need for the change since the planning board members serve the entire county, but Starkey and Mariano said they wanted a greater say.

Published December 15, 2021