Officials Uphold Apartment Decision

An effort to prevent the construction of an apartment complex in an area of unincorporated New Port Richey that is heavy with single family homes hit a roadblock Thursday.

The Pasco County Development Review Committee voted to uphold approval for the Oaks at Riverside apartment complex to be built in a community off Little Road. They agreed to add a condition the developer maintain drainage infrastructure.

Residents have been fighting that decision, and the group of residents opposing the development say they plan to continue their fight against the apartments. 

They now plan to take the fight to Pasco County Commission.

Ralf Brookes, the attorney representing residents fighting the development, says the group fighting the development will appeal to the county commission to change the property's zoning, which is currently multifamily.

"We'd like to see the property rezoned," Brookes said.

Opponents of the complex would rather see single-family homes there.

Homeowners living near the complex started the Not for profit group We Are 5,533 Strong to fight the development. State Rep. Mike Fasano is a member of that group.

County development staff approved the project Sept. 14, and We Are 5,533 Strong appealed that decision in October. The appeal was based on the claim the plan did not comply with the county’s land development code.

Clearwater-based Scherer Development is the developer behind the project. The complex is to be called Oaks at Riverside Village, and will be located on 41 acres along Amazon Drive, east of Little Road. The complex will have 102 units in six, two-story buildings, although that is in phase one of the development, with the possibility of more in phase two.

The property is zoned for multi-family development, but it is surrounded by subdivisions of single family homes, including Heritage Lake, Southern Oaks and Riverside Village.

County staff says the project is in conformance with Pasco’s comprehensive plan and land use code. The appeal claims it isn’t.  

The Development Review Committee first discussed the appeal Nov. 29. and granted a continuance in the case. They were scheduled to reconvene last month but instead of making a decision, they were granted another continuance.

Residents impacted by the project have expressed concern about the project increasing flooding potential in the area.

 The first continuance was granted after County Administrator John Gallagher said he wanted to explore the flooding concerns. The impacted communities were among those that saw flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Debby.

A consultant to the county said Thursday that his independent review of the development plan  concluded the project would "not result in any increase of discharges downstream or result in any adverse impacts downstream."

Gallahgher said Thursday that the county staff and the consultant had looked at all the drainage nformation supplied to them and they "think everything's going to be OK" if everything is built as designed. 

Residents expressed concerns about the maintence of drainage ditches and swales. 

Residents are also worried the apartments will increase traffic on local roads, such as St. Lawrence Drive.

Gallagher said it was his understanding that the multifamily allows for the density the apartment ccomplex is requesting.

 They have also complained it could lower property values, that the complex does not fit the area and that the apartments could become government-subsidized housing.

Bill Gillies, a leader of 5,533 Strong, says he's going to appeal the committee's  decision to the county commission.

"The county dropped the ball, and it's time to step in and do the right thing," he said.  "You don't put a commercial entity in the middle of single-family homes."

The group name We Are 5,533 Strong refers to the numbers of voters impacted by the apartments, according its members. The group has 12 board members, including impacted homeowners and State Rep. Mike Fasano, who lived in Heritage Lake when the project was proposed.

Fasano wasn't at the meeting because he was in Tallahassee, but he said he was "disappointed" by the committee's decision.

"I will still be working diligently with the homeowners to try and convince the county commissioners not to approve the development of these apartments,"  he said.

He says an advantage of taking this fight to the county commission is the issue will now go before elected officials who represent the people who could be "harmed" by the development.

"My hope is the county commissioners will hear the concerns of the thousands of residents who live in this area," he said.

See also:

Amazon Drive Apartment Decision Delayed

Community Resists Amazon Drive Apartment Plan