‘Connected City’ Makes A Pitch For Impact Fee Credits At BCC Workshop

The Connected City project, approved last month by the Pasco County Development Review Committee (DRC), which was comprised of four county administrators and representatives from the Pasco School District’s Economic Development Council (EDC), is now looking towards getting the same support from the Board of County Commissioners (BCC), which will have the ultimate say.

At the first of two scheduled BCC workshops, on Dec. 6, at the Dade City Courthouse, attorney Joel Tew, who is representing the Metro Development Group, and Ernie Monaco, the county’s assistant planning and development administrator, took turns explaining the benefits of the Connected City in an effort to persuade the commissioners to eventually vote for it.

“Let’s capture the opportunity at hand,’’ Monaco pleaded.

That opportunity is to build a Connected City, essentially a new city in eastern Pasco County, even though it won’t have city limits. The project is part of a 10-year pilot program created by a new statute (SB 1216). Adopted in 2015, it allows for an expedited planning and approval process for creating city-connected corridors. For the length of the pilot program, there will be no state oversight, although there will be two-year reviews.

The Connected City — a 7,800-acre area running north from Overpass Rd. in Wesley Chapel to S.R. 52 in San Antonio, and west from I-75 to Curley Rd. — is touted by developers and planners as being the first-ever gigabit community built from the ground up. A first-of-its-kind high-tech community, developers say the Connected City will promote major job creation, alternative transportation along integrated roadways, two first-in-the-country, man-made crystal lagoons and a detailed 50-year plan.

Metro has taken the lead in the project.

“The county has zero risk,’’ Tew said. “The risk of failure is truly on the private partner.” Metro owns 35 percent of the property within the Connected City area and has been the primary developer in the process. It is looking to build communities at Epperson Ranch South, EpcoRanch North, Ashley Groves and Mirada (formerly Cannon Ranch).

One of the sticking points in the process revolves around Metro receiving transportation mobility fee credits from the county for building the primary roads in exchange for setting aside 72 acres of site-ready employment centers with necessary infrastructure in place and government permits in hand.

Tew argued that Metro deserves the credits. While many areas of the country that have tried similar projects have had to rely on a big company coming in, like Google, to foot the bill, or money from a local governmental entity, Metro has assumed all of the financial responsibility for the project so far.

“We decided to put our money where our mouth is,’’ Tew said. “The hope is that one day we can use ‘paper’ credits, and not have to wallpaper the office with them.”

Tew said that the Villages of Pasadena Hills, the county’s largest development land-wise (22,000 acres) which is located immediately west of the Connected City site, received similar credits for building roads and had to do a lot less.

“We don’t get credit for the roadways if we don’t do about 6-8 more things that are very specific, very onerous,’’ Tew said, citing the requirement that Metro provide 7.2 million sq.-ft. of employment-use property, meaning commercial/residential uses.

Tew estimates there could be another $318-million investment in infrastructure improvements by Metro, including roadways to accommodate the employment uses.

“It’s simple math,’’ he said. “For the county (giving) $92-million worth of credits, the county is getting (almost a) 4-to-1 return on infrastructure provided, when compared with the credits given.”

“With all respect,” Tew added, “we are going to get credit for building those additional roads that you are requiring us to build for these employment uses. The deal has to make economic sense.”

The additional credits, however, could leave Pasco with a $43-million shortfall for its other road projects.

That concerned new BCC chairman MIke Moore, since three of the road projects suggested for potential postponement are in his district.

“There are going to be impacts of giving credits,’’ Monaco said. “That’s the reality here.” But, he added, another reality is the thousands of jobs that the Connected City will attract to the area, as well as the millions of additional tax dollars from new residents. A University of Florida Bureau of Business & Economic Research study says Pasco County could have 250,000 new residents by 2040.

Monaco says that the Connected City’s liberal home occupation development code, surcharges being imposed to fund start-ups and having service-ready business sites ready will attract companies to the area.

Tew said he already has met with various school officials about building new schools in the Connected City, including a high school with a special high-tech program. He said in order to attract the best businesses, the area needs the best schools for workers to send their kids to, “Or else we’re dead in the water.”

Pat Gassaway of Heidt Design said that if you include the five-mile radius around the Connected City, the development plans could consist of 12 new schools — six elementary, three combined K-8 schools and three additional high schools. He said a surcharge of $579 per unit would be imposed to fund that part of the project.

There are two more hearings scheduled for Tuesday, January 17 & Tuesday, January 24. The official vote is expected to take place sometime in March of 2017.

Monaco said that if the Connected City fails, land reserved to produce a state-of-the-art community that provides jobs and additional lustre to the county — and the growing Wesley Chapel area — will instead become just another series of typical developments.

“We want a premier county,’’ Monaco said. “This is what has motivated us to work really hard on this deal.”

“We have an amazing comprehensive plan,’’ Monaco added. “There are measurements every two years. There is land development code (in the Connected City plan) other counties will copy, I am sure of it. This has never been done before.”

For more information about the Connected City, visit PascoCountyFL.net/index.aspx?NID=2319.