TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Developer's Choice Is Refreshing Change

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 14, 2007

Residents of Darby, St. Joseph and other areas in rural northeast Pasco County were rightfully alarmed about plans by a developer to build 300 homes on 475 acres just west of Interstate 75. The land is in a rural protection area, where many homes are on tracts of 5 and 10 acres and even larger, and the requested density was highly inappropriate.

Then something unusual happened. After some county staff objected for those same reasons and residents continued to express concerns, the developer of Pine Ridge acquiesced and dramatically reduced the plans to 178 homes on three-quarter-acre lots, with the rest of the land being preserved as open space.

Unquestionably, the developer deserves credit for listening to the people who will be most affected by the project. It doesn't happen often enough.

Making the scale-down even more remarkable is that the county commission, by a 3-2 vote in May, gave initial approval to a land use amendment needed to build the 300 homes and forwarded it to the state Department of Community Affairs for review. Commissioners Ted Schrader, who represents the area, and Jack Mariano understood that the large project was inappropriate in the rural protection area and voted no. Fortunately, department also objected.

Although there was some indication that a final vote on the project, as originally proposed, could have been reversed, it wasn't a done deal.

It's a sad commentary that the commission majority was on the verge of undermining rural protection measures it adopted in approving a new comprehensive land-use plan last summer. The ink on the maps is barely dry.

This is yet another reason why residents should demand that the county commission go to a supermajority vote, instead of a simple majority, to approve any change to the land-use plan. The plan shouldn't be treated as an easily erasable chalkboard as it was in the original plans for Pine Ridge

It's a good thing area residents weren't willing to give away the farm or the land-use plan, and it's equally good that the Pine Ridge developer listened and came up with a very fair compromise.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT