The Dade City Commission voted 5–0 to continue two related legislative items — a large‑scale comprehensive plan amendment and a zoning change for West Hill Estates — to a date certain of Oct. 28 to allow further review of compatible future‑land‑use designations.

Staff described the proposal as an amendment to change the property’s future land‑use designation from Pasco County RES‑3 to the city’s Low Density Residential (LDR) designation for about 68.67 acres that were previously annexed into the city. The application is tied to a development that had previously been approved by Pasco County with a final plat recorded March 27, 2024, and a pre‑annexation agreement executed Sept. 26, 2023.

Mary McKnight, a nearby resident, urged caution and argued the commission should consider whether a higher‑intensity LDR designation that can allow up to six dwelling units per acre is appropriate given adjacent RES‑3 densities and class‑1 wetlands on portions of the site. “Do you think six dwelling units per acre on this class 1 wetlands is the most appropriate growth plan for our city?” she asked.

The applicant’s representative, Barbara Wilhite of ICI Homes, said the property is platted for roughly 55 single‑family lots (about half‑acre each) and that the existing approvals and recorded plat reflect a density of less than one unit per acre. Wilhite said the developer and the city had worked together on the annexation and pre‑annexation agreements and that the application’s technical record supports municipal utilities and connectivity.

Commissioners and staff discussed whether a different city future‑land‑use label (for example, an SDR or residential‑estate designation) would be more consistent with surrounding parcels and with the commission’s stated planning goals. To allow staff time to reconcile future‑land‑use compatibility, zoning options and the planning board recommendation, the commission continued both the comprehensive plan amendment and the rezoning to Oct. 28, 2025.