County Approves Plans To Develop Epperson Ranch

WESLEY CHAPEL - After months of negotiations and debate with Pasco County, home builder Lennar Corp. won approval this week for its plans to develop Epperson Ranch at Curley and Elam roads.

The proposal still must win the required land-use change from county commissioners and rezoning from the county planning commission before any earthwork can begin. The land-use hearing is Nov. 6. Planning commissioners will consider the project early next year.

Over the next seven years, Miami-based Lennar plans to develop the 1,742-acre Epperson family homestead with nearly 4,000 homes and more than 250,000 square feet of retail and office space.

Epperson Ranch will include the western portion of a new 'town center' commercial hub county officials have requested for Curley Road. Crown Communities' Watergrass development, now going up on the east side of Curley Road, is responsible for building the eastern part of the town center.

Epperson Ranch is the last piece of a development puzzle that will replace thousands of acres of farmland bounded by Curley Road, State Road 52 and Interstate 75 with subdivisions and shopping malls within the next decade.

Thursday's approval by the Development Review Committee was the culmination of Lennar's second attempt at winning approval for its Epperson Ranch plans. The first attempt ran aground late last year after county officials demanded more than $20 million upfront to finance improvements to Curley Road.

Lennar countered with, and the county later agreed to, a plan that lets the developer build and pay to widen and realign Curley Road to offset the traffic Epperson Ranch is likely to generate.

By taking on Curley Road itself, Lennar will be able to pay for the work over years instead of having to write the county an eight-figure check in the midst of a troubled housing market.

As part of its deal with the county, Lennar will realign the southern end of Curley, moving it to the east to meet Meadow Pointe Boulevard at State Road 54.

In total, Lennar owes Pasco County $75 million in road work to offset the project's impacts. The bulk of that - $51 million - will go toward Curley. To encourage quick construction of the town center, a pet project of County Administrator John Gallagher, the county will give Lennar a $24 million break on what it owes.

County officials gave Lennar until 2012 to finish the realignment of Curley and start work on the town center. They also pushed back Watergrass' pending town center deadline to 2012 to ensure both sides of the project come online at the same time.