West Pasco might develop into county’s economic safe harbor
NEW PORT RICHEY –
Commissioner Henry Wilson’s preteen children attended a public workshop in 2011 about redeveloping the coastal area of Pasco County.
Nearly two years later, a draft of the redevelopment plan the workshop helped craft is on paper. By the time Christopher and Cailin Wilson are young adults, some of the ideas in the long-range plan might have taken tangible form.
Rebranding is a place to start, Planning and Development Administrator Richard Gehring told county commissioners at a Tuesday workshop at which commissioners reviewed the 172-page planning document.
Gehring and other Pasco planners hope for smooth sailing for redevelopment with The Harbors West Market plan for the U.S. 19 corridor. The name conjures up the waterfront access of West Pasco, officials believe. The plan basically encompasses a section west of Little Road to the coast.
As part of a countywide redevelopment effort, other parts of Pasco have been given distinctive names.
“People drive up and down (U.S.) 19 and never know it’s there,” Gehring said about the close proximity of The Harbors area to the Gulf. The area boasts some 7,000 waterfront lots.
As part of their redevelopment planning, county officials are reaching out to city, school and business leaders. Among those in the audience Tuesday were Port Richey City Manager Tom O’Neill, New Port Richey Councilman Bob Langford, West Pasco Chamber of Commerce President Chip Wichmanowski and Richard Tonello, the school district’s supervisor of planning.
County Administrator John Gallagher congratulated O’Neill for the city’s 2012 razing of a rundown former mobile home park at U.S. 19 and Grand Boulevard. O’Neill said the demolition and land clearing should help the city lure developers.
Gehring, a former Dunedin city manager, can envision West Pasco developing a waterfront tourist destination similar to the John’s Pass Village dining and shopping area in southern Pinellas County.
Nearly $1 million in unspent revenue from a U.S. 19 impact fee the county no longer levies could be a down payment on redevelopment, Commissioner Jack Mariano said. In 2011 the county scrapped the impact fee and replaced it with a mobility fee intended to direct growth toward planned urban service cores and away from undeveloped areas.
The renewal of Penny for Pasco last year also will provide the means to pursue better roads, pedestrian safety upgrades and other projects, Gehring noted.
For instance, a pedestrian crossing could be built underneath the Pithlachascotee River bridge on U.S. 19.
Stubborn problems remain, Gehring conceded. Vacant property still dots many areas. Foreclosures on a series of homes in a community can drag down entire neighborhoods.
A top goal remains lifting up homeless people, some who populate makeshift camps and communities in large numbers.
U.S. 19 and other roads already are “very deadly” with about 80,000 vehicles a day traveling along the corridor. Pedestrian deaths from people trying to cross U.S. 19 are very high.
As the county emerges from recession, however, the trends encourage commissioners.
“I think it’s perfect timing,” Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said about goals in The Harbors redevelopment guide. Well-done projects such as the new Wawa convenience stores and gas stations can spur more development, she said.
“It could be even stronger,” Mariano said about diversifying the tax base. “We’ve got to get the bait on the hook” to entice investments here.
Steep landscaping costs mandated under old county rules deterred a company from taking over the former Service Merchandise building on U.S. 19 in the Port Richey area, which has been vacant for years.
The school district and county might share more facilities in the future, Gehring noted. Ecotourism has also lured more visitors to the area.
Before the recession cut deeply into revenue, Gallagher said, the county was considering buying and razing vacant houses and developing neighborhood parks on the formerly occupied land.
Mariano is pursuing that concept. He has suggested converting into recreation areas some Aqua Utilities sewage treatment facilities along Ranch Road, once the sale of the private water and sewer system to Florida Government Utility Authority closes. The adjacent Palm Terrace Gardens subdivision has few recreational amenities.
“A lot of these neighborhoods are endless subdivisions,” Gehring agreed.
They need a park, community center or some other anchor, he added, especially as families displace retirees.
