Pasco commissioners approve townhome project after developer offers phased mobility-fee payments; residents warn traffic on Shady Hills Road remains a safety,容量

The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 19 approved a plan amendment and master-planned development rezoning that will allow construction of up to 186 fee-simple townhomes on roughly 30 acres west of the Suncoast Parkway in the Shady Hills area.

The adoption hearing for the comprehensive-plan amendment opened with planner Amy Toll reading the ordinance and describing the requested future-land-use change from RES-1 to RES-9 to permit up to 186 townhomes on about 30 acres: "This is the adoption hearing for the comp plan amendment." The county also considered a companion MPD rezoning for the development, which had been continued multiple times earlier in 2025.

The board’s decision followed a lengthy staff and applicant presentation and substantial public comment focused on traffic and pedestrian safety along Shady Hills Road. Pastor Jen Kerouac, speaking for neighbors, urged the board to deny the rezoning and said the area lacks the road capacity and safety measures required for added residential density: "I ask that you deny this today." Developers and staff said the project will fund or build pedestrian facilities and pedestrian beacons to improve school access, and that some county-funded sidewalk work is budgeted for fiscal 2026.

Staff and the applicant emphasized planned off-site transportation and pedestrian improvements. County staff said the developer will construct sidewalks and a safe-pedestrian beacon near Green Glenn Lane and that county construction of a traffic signal at Bosley Drive and Shady Hills Road is planned for fiscal 2026. The applicant — represented by attorney Barbara Willhide — highlighted project design choices: the townhome buildings are limited to six units each "So they're all sixes. So no unit buildings," she said, and the project includes a 2.25-acre park where code requires 1.86 acres and dedicated visitor parking exceeding requirements.

Commissioners pressed both the applicant and staff about the Shady Hills Road widening schedule and broader corridor funding. Staff said the county’s multimodal plan and MPO projects currently show the Shady Hills widening in a 2041–2050 band; commissioners called that timeline unacceptable given nearby industrial and residential growth and asked staff to pursue accelerated options, including exploring turnpike interchange alignment and MPO priorities. Several commissioners said they would press for earlier corridor work and grants to reduce the safety and congestion risk associated with additional housing.

A central point in deliberations was a voluntary mitigation offered by the applicant for the MPD rezoning: the developer agreed to prepay half the site’s mobility fees (about $700,000) at site-development-permit issuance and to pay the remainder at certificate-of-occupancy for the second building; staff and county attorneys said they would craft enforceable language. The applicant described the payments as an effort to "be part of a solution" and to accelerate funding for corridor improvements.

The board voted to approve the comprehensive-plan amendment and the MPD rezoning, with conditions and the applicant’s voluntary fee prepayment offer to be formalized in permit conditions. Commissioners said they supported the project’s design and pedestrian elements but remained concerned about regional road capacity and asked county staff for a concrete timeline for Shady Hills Road improvements.

Implementation details: staff said design for the pedestrian improvements were at 30% and that construction of select sidewalks and beacons is included in the county’s FY2026 budget; the applicant said it will advance its mobility-fee payments if the board accepts the voluntary schedule. Commissioners requested clearer language tying payments to site permits and agreed to work with the county attorney to ensure the county does not receive less money than intended if mobility fees change during the build-out.

The board directed staff to return with the finalized permit condition language and to continue engagement with the MPO and state partners on corridor funding and schedule acceleration.