Residents File Appeal to Derail Amazon Drive Apartments

Residents are continuing the fight against the construction of an apartment complex slated for an area of unincorporated New Port Richey that is dense with single-family homes. 

Ralf Brookes, the attorney representing the group of property owners and state lawmakers opposing the project, filed an appeal to the Pasco County Commission recently on his clients behalf that requests the commission deny the project or rezone the land it would be located on. 

The appeal claims that the project isn’t compatible with surrounding area of single-family homes. It also claims the project is not in compliance with the county’s land development code and does not meet the purpose of the county’s multifamily zone.

The Oaks at Riverside Village apartment complex is planned for construction along Amazon Drive, in a community off Little Road.

The site the apartment complex is planned for is currently zoned for multi-family development, but it is surrounded by subdivisions of single family homes, including Heritage Lake, Southern Oaks and Riverside Village.

Opponents of the project would rather see single-family homes at the planned site of the complex.

The appeal to the commission is made by We Are 5,533 Strong, a group of  homeowners living near the complex. The group also includes state Rep. Mike Fasano and state Rep. Richard Corcoran.

Clearwater-based Scherer Development is the developer behind the project. 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.

County development staff approved the project this past September and said the project is in conformance with Pasco’s comprehensive plan and land use code. Homeowners then appealed the decision to the Pasco County Development Review Committee. In March, the committee chose to upheld the approval of the project.

The county commission has scheduled a public hearing of the appeal to county commissioners for Aug. 27. The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. in the commission chambers at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey.