Porters say it’s time for the county to act
By B.C. Manion
The Pasco County Commission is set to consider on April 24 a proposed youth sports complex that could put the county on the map for national athletic tournaments, but County Administrator John Gallagher wants to know more about potential fiscal impacts before he’ll sign off on the deal.
The Porter family, which owns thousands of acres of ranch land and citrus groves in Wesley Chapel, has proposed a development they believe will create a significant economic boost for the county.
They’ve been negotiating the deal for months and J.D. Porter said the time has come for the county to act on the proposal.
Porter expressed frustration about the lack of progress in negotiations.
“Every time we’ve met with them (county staff), there’s been a different path that they wanted to go down in regards to it. We’ve taken the approach that we want to honor what they want, but at some point there’s got to be a defined direction,” said Porter, noting he’s ready for the Pasco County Commission to vote on the family’s proposal.
Gallagher said the Fields at Wiregrass could become a very nice recreation complex that could serve the local community and accommodate visiting tournaments.
But, the administrator said, he wants to know the specific impacts of a proposed condition of the deal that would exempt the Porters from a yet-to-be adopted “Timing and Phasing Ordinance,” which deals with transportation impacts on development.
As part of the deal, the Porters would operate and maintain the sports venue – which is important during today’s tight budgets which would not allow the county to budget money for operating costs, Gallagher said.
The county has already set aside $8.5 million for construction costs, and the proposed agreement calls for up to $5.5 million more.
Gallagher said he would like to see an engineer’s estimated cost before agreeing to the additional $5.5 million, or at least would like to have that amount subject to an engineer’s estimate.
While there has been talk of the Porters taking the reins on building the complex, Gallagher said his legal staff said that might not be possible.
Porter said the proposed sports complex would be a highly competitive venue, comparing favorably to others — including Walt Disney World.
“It’s wildly expensive at Disney,” Porter said. “A lot of kids, once they get a certain age they don’t want to go to Disney anymore.”
Porter said Fields at Wiregrass has the potential to generate as many as 100,000 room nights a year for the county, compared to about 3,500 room nights spawned by Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions, a national lacrosse tournament the county nearly lost recently.
The proposed deal covers a number of issues.
In part, the Porters would agree to:
–Donate 200 acres to the county for the park, which is 80 more than required in its Development of Regional Impact agreement
–Provide four miles of right-of-way for a future light rail or rapid bus corridor
–Share some of the costs of constructing the fields, which would include 12 soccer and lacrosse fields and eight baseball fields near The Shops at Wiregrass and the site where Raymond James is considering a satellite campus
–Provide public access to active sports fields to accommodate youth recreational sports leagues serving the Wesley Chapel area
–Provide 100 percent public access to passive amenities during park operating hours
In exchange, the Porters want:
–To be exempt from the “timing and phasing” ordinance
–To speed up approval of 2,000 housing units in the Wiregrass Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI)
–To have more flexibility in changing allowable uses within their DRI
Part of the proposal would help fulfill a promise the county made to provide additional lacrosse fields as part of the deal to keep the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions in Wesley Chapel.
The first phase of the proposed Fields at Wiregrass includes 12 lacrosse/soccer fields and eight baseball/softball fields.
The proposal also calls for Wiregrass Ranch to operate the complex under an agreement with the county. It would determine the park programming. It would cover the maintenance, operation and capital repair costs.
Porter said the time has come for the county’s elected leaders to consider his family’s proposal.
“It’s up to the county commission to decide whether they want to go down this path. I’m confident that we can’t give any more,” Porter said. “I’m confident that that’s our all-in deal.”
