The Laker/Lutz News

Tammy Vrana

Zephyrhills plans for future industrial hub

By

The City of Zephyrhills is developing a master plan aimed at increasing high-wage industrial jobs and boosting the region’s economy.

Called the Zephyrhills Industrial Corridor Plan, it focuses on a large grouping of industrial properties and adjacent areas within the Chancey Road corridor, near the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

The City of Zephyrhills is developing a master plan aimed at increasing high-wage industrial jobs and benefits. The proposed Zephyrhills Industrial Corridor plan is long-range in nature, geared at guiding growth and development for the next 20 years or so. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The proposed master plan industrial project is long-range in nature, geared at guiding growth and development for the next 20 years or so.

Details of the preliminary plan were shared by urban planning consultant Tammy Vrana at a June 10 city council meeting.

The planning area is generally bound by Melrose Avenue to the north, the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. 301 to the west, Pattie Road to the south, and Barry Road and the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area to the east.

It encompasses approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres), including 33 percent within Zephyrhills and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County, representing the largest aggregation of industrial lands in Pasco.

According to the draft plan, about 1,630 acres of that has already been designated for industrial land use, and another 215 acres for commercial. About 631 acres consists of existing residential property.

Two CSX mainline railroads traverse the area, the plan shows, accessible to Port Tampa Bay and the CSX Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, a general aviation airport, also is located in the heart of the plan area, which can accommodate needs of business travelers.

In her presentation, Vrana underscored the need for Zephyrhills to begin planning now for industrial development, and finding ways to identify and recruit employment-generating manufacturing companies.

“There’s no better way to growing your middle class,” Vrana said, “than having good paying, industrial jobs.

“It diversifies your economy, so you’re not relying on just a couple of industries segments, and that way you’re better able to weather economic cycles,” she said.

Vrana explained an industrial corridor would help bring in dollars from outside the community, which she said in turn creates more business activity within local shops, restaurants and so on.

Shown here is the planning area for the Zephyrhills Industrial Corridor, generally bound by Melrose Avenue to the north, the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. 301 to the west, Pattie Road to the south, and Barry Road and the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area to the east. It encompasses approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres), including 33 percent within Zephyrhills and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County.

“The revenues that you get from sales tax and property taxes…those things go to pay for your public services and amenities that are enjoyed by the entire community,” said Vrana.

Vrana stressed the need for the city to form partnerships with the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to create a “beltway” network of four-lane roads and more roadway connectivity to the interstate system. Investing in other infrastructure and operational improvements to reduce congestion and increase the efficiency of freight movement are needed, too, she said.

Quality of infrastructure is typically the top criteria for companies in deciding to relocate or move to a particular area, the consultant noted.

Vrana told the council: “You need to consider hard infrastructure, the things that you typically think about, but also those soft infrastructure assets such as education, public-private partnerships and just simple networking opportunities for community businesses.”

Vrana went on to identify potential opportunities for commercial development and placemaking around State Road 39 and Chancey Road.

She said that area could be utilized for retail, hotel, gas station and more. It also can incorporate some recreational accents, perhaps an extreme bike course and walking trails “to make the area a little bit nicer for walking, shopping, and as a workplace,” Vrana said.

“Just because it’s an industrial area doesn’t mean that it can’t look nice, that it can’t be spruced up, and have some nice trees and landscaping,” Vrana said.

The city’s industrial master plan is being funded through a technical assistance grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

The planning process for the master plan began in January. That included gathering relevant information and organizing a series of workshops, stakeholder’s meetings and open houses.

Vrana said next steps for the drafted plan include sketching up detailed conceptual layouts “and just look at the different things the city and its partners can do to increase business in this area.”

Additional opportunities for public input will be offered in late summer following development of plan illustrations and other refinements based on community feedback.

“I think that we all recognize the importance Zephyrhills of the industrial corridor brings us,” council president Ken Burgess said. “I’ve attended some of those workshops and meetings, and they’re very informative. And, there’s a lot of great discussion and feedback that I’ve seen, and I like the way the goals tie not into not just when you think about an industrial corridor, but the entire city and education, and all that.”

Councilman Lance Smith also voiced his approval of the industrial corridor initiative, but believes the city also must find ways to maintain its small-town vibe in the face of growth.

Smith put it like this: “I mean, I love going out to Wesley Chapel, but I would never live there, O.K. It’s a wonderful place to visit, but I like out downtown, I like our small town charm.”

Published June 19, 2019

Zephyrhills collects feedback from residents

By

Hundreds of Zephyrhills residents have voiced their sentiments on key emerging issues and opportunities facing the city — both now and in the future.

Last fall, hundreds of residents provided input on key issues facing the city via surveys and roundtable discussions. The exercise was to gather feedback and input for the Zephyrhills 2030 Comprehensive Plan.
(File)

And, several of their thoughts and ideas — collected via a community-wide survey and a series of roundtable discussions — will be used in crafting an update to the city’s 2030 comprehensive plan.

Planning director Todd Vande berg and Tammy Vrana, an urban planning consultant, presented the findings in a summarized report during the Feb. 13 meeting of the Zephyrhills City Council.

The City of Zephyrhills launched a community opinion survey in September to identify the city’s key issues and opportunities across the next 15 years, for the Zephyrhills 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

The survey had more than 700 responses, Vande berg said.

Some of the main themes:

  • The city is rich in assets, and downtown is its greatest asset
  • Downtown has challenges — such as blighted properties
  • The city needs more housing choices
  • Demographics are changing Zephyrhills’ identity — poorer, younger
  • School quality is declining, as is community spirit
  • The city needs to address emerging health trends, including obesity
  • Growth is strong, but happening in places mostly outside the city’s control
  • South of Zephyrhills represents a development opportunity
  • Opportunities for economic development are in place
  • Traffic is growing

The Zephyrhills Comprehensive Plan projects forward 15 years to envision where residents will “live, work, learn, play, socialize, maintain health, and preserve assets for benefits of current and future generations.”

The plan — which should be complete by the end of 2017 — also seeks to address the city’s growth and development priorities and opportunities. Per state law, comprehensive plans must be evaluated every seven years and updated as needed.

Additionally, city consultants and planning department staff conducted interviews of more than 50 people with different backgrounds and interests.

Roundtable discussions were held on a number of issues, including real estate, economic development, culture/leisure, health, education/job training, community quality of life and transportation/mobility.

Approximately 200 ideas were compiled from those exercises, Vande berg said.

A released report summarizes the key points identified from each of those meetings.

“We felt like we…really gathered a lot of data and input from the community to what our issues are, and what we want to identify and address,” Vande berg said.

During roundtable discussions, a questionnaire was distributed asking for “must-haves” in the 2030 comprehensive plan update.

The report shows many stakeholders want the following:

  • More ways for the community to come together via work, play, arts and culture, suitable venues
  • Better communication between the city and its residents
  • Better housing opportunities
  • Better upkeep of the property and an improved public realm
  • Less crime
  • Improved services for homeless people
  • Better quality of education
  • Greater focus on the airport industrial area and corridor
  • Increased attention on south Zephyrhills, and south of downtown

The report also includes what stakeholders think the city “must avoid” in the 2030 plan update:

  • Too much focus on retiree communities, and not enough on youth
  • Too many alcohol events
  • A homeless shelter
  • Unfriendly environments
  • Another high school
  • Low-income housing
  • Becoming a “bedroom community”
  • Growth too quickly
  • Growth without adequate infrastructure, such as traffic
  • Urban sprawl
  • High-speed traffic

Some of the issues involving growth, however, are unavoidable, according to city manager Steve Spina.

“There’s going to be a certain amount of growth,” he said. “There’s going to be a number of those things, whether we want it or not — it’s coming.

“Our role is…to bring it in and control it the way that it meshes with the kind of community that we have right now.”

Council vice president Alan Knight agreed, pointing directly to the city’s growth.

“Some of this is going to be inevitable,” he said. “Some of it’s coming — it’s coming like a freight train.”

The strategy to manage impending growth issues, Vande berg said, is to plan ahead, and still identify and maintain “a sense of place.”

Vande berg said the next task for the planning department is to confirm and prioritize goals for the comprehensive plan, and engage the community again.

The preliminary focus areas are: developing strategies for stabilizing downtown, developing a scope for the master plan of the industrial corridor, and creating a vision for the north and south corridor of U.S. 301.

Those strategies, Vande berg noted, will take a collaborative effort from the city’s planning department, the city council, Pasco County and the state legislature.

Meanwhile, key forthcoming city projects include the extension of State Road 56, the transformation of Zephyr Park and the redevelopment of Gall Boulevard.

To view the complete report, visit tinyurl.com/zfezgx6.

Published March 1, 2017

Gall Boulevard reimagining is going to take community effort

By

What makes a community a good community?

For decades, it’s been the downtown that has served as a primary draw for Zephyrhills. And now, in just a few short years, that downtown will expand to include a large chunk of Gall Boulevard between North and South avenues.

Tom Montgomery, center, a consultant with the Florida Department of Transportation handling the revamp of the one-way pair in Zephyrhills, shares some thoughts with Zephyrhills city planner Todd Vande Berg, right, during a recent meeting on Gall Boulevard. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Tom Montgomery, center, a consultant with the Florida Department of Transportation handling the revamp of the one-way pair in Zephyrhills, shares some thoughts with Zephyrhills city planner Todd Vande Berg, right, during a recent meeting on Gall Boulevard. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

But what will it take to transform Gall Boulevard from highway meant to take you to a destination, to actually become a destination itself.

“We are looking to you to help us identify what a great street is,” said Tammy Vrana, a Safety Harbor consultant working with city officials on Gall Boulevard. “We have some plans and things to look at. Whatever you say won’t hurt our feelings. We just want to make sure we get it right.”

Todd Vande Berg, Zephyrhills’ planning director, is spearheading the project for the city. The initiative began soon after the Florida Department of Transportation agreed to hand over control of the thoroughfare, and instead take on the one-way pair of Sixth and Seventh streets instead.

The switch has given the city a chance to turn Gall into a main street, and the city wants direct input from residents and business owners. Vande Berg has planned a series of meetings to help make that possible. The first session, at Alice Hall on Nov. 14, attracted more than 30 people. They came to find out what could come to Gall and suggest what they would like to see.

“We’re starting off with the creation of a great street, and that is the goal,” Vande Berg said. “Considering our design options, we are going to be looking at different ways that we can transform Gall Boulevard. And we’re not just stopping with the street and the infrastructure related to the street, but future development as well.”

One aspect of this first community workshop was the use of real-time audience polling to gauge opinions on what should be placed on the streets, what kind of sidewalks, what kind of businesses should be encouraged, and the like. People were guided through a series of questions by Shilpa Mehta, a consultant with Renaissance Planning that included what kind of businesses should front the street, what parking should be like, and types of pedestrian and transit options.

However, consideration has to be made for users of all ages, especially teenagers —a group often overlooked by a community dominated by retirees. That’s where a new youth council led by Mayor Danny Burgess is going to become very helpful, Vande Berg said.

Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson said the existing Main Street Zephyrhills organization could be a big help as well.

“We have all these events downtown, and what came to mind for me is the Main Street director, Gina Granger,” Wilkeson said. “She recruits and attracts hordes of young people to come downtown. The more activities here in our downtown the better within walking or bike-riding distance of these young people’s homes.”

These changes won’t happen overnight, consultant Vrana said. But the project’s success hinges on the participation of as many people as possible.

“We need to plan, and stick with all of it along the way,” Vrana said. “It will be a long process. It will be a long journey. But where it ends up will make this a happy community.”