Pasco planning commissioners continue Livingston townhome rezoning after residents raise traffic and flooding concerns

Pasco County Planning Commission members continued a request to rezone about 46 acres north of State Road 54 for the Enclave at Livingston, a master planned unit development proposed to include up to 178 townhomes, after extensive public comment raising traffic and stormwater concerns.

Commissioners sent the application to a June 19 continuation after residents and nearby property owners described repeated flooding, a narrow local road network, and worries that the project's traffic would worsen congestion at the signalized intersection of Livingston Avenue and State Road 54.

The request matters because staff and the applicant said additional technical materials were either incomplete in the packet or needed follow-up analysis, and dozens of residents attended to press concerns about safety, drainage, and cumulative impacts.

Planning staff presented the rezoning request as a conversion from agricultural residential zoning to MPD and described the proposed site plan showing front- and rear-loaded townhomes, internal pedestrian connections and construction of an extension of Livingston Avenue to provide primary access. Staff noted wetlands on the site and said a binding concept plan and conditions would limit the number of units and establish lot and parking standards.

Residents spoke at length. Jonathan Hack, who said his property floods repeatedly, described a man‑made drainage ditch and said the existing flow path that carries stormwater to the Cypress swamp is silted and cannot handle increased runoff. He told commissioners his property floods to levels higher than the mapped 100‑year floodplain. Other speakers, including Susan Lang, Melody Kelly, Laura Rice, Linda Brown and George Cavallu, described traffic backups on State Road 54, accidents at the Livingston signal, emergency‑vehicle access concerns and observed flooding near their homes following recent storms.

Engineer Jeremy Couch, representing the applicant’s technical team, said the project has received preliminary environmental review approvals and that site stormwater design is intended to meet county and water‑management district criteria. “The project in the 25‑year storm event reduces our discharge rates by 19 cfs, which equates to 30%,” Couch said, describing modeled reductions in runoff from the developed site compared with predevelopment flows for certain design storms. Couch also said the applicant is willing to work with nearby property owners on possible additional drainage improvements.

Residents repeatedly asked for an updated traffic count and a review of morning peak flows, which several speakers argued had not been included in the submitted traffic analysis. Commissioners and staff agreed the planning packet lacked some supporting materials referenced in the agenda; staff said it would supply the full timing/phasing and traffic report and would add the traffic report to the record before the Board of County Commissioners hearing.

After discussion, an applicant representative asked for a continuance so the team could deliver the missing reports and meet with residents. The Planning Commission approved a motion to continue the item to the June 19 meeting in New Port Richey.

The continuance preserves the current land‑use status while staff and the applicant update the record, giving commissioners more time to review traffic modeling, drainage permits and revised conditions. The applicant and staff indicated they would return with the outstanding traffic analysis, clarifications about construction access and refined conditions on phasing and site access.

If returned on June 19, the item will still require a formal rezoning vote and subsequent Board of County Commissioners action; no policy or permits were granted at this meeting.