The Pasco County Commission has approved a mixed-use development made up of 525 residences and 106,285 square feet of office uses on 158 acres, in an area known as Connected City.
The site, which is currently vacant and used for agricultural purposes, is at the northeast corner of Elam and Kenton roads, about 6,600 feet east of Interstate 75.
The Connected City corridor consists of about 7,800 acres in a state-approved development district meant to foster residential communities and employment centers that are the wave of the future. Its borders are Interstate 75, State Road 52, and Curley and Overpass roads.
The area is meant to feature cutting-edge technology, including gigabit Internet speeds and innovation.
The rezoning had been recommended for approval, with conditions, by the Pasco County Planning Commission and county planners.
The approved residences are expected to consist of a mix of single-family detached, attached and/or multifamily, courtyard houses, row houses, townhouses and possibly garden-style apartments.
This particular area of Connected City is known as the Community Hub, which is intended to be used for projects that create a blend of employment and housing opportunities, according to Clarke Hobby, the attorney for the applicant.
That portion of the plan requires medium density standards of 3.25 residences per acre.
Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative owns 12.18 acres of the site.
Hobby noted that extensive efforts have been made to mitigate impacts on neighbors, including a series of private agreements relating to trees, landscaping and buffering.
Eight of the 10 neighbors signed letters of no objection.
Michael Pultorak, who lives on Kenton Road, expressed concerns about the potential for area flooding, if the water levels rise in King Lake.
Pultorak told the board that he’s pro-development and pro-responsible growth, but he is concerned about potential flooding in the area.
He said he realized that this particular project may not cause the potential flooding he’s concerned about, but said the next one could.
He asked the board to intervene to prevent that from happening.
Commissioner Mike Moore told Pultorak he would make sure that someone would be out to meet Pultorak for a closer look at the issue.
Board members voted 4-0 to grant the rezoning, with Commissioner Ron Oakley, absent.
Published June 01, 2022
