Planning Commission Votes For A ‘Connected City’ Moratorium! 

Will The County Commission Follow Suit? Commissioner Weightman Says He’s Been Asking For Connected City Details Since Nov. 2023 

 I watched the Jan. 9 Pasco County Planning Commission meeting online and was surprised to find the Planning Commission Board agreeing with residents like Michael Pultorak and David Terino, who came to the meeting to oppose a rezoning request for the Tall Timbers Master Planned Unit Development (MPUD), the last 38-acre piece of the so-called “Connected City” (see map). 

My surprise came when Planning Commission Board member Jon Moody, P.E., agreed with the residents’ claim that the Connected City has not lived up to what was expected when the state first approved the Connected City in 2015, as a partnership between Pasco County and Metro Development Group, which is developing both Epperson in Wesley Chapel and Mirada in San Antonio, both of which are located within the boundaries of the Connected City (see map). 

“The residents were promised that the Connected City would not be the same as every other suburban subdivision in the county,” Moody said, noting that it was supposed to have cultural and recreational facilities, which were supposed to be more than just another playground at another apartment complex that, as Pultorak pointed out, would not be used by anyone except the residents of each apartment complex. To that end, the Planning Commission ultimately voted 4-3 for the moratorium at the Jan. 9 meeting. 

Of course, the Planning Commission is only an advisory board that makes recommendations to the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BOC), which has the final say over all rezonings and plan amendments for the county. 

District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman says that rather than a moratorium, what he would like to see — which he says he first started asking for back in Nov. 2023 — “is for the county staff to provide us (the BOC) with an overlay of what the Connected City was supposed to be when it was approved, with all of the changes to the plan that have now been approved. I wasn’t on the BOC when this was approved and I think it would be helpful for all of us — my fellow commissioners, residents and staff — to see where that project stands today.” 

Weightman also says that a moratorium should only be considered as “a last resort” and that he is “disappointed” that the county staff still has not provided the commissioners with the overlay he requested, “more than a year ago. I’m a visual person. I need to see the differences between what the project was supposed to look like and what it looks like today.” 

Speaking of visual learning, as we reported back in November, Pultorak has been a regular at Planning Commission and BOC meetings and he always brings a variety of photos, charts and other graphics with him when it’s his turn to speak at those meetings. He also has organized the Pasco Connected City Residents Group on Facebook, which today has more than 1,100 members. 

“This community deserves the parks, open spaces and thoughtful planning they were promised,” Pultorak said on Jan. 9. 

The Connected City moratorium recommendation is expected to be heard as an agenda item at a future BOC meeting, but at our press time, we hadn’t heard of such an agenda item being set. Comm. Weightman told me that he doesn’t believe that a Connected City moratorium agenda item will be set before February or even later. 

How It All Came About 

As mentioned above, the Planning Commission’s Connected City moratorium discussion came out of the agenda item about the Tall Timbers MPUD, which is a 38-acre parcel that sits in the so-called “Community Hub” Special Planning Area (or SPA) Zone, one of five such zones in the Connected City. (Note-The others are the Business Core, the North Innovation Zone, the South Innovation Zone and the Urban Core; see graphic, right). 

As shown in the graphic above, the rezoning request for the Tall Timbers MPUD would allow the parcel, which currently is zoned as “AC Agricultural District” to a “CC-MPUD” (Connected City Master Planned Unit Development District) within the Community Hub Zone. If approved by the BOC, the rezoning would allow for 380 multi-family dwelling units (apartments) and 180,000 sq. ft. of non-residential uses. 

Following the presentation by the county staff and attorney Shelly Johnson representing the developer, Xtreme Team 41, LLC, Moody and chief assistant county attorney David Goldstein both questioned how every MPUD approved for the Connected City bypassed all of the parks and cultural requirements outlined in the Connected City development plan. 

In fact, the Community Hub Zone, of which the Tall Timbers MPUD is part, is supposed to have a “Large District Park,” but Goldstein noted that although the District Park and the funding for it have already been moved to the planned “Superpark” in the Villages of Pasadena Hills, which is located to the east of the Connected City, there is still a requirement for a large district park in the Connected City itself, and he asked Nectarios Pittos, the county’s director of planning services, to look into why that district park requirement was still included in the Connected City documents. 

Meanwhile, Pultorak raised multiple questions about the neighborhood parks, which are required to be in each of the Connected City’s SPA zones. 

“Every Connected City rezoning project so far has turned into another subdivision with a playset for the people that live in it and no amenities,” Pultorak said. “The two fancy swimming pools (meaning the Metro Lagoons in Epperson and Mirada) have turned into pay-to-play operations where the developer is making the money from them. They are not amenities. We (local residents) can’t use them. There is not a single park, not a single recreation area, not a single amenity that’s in the Connected City that’s accessible to the Community Hub.” 

Pultorak also noted, “We have concluded that the county never etched out, in the Connected City, in the Community Hub, a location for the parks and recreation area. A neighborhood swing set at a townhouse community is not ‘parks.’ That is for individuals in those townhouses.” 

The main reason the Community Hub was supposed to have the large district park, Pultorak said, is because it is where King Lake, a 213-acre lake, is located (it’s the large area in blue inside the orange area on the map above). 

“But, what happens when we take slices of grass around retention ponds & call them parks?,” Pultorak asked. “What happens is the CDD has to, for liability reasons, put signs up that say ‘No Fishing’ and ‘No Swimming,’ so you don’t get eaten by alligators. The problem is when the boys try to get out in these neighborhoods and try to go put a line in the water and catch a bass, or do something away from technology, the HOA will go out there and say, ‘This is private property, you can’t fish here.’ You’ve gotta have some space in the community for the kids.” 

Among Pultorak’s biggest concerns about the Tall Timbers rezoning request is, “this site plan itself. The access and egress to this is going to be based on the Aprile and Kenton MPUDs, with Kenton Rd. coming in from the south, and you have a two-lane dirt road from McKendree Rd., so everybody traveling west to the interstate, all of the service vehicles coming in or out to the distribution center or the ‘Eatertainment’ district will be traveling on a two-lane dirt road. And, everybody traveling to the east to come through San Antonio to Dade City will be traveling a two-lane dirt road. This road can not handle it, even though Kenton Rd. will be the access and egress to this project.” 

He also talked about natural resources and conservation, two more cornerstones of the original Connected City development plan. 

“Natural resources serve as a significant asset to a community,” he said. “Wetlands serve as a natural flood control resource and house a diverse ecosystem for animal and plant life. When I left on Monday morning to meet with staff, I drove past this property and there was a bald eagle in a tree. That told me we’re fighting the right fight. This site plan does not have any wetlands listed in it — no wetlands that are protected.” 

Pultorak also mentioned flooding concerns, especially considering that most of the parcel remained flooded a month or more after Hurricane Milton came through in October. 

“The bottom line is that the Community Hub is not designed for apartments. It is not designed for vertical integration (apartments that are situated above ground-floor retail businesses, as in Downtown Avalon Park). The Community Hub is the center point of the entire Connected City. It’s supposed to have parks, recreation and a place where people want to live.” 

Moody said, “What I see is a special planning area (referring to Connected City) that got done on a piece-by-piece basis, rather than as a regional planning exercise, and in the overall scheme of things, I think the mark was missed.” 

Despite that, and all of the evidence Pultorak presented, Moody said, “Even with all that being said, I don’t think you can punish the [current] applicant for the sins of the past…So, I don’t think that denying this project is going to solve the overall, large-scale problems of Connected City. And I don’t know how you fix those.” 

He then moved to approve the Tall Timbers rezoning, which passed 4-3, with Planning Commission members John Girardi, Matthew Muniz and chairman Charles Grey voting “Nay.” 

Moody them moved to recommend to the BOC to impose a moratorium on all development in Connected City for one year, “while we figure out how to implement land development regulations that better achieve the goals of the Connected City.” 

When asked by Goldstein if he was only talking about a moratorium on rezonings, Moody said, “No. I want to change the land development code, so that would be a moratorium on land development, including all site plan approvals, building permits, everything.” That motion passed 6-1, with only Girardi voting nay. 

“I think the public has legitimate concerns regarding this whole issue of cultural facilities, district parks and whether there are trails,” Moody said. “I just know it needs to be fixed.” 

Goldstein said, “I don’t know how to best convey that to the BOC because I’m not sure it’s best to tie it to this particular application. It should be presented as a regular discussion item for the Board.” 

To be continued.

Plans To Widen & Improve Curley Rd. Getting Fresh Look

The connected city projected is not only bringing fast internet and Crystal Lagoons (see pgs. 1 & 4) to Wesley Chapel, it will also result in some local road improvements, as the county preps for additional traffic in the future.

A 2005 route study that recommended widening Curley Rd. (C.R. 577) is getting a re-evaluation, due to development in the area that is expected to increase traffic. Curley Rd. makes up the connected city’s western border.

Also, Clinton Ave. is being extended to the west and will become the new re-aligned S.R. 52, which runs along the connected city’s northern border in San Antonio.

A steady crowd (photo) showed up to participate in the route study re-evaluation Open House held Dec. 6 at Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Parish Center in San Antonio.

Local residents were allowed to view the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) plans for east-west re-aligning of S.R. 52, which is expected to begin in June of 2019.

The county hopes to complete its right-of-way acquisitions by the spring of 2019.

The Curley Rd. project itself is even further off. While minor improvements will be made where Curley connects with the realigned S.R. 52, right now, it is unlikely anything will be done with widening it or re-routing where it connects with Prospect Rd. (579A) before 2030.

“Because of connected city (east of Curley)and the Villages of Pasadena (a development on the west side of Curley Rd.), things have changed,’’ said Panos Kontses, project manager for the Pasco County Engineering Services Department. “What we analyzed then has changed, so we are doing a refreshing of the study.”

The study is looking at widening Curley Rd. from two to four lanes (from one lane in each direction to two lanes in each direction) from north of the Wesley Chapel schools on Wells Rd. to north of the S.R. 52 re-alignment.

The road would have one sidewalk, and a 46-foot grass median that could allow for the expansion of the road to six total lanes.

Also presented at the open house were three alternatives for a Curley Rd.-Prospect Rd. intersection, north of Tyndall Rd.

Prospect Rd. is an east-west road that curves north before ending at Curley (after Curley curves west).

New plans call for extending Prospect west to Curley, where the two roads will intersect. But, Prospect will become Mirada Blvd. and run northwest through another connected city/Crystal Lagoon development called Mirada.

Residents were asked to weigh in on three options: a single signalized intersection, a roundabout with right turn bypass lanes or two signalized offset “T” intersections for the Curley Rd./Mirada Blvd./Prospect Rd. intersection.

According to traffic studies, Curley Rd. currently handles roughly 7,200 vehicles a day, but by 2041 is projected to have 21,000 vehicles traveling on it each day.

Likewise, Prospect Rd. is expected to increase from 6,200 to 15,100, and once the intersection is complete, Mirada Blvd. will be handling 11,900 vehicles daily.

“It is a ways off,” Kontses said. “All we’re doing right now are the planning studies. We don’t (currently) have the funding for design or construction of this project.”

Connected City Gets Approval

The Connected City is officially coming to Wesley Chapel.

“I think we realize we actually made history today,’’ said District 2 commissioner and Pasco Board of County Commissioner (BCC) chairman Mike Moore.

After months of delays and negotiations, Metro Development Group finally put forth a polished plan that the BCC could not only live with, but gush over.

The commissioners approved the massive project at its Feb. 7 meeting in New Port Richey by a unanimous 5-0 vote.

Both sides were pleased to see the plan to build the nation’s first gigabit community constructed from the ground up move forward. It was viewed by the commissioners as a seminal moment for Pasco County.

“I think it’s going to turn out to be one of the greatest things we’ve done here in Pasco County,’’ said District 1 commissioner Ron Oakley, who was elected in November.

“I’m very jealous this is in your district,’’ District 3 commissioner Kathryn Starkey told Oakley.

The Connected City is 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.

Alternative transportation is a big component of the Connected City coming to Wesley Chapel.

It has been touted by developers and planners as a first-of-its-kind, high-tech economic engine that will promote major job creation, alternative transportation along integrated roadways and not just one, but two first-in-the-country, man-made Crystal Lagoons.

One of those lagoons recently broke ground at the Epperson Ranch development off Curley Rd. (see story, pg. 6), while the other lagoon is expected to break ground later this year at the planned Mirada development in the northwest corner of the Connected City, just south of the S.R. 52 exit off I-75.

Metro owns roughly 35 percent of the land and is already building homes in Mirada and Epperson Ranch; they plan to begin selling those homes by the end of the year.

The project is part of a 10-year pilot program created by Senate Bill 1216 in May of 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.

More than 100 Wesley Chapel residents showed up to the first public meetings at Wesley Chapel Elementary in December of 2015 regarding the Connected City, voicing concerns about the impact on the Florida aquifer, the effect on sewers and sinkholes and how construction would impact the area, which they said was already prone to flooding.

At the final public hearing and vote, only one person spoke.

The longer-than-expected 18-month process to gain approval required a number of adjustments, from scrapping plans to form a committee that would bypass county oversight to contributing $7 million to build additional roads to rigorous debate over mobility fee credits.

“We worked very closely with the county throughout the entire process — they are our public partner on the Connected City, so we were sure to be flexible during the planning process to meet their requests,’’ said Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations with Metro Development and the man credited with being the visionary behind the Connected City.

“Every hoop, question and demand illustrates the hard work that goes into a project like this,” Goyani added. “The success of the Connected City is indicative of true collaboration and dedication to a common goal.”

With 72 acres of site-ready employment centers set aside, as well as commitments from Tampa General Hospital, Florida Hospital and Saint Leo University for proposed centers, and the potential for a number of tech start-ups, the project’s promise of job creation convinced District 4 commissioner Mike Wells Jr. of the merits of the Connected City.

Wells’ father, Mike Sr., was involved decades ago in the development of Trinity on the west side of the county.

“The Board wasn’t really sold on bringing that forward,” Wells Jr. said. “But as a Board, they moved forward on it and look at what Trinity is today. (During this process) I have pondered that. I know more about connected cities than I ever wanted to know. But, at the end of the day, I feel it is right for the county. It comes down to jobs creation to me.”

Wells Jr. added that despite his support, he would hold developers accountable for those promised job creations.

Ernie Monaco, the county’s assistant planning and development administrator, has been one of the leading – and more excitable – proponents of the Connected City.

He says that as a result of the project, planners have written new development code that could be extended to areas beyond the huge development itself.

He also listed a number of things that will put Pasco on the cutting edge – things like driverless vehicles, clean energy homes, incentives for builders and employers, improvements in local schools, innovative healthcare and a business community that keeps area residents from having to move away to find good employment opportunities.

“That’s the kind of future we want,” Monaco said.

The commissioners agreed, unanimously. Despite the delays and countless meetings, the Connected City promises to be a game changer, Moore said.

“All eyes are going to be upon us now,” he said. “So get ready.”

For more information about the Connected City, visit PascoCountyFL.net/=2319.

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

The Connected City, located at the north end of Wesley Chapel, still has a few hurdles to jump through before it brings thousands of new homes and businesses to the area in purple.

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.