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In Split Vote, Land Annex OK'd

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 26, 2008

DADE CITY - When all was said and done, it came down to the money.

Facing a revenue shortfall from state-mandated tax reforms, several Dade City city commissioners saw big dollar signs in a proposal to annex 56 acres of undeveloped land along U.S. 301 and south of Willingham Avenue, where a new subdivision is planned.

The project, a mix of single-family and town homes and a small office park, could pump about $1.6 million in impact fees into the city's dwindling coffers. Also, when the homes are built, another $142,000 a year in property taxes will roll into the general fund.

"We have a lot of projects that could use that money," said Mayor Scott Black.

Not everyone on the commission agreed.

"Every way I slice this, it looks as though we're basically covering our costs of service with our tax base," Commissioner Curtis Beebe said. "I don't see the math in that."

He pointed out that the city would barely "break even" on providing services to the new community, which could add hundreds of new residents to this small east Pasco County city.

Developer Zach Seybold, the man behind the Terrace Park project, told commissioners there's a demand for more single family houses and town homes in the city.

"There is a need for this kind of housing and not much supply," he said.

Tuesday night, the commission approved the annexation and rezoning of the property - the vote was 3-2, with Mayor Pro Tem Steve Van Gorden and Commissioner Curtis Beebe voting against it - but not without tacking on conditions to appease the concerns of residents who have complained the proposed housing project is too intense for the neighborhood.

For one, the developer will be required to install a 50-foot buffer on the northern and western sides of the subdivision, with a six-foot fence or a berm with landscaping.

The annexation request was not without controversy.

Before the vote, City Attorney Karla Owens recommended Van Gorden recuse himself, based on statements he had made against the project. He declined.

"This is not Steve Van Gorden's propaganda machine," the commissioner said.

Seybold had complained to city officials that Van Gorden was trying to sway the vote on the annexation with a "campaign of misinformation" against the proposed subdivision.

Plans Call For Homes, Office Park

Preliminary site plans for the Terrace Park subdivision, submitted with the annexation request, call for building no more than 286 single-family and town homes and a small office park. No site plans were approved Tuesday night.

The scope of the project has changed several times since it was submitted to the city a year ago.

The area borders a neighborhood with single-family homes on larger lots as well as commercially zoned property along the congested U.S. 301 corridor.

Area residents who claim they would be adversely affected by the proposed subdivision packed city hall and wore stickers that said "Smart Growth" and "Not Terrace Park."

Their concerns run the gamut from increased traffic to housing density and flooding.

Leonard H. Johnson, the attorney of some property owners, argued, among other things, that the trade-off in tax money isn't worth the burden the subdivision would put on city services.

"This is not the savior of Dade City's budget," he said.

'We Can't Make Everyone Happy'

Mike Wells, Pasco County's property appraiser, lives down the street from the project site and spoke against the annexation.

He called the move a "bad business deal."

Seybold told commissioners he has tried to accommodate the concerns of city officials by incorporating larger lots and reducing the project's density by almost 40 percent.

"We can't make everyone happy," he said Tuesday night.

Approval of the annexation and rezoning is only the first step for the developer, who must submit building, stormwater retention and other plans to city planners. The plans also must be approved by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Commissioner Eunice Penix, who voted in favor of the annexation and rezoning, said she thinks there is a need for more housing to expand the city's tax base.

She also worries about Dade City being known as a place that opposes development.

"We've denied everything that has come to our city," she said. "We need more rooftops."

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (727) 815-1082 or cwade@tampatrib.com.

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