Pasco County has adopted a temporary moratorium on the establishment or opening of any new or used car, truck or sales business — to give the county time to draft new regulations affecting that industry.
The moratorium, which applies to vehicle sales businesses in unincorporated parts of the county, does not apply to businesses that are currently planning to open a new business or to amend their current site plans, provided they are following the county’s regulations.
The intention is to halt a proliferation of businesses that are opening without following proper procedures, according to Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey, who has championed the 180-day moratorium.
Ultimately, Starkey said, this step will benefit the businesses that either are currently operating within the county’s regulations or are seeking to open or expand their business under county-approved site plans.
The idea is to require everyone to play by the same rules, Starkey has said during previous discussions on the topic.
The county board unanimously approved the moratorium at its March 8 meeting.
An industry stakeholders’ meeting has been scheduled on April 13 to discuss potential changes to regulations, and to gather feedback and suggestions. To find out more about that meeting, interested parties can call Starkey’s district office or the county’s planning and development department.
In other action, the county board:
- Approved a request by Eddie L. and Elizabeth A. Hill and Lennon, Inc./SR 54 & Morris Bridge Road to rezone slightly over 2 acres from an agricultural residential zoning to a general commercial zoning. The property is on the south side of State Road 54, about 310 feet east of Morris Bridge Road.
- Approved a change to the county’s land use plan to increase the development potential on approximately 80 acres from one residential unit per acre to three residential units per acre, on a site that’s east of Handcart Road and north of Eiland Boulevard. A rezoning request will follow, seeking to change the zoning designation on the property to a master-planned unit development. The proposed site, Chapel Creek master-planned unit development phase II, will be required to opt into Villages of Pasadena Hills.
- Approved an amendment to the land use plan to comply with a state requirement for local governments to amend their comprehensive plan to define “solar facility” using a standardized definition and to permit it as a use within agricultural land uses.
- Approved a rezoning to allow a maximum of 200 single-family attached and detached dwelling units on approximately 40 acres, within Village F of the Villages of Pasadena Hills.
Published March 13, 2022
