It may not sound exciting, but a sewer line is one of the elements needed to help spur industrial development near Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.
And, thanks to $3.2 million from Pasco County, the city will be able to pay for about 20,000 linear feet of sewer, as well as two lift stations.
The sewer line will serve about 600 acres.
It is the next step in a multiphase project to create a build-ready site that will appeal to developers.
Construction is expected to begin in September or October, and would take about 18 months to complete.
Zephyrhills City Council approved a cooperative agreement with Pasco County on June 13.
The City of Zephyrhills already has committed about $4.5 million to infrastructure at the site, including improvements to water lines to increase capacity and pressure. Dade City has participated, too.
“It’s a definite partnership, ” said Melanie Kendrick, Pasco County’s acting program director for the office of economic growth.
In 2015, Duke Energy and consultants with McCallum Sweeney completed a study and site assessment of about 480 acres around the airport. They found that about 414 acres at the site could accommodate aerospace, manufacturing, light industrial and assembly companies, and the plastics industry.
But, first the site had to be made market-ready with infrastructure including water and sewer lines. One selling point already is in place. A CSX rail line runs through the property.
The project will widen beyond the scope of the study to impact about 600 acres.
“It helps us build an industrial core,” said Steve Spina, city manager for Zephyrhills.
With infrastructure in the ground, the expectations are for the site to be marketed faster.
“We cannot attract anybody at this time because it would take up to two years to apply for permits, get the site ready and install remaining infrastructure on the site,” Kendrick said. “If we act now, with what the City of Zephyrhills has going there, we can piggyback on the existing contracts.”
The targeted land also is part of the county’s “pad ready” program, which seeks to promote industrial sites with similar infrastructure installations.
County commissioners last month approved the renewal of its contract with the Pasco Economic Development Council. Among the council’s goals is to use its $2.9 million budget to target 2,500 acres of industrial property for similar infrastructure upgrades.
“This is very exciting,” said Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey. “I think it will be big for the county.”
Published June 22, 2016
