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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Pasco County Planning Commission

Rezoning request prompts concerns about flooding

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A request for a new master-planned development in Wesley Chapel has prompted questions about drainage issues in the general area.

Applicant Sandhill Flats LLC is seeking approval for Remington, a master-planned unit development on the south side of Tyndall Road, about 3,950 feet west of Curley Road. The request is seeking a maximum of 127 single-family detached units on approximately 44.2 acres.

County planners recommended approval of the request, which also received a recommendation of approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission.

The request now goes to the Pasco County Commission for a final decision.

Only one person spoke during the public comment portion of the public hearing on Sept. 22.

Michael Pultorak, who  lives on Kenton Road, said he doesn’t oppose growth, in general.

“I don’t have an issue with houses; I don’t have issue with development; putting houses on lakes is a little bit of an issue, but I’m not going to go there,” Pultorak said.

The request is in the area of King Lake.

“It’s a beautiful lake. Pasco has two King Lakes. This is the one in Wesley Chapel, out toward Dade City,” Pultorak said.

He raised issues about potential flooding in the area, which he said could be triggered by new development, unless steps are taken to address drainage issues.

He raised the same issue during a previous appearance at a planning board meeting, involving another rezoning request in the general area.

Regarding that project, Pultorak said, “I tried to shed light that 106,000 square feet of commercial and 527 homes was going to shed about 1.7 million square feet of water during the storm season.

“We got with SWFMD (the Southwest Florida Water Management District). The north outflow and the south outflow apparently is just fine. They have no issues with it.

“That leaves us one outflow for the entire lake.

He showed the planning board photographs of flooded roads and flooded fields to illustrate his concerns.

“This is right on Kenton Road. This is one of four places where we had water over the roads and washing out the road from this single lake because the stormwater issue hasn’t been resolved,” he said, referring to a photo.

“There’s no place for the water to go.

“This was a river. It took four-wheel drive vehicles to get through here. Every place I’m showing you brought in truckloads of limestone because the water has to go somewhere.

“This is Kenton Road, right in front of the prior project we spoke about.

“This was a river for about 10 days straight.

“This water could be redirected and reused. It could be sent right back. We could use it for irrigation. The problem is, right now there is no stormwater management plan and that water is not being diverted anywhere.

“I have 8 acres behind my home and the actual Kenton Road, proper. Two-thirds of that has been holding water underwater for the past three weeks.

“That’s not fair. I have cows out there. I have a herd of black Angus out there. The water level is 6 ½ feet too high.

“It sounds like in most of the county the development is causing stormwater issues. Let’s not become like South Tampa here.”

Planning board member Jon Moody asked Pultorak if he objected to the Remington rezoning.

Pultorak responded: “I object to this project only because it’s going to add to the stormwater issue. If we could create a solution for the stormwater, put houses all of the way around it. I’m not opposed to the houses, but you can’t flood out the existing residents because we’re going to continue all the way around this lake.”

Attorney Clarke Hobby told the planning board “the subject site that we have is on the north side of King Lake. He’s talking about the west side of King Lake and he’s probably focusing on an area that’s between .75 and a mile and a half away from our site.

“We actually discharge to the west.

“This is 120 units on 40 acres. We do not even abut the lake,” Hobby said.

Ultimately, the planning board recommended approval of the request, but also called for there to be communication between the applicant and Pultorak during the stage when drainage plans are drawn up at the development stage.

Published September 28, 2022

Pasco approves commercial land use change over planners’ objections

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a land use change that will clear the way for consideration of a wide variety of commercial uses on two lots totaling 3.47 acres at Galen Wilson Boulevard and Ridge Road.

The board approved the request at its Sept. 20 meeting, despite its planning staff’s recommendation for denial. Planners based their recommendation on an effort to preserve the land for future industrial uses, rather than strip commercial development.

In rejecting the planning staff’s rationale, the county board followed the lead of the Pasco County Planning Commission’s recommendation, which also disregarded the planners’ recommendation and voted to approve the request.

Planning staff cited a number of county land use policies in recommending denial.

They argued that the current light industrial designation should be preserved because it has the prospect of producing more and higher-paying jobs than commercial uses would generate.

But Steve Booth, an attorney representing the applicant, noted that as it stands now, the land already can be used for support commercial uses, as part of the industrial development.

The problem is that the current list of potential uses in the support commercial category doesn’t mesh with market demand, Booth said.

By changing the future land use category to commercial, the list of potential uses would be broader, he said.

Booth also argued that since commercial already would be permitted under the current designation, the planning staff’s argument about preserving the land for industrial uses doesn’t hold up.

Nectarios Pittos, the county’s director of planning and development, said: “There are uses in C3 (support commercial) and in I-1 (light industrial) that can locate on the two parcels that are before the board today.

“The developments that are happening to the south in the same industrial park are the same size buildings that you might expect on the two parcels that are the subject of this proposal.

“The key thing to remember is that while the corridor itself is overwhelmingly commercial, there is limited industrial in the West Market Area, in general, and in this particular area.

“The Harbors Redevelopment Plan calls for the need to prevent further retail strip development along major corridors and to provide a healthy mix of uses and create a community destination,” Pittos said.

“The conversion from IL to COM would reduce the mixture of uses along the corridor, and Ridge Road has to be thought of as a corridor because it does connect now to the strategic intermodal system, which is the Suncoast Parkway and beyond to U.S. 41, eventually.

“This area is sort of key now to the West Market Area and the preservation of industrial land,” Pittos said.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley said, “I understand that this board gave staff a direction for these kind of properties — and not to lose anymore industrial.

“This board actually gave them direction that we didn’t lose employment,” Oakley said, which is why the staff is opposed to the proposed change.

Booth told the board there currently are deed restrictions on the land that prohibit it from being developed as apartments, a service station or for storage uses.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said, “The one thing that gives me a little heartache is the school district next door and the amount of traffic that some uses might generate.”

But she added: “The chances of you getting industrial up front there, I don’t know. And, they’re allowed to do commercial anyway, so my thought might be to make sure … I would be in favor of making sure it’s not the commercial uses that take a lot of traffic.”

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder asked Booth if his client would be willing to restrict commercial uses, but Booth made no commitment to do so.

Steinsnyder told the board: “Once this site is granted commercial, it’s granted commercial. When you change the future land use from IL to COM, it’s COM.”

Commissioner Mike Moore weighed in: “I like the deed restrictions that are already there. You can’t put a service station there, anyway. You can’t put residential. If you want to put a McDonald’s in there, go for it. It’s right next to Home Depot. Go for it, giddyup.”

No one from the public commented on the request.

The land use change clears the way for the applicant to seek a rezoning to accommodate whatever type of commercial use that is permitted under the county’s commercial category of its long-range plan.

Published September 28, 2022

Proposed land use change sparks debate

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has rejected an argument that the county should preserve two lots along Ridge Road for industrial use, rather than allowing them to be converted for commercial development.

The 3.47-acre plot at Galen Wilson Boulevard and Ridge Road in Port Richey has been discussed as being converted to commercial use, but Pasco County Planning Commission rejected that idea on Sept. 1. (MIKE CAMUNAS)

The county’s planning staff had recommended denial of the proposed land use change, but the planning board dismissed rationale used by planners and recommended approval, instead.

The 3.47 acres at issue are east of Galen Wilson Boulevard and south of Ridge Road, according to information in the Pasco County Planning Commission’s Sept. 1 agenda packet.

Planners said the request is inconsistent with policies within the county’s comprehensive plan. They argued that the current light industrial designation should be preserved because it has the prospect of producing more and higher-paying jobs, than commercial uses would generate.

An email from David Engel, the county’s economic growth director, is included in the planning board’s agenda packet. Engel says the industrial designation has the potential to generate 41% more jobs, and that industrial jobs, in general, pay more.

But planning board member Jon Moody was skeptical.

Moody said he takes issue with the information provided.

“There’s nothing to back it up,” Moody said. “These are nebulous statements.”

Moody questioned the reasoning that industrial uses are big job generators.

The numbers don’t bear out that industrial creates more jobs than commercial, Moody said, noting that Pasco’s “second-largest employer is Publix.”

Planning board chairman Chuck Grey raised objections, too.

“We’ve got blinders on, in this particular instance,” Grey said, explaining he’s familiar with the applicant who has assembled 20 acres of light industrial.

“He’s asking for two acres,” Grey said.

The chairman also asked planners: “Where’s all of the industrial, if there’s such demand?”

Grey went on: “We’re really involved in the Ridge Road development, personally, on the business side. I don’t see any demand for industrial development in that corridor. I haven’t got one question for it. Not one phone call. It’s all retail.”

The planning board chairman also noted there are a number of other nearby commercial uses.

The recommendation for denial, Grey said, “seems very subjective to me.”

Attorney Steve Booth, representing the applicant, told the planning board: “We have to look at the forest, rather than the trees, on this. Everything around there is commercial.

“The frontage, right on Ridge Road, is really only appropriate for commercial,” Booth said.

“Quite frankly, with due respect to staff, it’s laughable when we talk about economic issues with two small lots,” Booth added.

With the current industrial designation, support commercial uses would be possible, but the list of potential uses in that category doesn’t mesh with the demand, Booth said.

“I would respectfully request that you look closely at the map we have here, that shows the actual uses of property surrounding it, and would say it’s totally appropriate for these two lots.”

His client wants to be able to market it to get something that’s more reasonable, Booth said.

Moody also noted that before the meeting began, he checked to see how much activity was happening in the area.

“There’s only one active permit application and it’s by the applicant himself,” Moody said.

“I can tell you as a practicing engineer in the area, I’ve done a dozen layouts in that center and none of them have come to fruition yet. So, right now, the center’s not generating any jobs,” he said.

Pasco working to preserve industrial land
Nectarios Pittos, the county’s director of planning and development, said an analysis on industrial land by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council has identified sites of 20 acres or more as a good size to target for industrial uses.

“To parcel them off, well, that’s what Pasco County has done in the past. And that’s what we’ve been directed not to continue doing,” Pittos said.

The county board wants to preserve sites that are deemed for employment-generating uses, such as light industrial, heavy industrial and employment centers, Pittos said.

In this case, though, no one on the planning board stepped forward to support the planners’ position.

About 3.47 acres of land at Galen Wilson Boulevard and Ridge Road in Port Richey has been designated for industrial use and is located across the street from Chasco Elementary and Chasco Middle. (MIKE CAMUNAS)

“Personally, I think the location just makes sense for commercial uses, especially for a parcel this size,” said planning board member Jaime Girardi.

Peter Hanzel, also on the planning board agreed: “Ridge Road is a major road. I can’t see why those two lots can’t be commercial. In fact, that’s what they should be. You’re on a major road.”

But Pittos countered: “Pasco is seeing a higher interest in industrial land development. We recently completed the Ridge Road connection to the Suncoast Parkway, and I would say in a number of years, there will be a connection all of the way to U.S. 41, so Ridge Road is going to connect with the strategic intermodal system for Florida. And so, when we have established LI (light industrial) … the default position that we’re going to take is to preserve them.”

Pittos also noted the current plan says that this particular segment of Ridge Road should be an employment-generating area.

David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney, also told Moody the issue isn’t just the quantity of jobs.

“As a general rule, industrial (jobs) are higher-paying jobs than a Publix,” the attorney said.

Goldstein also noted that the county’s comprehensive plan considers not only current circumstances, but future need, as well.

Goldstein said the planning board cannot approve a request that is inconsistent with the comprehensive plan’s policies. However, he said the board could approve it, if it determined the request is consistent.

Ultimately, the board members passed a motion declaring the request does not violate the county’s policies, and voted to recommend approval.

The request now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction in land use and zoning issues.

Published September 14, 2022

Proposed towing operation meets resistance

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Neighbors to a proposed towing operation in Land O’ Lakes made it clear at a recent Pasco County Planning Commission meeting that they think the business should set up shop elsewhere.

A proposed towing operation in Land O’ Lakes is meeting resistance from neighboring locals. The 0.62-acre site would be on the east side of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, about a mile north of State Road 54.

Christopher Brown, who is seeking permission for the proposed towing service, wants the county to allow him to operate on a 0.62-acre site on the east side of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, about 1 mile north of State Road 54.

Ray Gustafson, of Gustafson Engineering, appeared at the planning board’s Sept. 1 meeting to provide details on the request.

The site would include a small modular office, and parking would be provided on the front and a secured impound yard would be in the back, according to a narrative included in the planning board’s agenda packet.

Gustafson said the towing company tows cars that are parked at locations without proper permits, and also removes cars illegally parked on roadsides.

He estimated about 30 vehicles to 40 vehicles would be towed each week.

Brown told the planning board that the office hours would be between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., but the cars typically are towed onto the lot after midnight.

They also can be picked up after-hours, but there is an extra charge for doing that, he said.

Gustafson said the cars will be stored on the back of the property and there will be a heavy buffer wall.

County planners recommended approval of the request, along with a set of conditions.

But neighbors are vehemently opposed.

John Miller, who lives nearby, said a proposed towing operation and impound yard is not a good fit.

“I beg of you to please take into consideration compatibility,” Miller said.

“This is a very intense use, which is not compatible with the Swan Lake subdivision,” he said, noting there are 54 families and also small children who play outdoors.

“It’s an increase of noise and commotion,” he said, noting it’s a 24-hour operation.

“It’s a very lucrative business. They tow cars all of the time,” Miller said.

“The other issue is appearance. This is a junkyard. It’s basically what it is.”

He also noted that U.S. 41, also known as Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, is in transition.

Another neighbor, Mike Ford, said the county should be encouraging a better form of development along U.S. 41.

“Anybody can agree going on U.S. 41, from (State Road) 54 to (State Road) 52, it needs to be cleaned up.

“We need to do something about (U.S.) 41. Let’s improve (U.S.) 41. The middle of the county has been left behind,” he said.

Neighbors also raised concerns about noise from tow trucks dropping off cars, at all hours of the night and about a potential glare from outdoor lighting.

Brown told the planning board his business is under contract with apartment complexes and homeowner associations to remove cars that are double-parked, parked in fire lanes, or parked on properties without permits.

The company also will tow from Pasco roads, in areas where parking on the road is not allowed, he said. Cars typically will be brought to the impound lot between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., he said.

The company doesn’t have any current contract with law enforcement, he said.

Planning board member Chris Poole asked about potential problems of stacking on U.S. 41, as people come to retrieve their cars, or tow trucks to bring in vehicles.

Conditions intended to provide protections
Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein said the county planners’ proposed conditions prohibit parking, stacking, loading or unloading on the public right of way.

Other conditions address neighbors’ concerns, he added.

For instance, there’s a condition that requires an 8-foot tall buffer to protect the neighbors from visual blight. Plus, the applicant must shield the view from the street, the attorney said. “I’m sensitive that this area’s in transition,” Poole said. However, he added: “You’re not going to see cars from the road, it’s all going to be shielded.”

Planning board member Jaime Girardi added: “If they don’t, code enforcement will shut them down.”

Poole interjected, “or the conditional use will be revoked.”

To make sure the applicant understood the conditions, Goldstein asked Brown: “You understand you cannot have any vehicle that’s more than 8 feet in height.

Brown responded: “Yes, I understand.”

To address the neighbors’ concerns about noise, the planning board added a condition referring to the county’s noise ordinance. It also noted that violating that ordinance could trigger a revocation of the conditional use.

Poole said he frequently drives by the site and will be quick to make a report to code enforcement.

Girardi said he was struggling with how to vote on the request.

“This one is difficult,” Girardi said.

U.S. 41 is transitioning, he said, adding that he’s not sure this type of operation represents a transition in the right direction.

Planning board chairman Charles Grey agreed: “If we’re trying to improve our major corridors, I’m not sure it improves it.

“If I lived there, would I want it there, on the other side of the wall? I’d have to say, ‘No, I wouldn’t.’

“When you drive by and you see a towing operation next to a nice development, it tends to bring down the value of that development,” Grey added.

On a roll call vote, the motion to recommend approval passed on a 4-2 vote, with Girardi and Grey voting no.

Planning board member Chris Williams did not vote on the request because he sits on the planning board as a representative of the school board and this application has no impact on school enrollment.

The request now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning matters.

Published September 14, 2022

Pasco approves 2 million-square-foot corporate business park

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After months of back-and-forth between two adjoining landowners, the Pasco County Commission has approved a master-planned unit development for a corporate business park on State Road 52, in Land O’ Lakes.

The project, known as Eagle II, is entitled for up to 2 million square feet of corporate business park, targeted businesses and light industrial uses, as well as 150,000 square feet of commercial/office uses on 321 acres.

The site is on the south side of State Road 52 about a half-mile west of Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.

The property is within the Central Pasco Employment Village, which was designated years ago by the county board to create a coordinated vision among a group of landowners.

As adopted, the plan envisions a mixed-use employment village on more than 2,400 acres, located along the south side of State Road 52, roughly between the Collier Parkway Extension and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.

The employment village is expected to contain commercial, residential and industrial uses.

A system had been developed to allow landowners to swap entitlements among themselves, under the county’s supervision.

But it became clear in this case that those swaps don’t always go smoothly.

During a Pasco County Planning Commission hearing on this request, the planning board voted 3-1 to recommend denial of the request, after it appeared that the applicant in this case, George Southworth, of 3KS Family LLLP, could not reach an agreement with Andy Joe Scaglione, of D&D Ranch, who owns the adjacent property.

During the county board’s Aug. 24 public hearing, Cynthia Spidell, a professional planner with the law firm of Stearns, Weaver, Miller, testified that the issues had been worked out between her client and his neighbor.

“The road alignment was changed, which the neighbor is fine with,” Spidell said.

Commissioner Mike Moore said: “the road alignment needed to get worked out.”

Scaglione said he no longer opposes the proposed connection between Eagle II and his  D&D Ranch.

“It’s a shame this wasn’t done at the planning commission, that it had to come to this point,” Scaglione said.

Moore agreed a quicker resolution would have been nice.

Meanwhile, another aspect of the application involves a proposed alignment for a portion of the proposed Orange Belt Trail.

Spidell said her client has agreed to provide 30 feet of the right of way for free, with the county having the option to buy an additional 30 feet of right of way.

The cost of the additional right of way would be based on the average of costs in the area, she said.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said Tampa Bay Water has control of a portion of the right of way and the county is seeking an agreement to use it for the trail.

Sam Beneck, a project manager with the county’s engineering services, has been working to secure an easement from Tampa Bay Water.

He said it appears that Tampa Bay Water is amenable to granting the easement, along with some reasonable conditions.

If that happens, the trail will be going through a beautiful area, Starkey said. But if it doesn’t, the county can purchase the additional land from Southworth.

Moore said he’d prefer to avoid that option.

“You’re going to pay a pretty penny for that,” Moore said, noting the current land values are inflated.

The price tag would be around $465,000 based on the 5.7 acreages needed at a current average cost $81,122, Moore said.

“I’d be concerned paying that high of price for a trail,” the commissioner said.

Starkey is confident the ongoing negotiations with Tampa Bay Water will be successful and the county won’t need to purchase Southworth’s land.

Published September 07, 2022

Pasco adopts new flood prevention regulations

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Pasco County has adopted changes to its flood prevention regulations to assure the county can continue to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.

The board approved the changes during its Aug. 24 meeting.

Participation in the flood insurance program allows Pasco residents to purchase federally backed flood insurance, Esther Oluyemi, a county building official, said during previous hearings before the Pasco County Planning Commission and the county board.

The county has taken part in that program since 1981, Oluyemi said.

The county also has been a member of the Community Rating System (CRS) since 1992.

The CRS allows the county to get a discount for its residents, with the amount of the discount based on the rating. Pasco has a rating of 6, which makes Pasco residents eligible for a discount of 20% on flood insurance rates, according to Oluyemi.

The county had 19,015 policyholders, as of 2021. Based on that, the county’s CRS rating yields an annual savings to policyholders of $3.1 million a year.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made regulatory changes that the county must adopt to get discounts, Oluyemi said.

The county must:

  • Adopt the new FEMA flood insurance study and flood insurance map. (The flood insurance map has already been part of the Florida Building Code since 2020.)
  • Eliminate the 36-inch option for manufactured homes
  • Require wet-proofing for agricultural buildings over 600 square feet in flood zones
  • Standardize the use of market value, for private appraisals

Oluyemi said that adopting the flood map into the county’s local ordinance essentially is a formality because the map already has been incorporated into the Florida Building Code, which is the code the county uses.

The county also has approved a process that provides for appeals of actions taken or denial of proposed construction to be heard by a hearing officer, using the same rules and procedures as demolition appeals when such denials are based on load and flood requirements.

Published August 31, 2022

Engineering firm wants office building on North Dale Mabry

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Tampa Civil Design is seeking a rezoning to clear the way for a 10,000-square-foot office on about 8.5 acres, on North Dale Mabry Highway, about 1,900 feet north of the Hillsborough County line.

Pasco County’s planning staff has recommended approval of the request and the Pasco County Planning Commission did the same during its Aug. 18 meeting.

The request now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which makes final decisions on land use and zoning issues.

Jeremy Couch is the applicant on the request.

He frequently appears before both the planning and county board in his professional capacity, but at the Aug. 18 planning board meeting, he was there to answer any questions the board had about his proposed office project.

Attorney Barbara Wilhite represented Couch during the hearing.

She told the planning board: “It’s an ROR (retail, office, residential) land use, it’s on Dale Mabry, it’s pretty straight-forward.”

During the public hearing, John Calamari, of 20719 Preston Lane, noted that there were errors in the application.

For one thing, he said, the site is on the west side of North Dale Mabry Highway, not on the east side as indicated in the application. Also, the application indicates that Preston Lane intersects with North Dale Mabry, but it does not.

Calamari, who has lived on Preston Lane since 1998 said he’s concerned about the use of Preston Lane, which is a 15-foot-wide road.

He said construction traffic or traffic from the project could cause damage to Preston Lane, which is substandard.

“Two vehicles cannot pass on Preston Lane,” Calamari said.

Couch said “it’s my full intention to access this property from Dale Mabry.

“The property does have a legal easement to Preston Lane,” Couch said, so there’s a chance it could be used during the construction phase.

However, once the project opens, the intention is to allow access only onto North Dale Mabry Highway, Couch said.

“I don’t want to encroach on these folks’ neighborhood. We’re going to be a very quiet low-impact use,” Couch said.

The application did not propose any kind of connection to Preston Lane. If Preston Lane is used in any capacity, the application would need to be amended.

A county staffer told Couch that if he uses Preston Lane at all, he must submit a videotape showing the road’s condition before using it. The road must be maintained during its use, and then it must be restored to the original condition when the use is finished. The applicant must then submit a videotape depicting the road after it has been restored.

Couch said he intends to block off access to Preston Lane, once the project is finished.

Goldstein said the application must be modified and conditions would be attached, if Couch wants to use Preston Lane.

Published August 24, 2022

107 homes approved in Land O’ Lakes

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning that would allow up to a maximum of 107 homes on a 43.5-acre site in Land O’ Lakes.

The property is on the north side of Dogpatch Lane, about 390 feet west of Joy Drive, and abutting Joy Drive, about 690 feet north of Dogpatch Drive.

As a condition of approval, Attorney Barbara Wilhite said her client has agreed to install one 8-foot-wide sidewalk, heading north to south through the subdivision, to provide a safe place for students to walk to school. Normally, a 5-foot-wide sidewalk would be required.

The rezoning, approved unanimously by the county board at its Aug. 9 meeting, changed the zoning from agricultural and agricultural-residential designations to a master-planned unit development.

County planners and the Pasco County Planning Commission had recommended approval of the request, deeming it to be consistent with the county’s long-range plan and land development code.

The county board’s approval came despite objections from area residents who raised concerns about potential impacts on wildlife and the prospect for additional traffic on Lake Patience Road.

Prior to the board’s vote, Debbie Moore, who lives nearby, told commissioners: “You guys don’t know this land at all. You haven’t walked it.”

She said she lives on 6 acres and her neighbors live on 20 acres.

“We have wetlands all around us,” she said. “You guys need to go see the area.

“You’re not considering the wildlife,” she added.

Cathryn Baxter Polonitza who lives in a nearby subdivision urged the county board to reject the request.

She said she’d gathered a petition with about 100 signatures of people opposing the proposed development.

She also noted that many area residents were unaware of the request.

Wilhite said the rezoning request was properly noticed.

Pat Rubrecht and other area residents raised concerns about adding traffic to Lake Patience Road, which they said is already dangerous.

Wilhite told the county board that this project is consistent with what the county envisions in its long-range plan.

The density also complies with the plan. The development also will be served by county water and sewer, the attorney said.

During the discussion, Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey told county staff that she’d like an update regarding the potential for adding a traffic signal at the intersection of Lake Patience Road and U.S. 41.

Published August 17, 2022

Don’t rubberstamp projects, planning board member says

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Jon Moody, who has returned to serve on the Pasco County Planning Commission for a second time, has noticed some things he’d like to see change.

Moody was sworn-in on July 7 to fill a vacant seat. He previously served on the board from January 2007 to November 2013.

When the planning board met Aug. 5, Moody raised some issues for discussion with his colleagues and Pasco County’s staff.

He said he’s noticed “that the consent agenda has changed a lot, since I last occupied this seat.”

The consent agenda contains a number of items that the board votes on in a single action, without discussion. Items are placed on the consent agenda when they are considered to be non-controversial because no one has come forward to object or raise questions.

“I’m frankly shocked that I see large-scale comprehensive plan amendments; 3,000-acre projects; 800-home subdivisions; 1,600-home subdivisions — all slide through on the consent agenda,” Moody said.

“In my mind, the consent agenda is for Mrs. Jones’ 5-foot variance for her shed, not for us just to rubberstamp a 1,000 homes here, a 1,000 homes there,” Moody added.

His comment drew applause from the audience.

“That needs to change,” Moody said. “I’m just going to sit up here and pull them off, and we’re going to hear them.”

He also cited an application that was on the agenda that day, which was for a request on the west side of the county — even though the planning board meeting was in Dade City.

Both the planning board and the Pasco County Commission alternate their meetings between the Historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City and the government center in New Port Richey.

In the past, applications were heard at the meeting place closest to the site in question.

Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein said: “The old, old policy, called the (former County Administrator) John Gallagher policy — maybe when Mr. Moody was here — was that anything on the east side of the county had to be heard on the east side; anything on the west side of the county had to be heard on the west side.

“There was no deviation from that.

“The more current county administrator (former County Administrator Dan Biles) relaxed that policy. If there was no opposition to the item, it could be heard on either side of the county.”

Brad Tippin, the county’s development manager explained: “The reason why that change was made was it was due to the volume of submittals.”

“A directive was given to us to do the first available hearing after we’re ready to go, unless there is some form of opposition. That was done to try to improve the processing time, due to the volume of stuff that is happening in the county right now.”

Tippin also noted that another part of the rationale is that anyone who wants to participate in any public meeting can do so, remotely, through the county’s WebEx system.

Planning Commissioner Peter Hanzel also weighed in, noting that when the staff schedule applications, it should consider not just distance from the meeting place, but also driving time.

For instance, it takes about 40 minutes for people in Central Pasco to get to Dade City, compared to about 75 minutes for them to get to New Port Richey, Hanzel said.

Moody also raised a question about public notice requirements for requests to amend the county’s comprehensive plan.

Nectarios Pittos, the county’s planning and development director, told Moody: “Comp plan amendments are noticed in the newspaper, per state statute requirements at this time.

“But we have identified an update that needs to be made to our land development code to align the notification requirements and make them similar to (master-planned unit development) notification requirements.”

Moody then asked: “How far around the perimeter of the MPUD are the notification requirements?”

Denise Hernandez, county zoning administrator, told Moody that the notification requirements vary by land use. In essence, notice must be given within 1,000 feet for properties designated for agricultural (AG), agricultural residential (AGR) and residential, one home per acre (Res-1).

For property designated for three houses per acre (Res-3) and above, the notice requirement is 500 feet, she said.

Moody asked: “Why is the notification requirement less, if the development is more intense?”

Hernandez: “If you look at the logic, it’s because the AG, AGR — those are larger pieces of property, so you’ll pick up more people, if you do the 1,000 feet.

“Typically, those properties, AG or AGR, are 5 acres, 10 acres, 20 acres, 40 acres. That’s why the notice is 1,000 feet,” Hernandez explained.

Goldstein added: “That’s why staff requires the posting of signs, because signs are supposed to be the notice to anybody that lives beyond those radiuses.”

Published August 10, 2022

Plans call for a trade school, or nursing school, on State Road 54

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a zoning modification that would allow a new technical, trade or nursing school on 22.16 acres, off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

The proposed development is located northeast of the State Road 54/Aprile Drive intersection, about 1,490 feet east of Ballantrae Boulevard.

The applicant, Colwell Avenue Properties IV LLC, is seeking to add a school that would be a maximum of 60,000 square feet on a parcel in the previously approved Concord Station master-planned unit development. The school would be converting existing office entitlements to a new use.

Concord Station had never developed the subject parcel, then the MPUD for the development expired, according to materials in the planning board’s agenda backup.

There is a cooperative funding agreement between the applicant and Pasco County that was approved by the Pasco County Commission on Oct. 18, 2019.

A condition of approval has been added to address the proposed ‘school’ use and, in keeping with the cooperative funding agreement, restricting it to technical/trade/nursing educational facilities that directly support high-paying job generation and labor force training for target industries.

Planners recommended approval of the request, which was part of the planning board’s consent agenda.

No one appeared from the public to speak for or against the request, which was approved unanimously by the planning board during its Aug. 4 meeting.

The application now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction over land use and zoning issues.

Published August 10, 2022