Planning board recommends approval of Highland Trails Phase 2 preliminary plan after neighbor negotiations

The Dade City Planning Board voted to recommend approval of the Highland Trails Phase 2 preliminary plan after staff, the applicant and nearby property owners reached limited agreements on trail and utility connectivity.

City planning staff told the board the proposal, located between Clinton Avenue to the south and Morningside Drive to the north, “creates 513 home sites and includes bike trails, bike paths, retention ponds, and then the natural wetlands area,” and that the plan meets the requirements of the PD ordinance and the city’s land‑development regulations.

That overview came from Catherine Ralston, the city’s Community and Economic Development director, who told the board the project’s future land use is Low Density Residential (LDR) and the zoning is a PD (H1). Ralston said the developer has provided the bike trails required by the PD and that staff’s recommendation was to move forward with approval.

Why it matters: the preliminary plan establishes the layout and expected infrastructure for a large, multi‑phase subdivision. Approval at this stage is a recommendation to the city commission and does not by itself authorize construction; the applicant must still complete construction documents, third‑party reviews and any county or state permitting before building can begin.

Key details and unresolved items

- Utilities and right‑of‑way: An adjacent landowner asked the board to require the developer to dedicate or reserve additional right‑of‑way along Old Lakeland Highway and to provide water/sewer stub‑outs to the Old Lakeland Highway right‑of‑way. Staff and the applicant said those items are governed by county review and by the developer’s utility service agreement with the city. Ralston and the applicant’s counsel said the preliminary plan is not the step for obligating additional dedications beyond those required by county or state permitting; construction documents and the final plat/permit steps would address final dedications.

- Bike/pedestrian connection: The affected property owner had requested an 8‑foot paved path through the lake/pond area to connect to the adjacent parcel. The applicant agreed to bring “one of their 8 foot path paved trails from the nearest cul de sac through the wetland pond area, and it will terminate at the property line,” meaning the paved trail will stop at Highland Trails’ boundary and would require the adjacent property owner to connect when/if they develop.

- Capacity and system design: Staff and the applicant explained the subdivision’s sewer follows a gravity system designed for residential use; upsized sewer capacity is proposed along Morningside Drive to serve future area development. The applicant said a future commercial use on the adjacent parcel would likely need to design its own extension to the main line if capacity or layout required it.

Public testimony and affected‑party concerns

Peter Pensa, an AICP planner representing an adjacent owner, told the board “we've made progress since last month's meeting” and said the parties had reached a verbal, in‑principle understanding about easements or reservations in the future right‑of‑way corridor. Pensa explained Pasco County has identified a roughly 100‑foot future right‑of‑way corridor along Old Lakeland Highway (he said the county’s practice is to reserve or require dedication at time of development) and asked that, if the county does not require reservation/dedication at plat, the developer provide a utility easement across any reservation area so utilities could be extended later.

Travis Lowhorn, a resident whose driveway is adjacent to an emergency access drive, raised concerns about construction traffic, dust and an oak tree leaning into his property. He asked that the board ensure the emergency access remain strictly for emergency use, and asked for attention to mud and grading that were washing onto Elkins Road.

Applicant response

The applicant’s attorney, Clark Hobby, and engineer Ryan McCaffrey said the project meets the city’s technical code and comp‑plan standards and that the developer intends to work with adjacent owners on reasonable connections. Hobby said the project team plans to plat and dedicate right‑of‑way where required by the county at the time of final plat and will otherwise coordinate required improvements through the county review and right‑of‑way‑use permit process.

Board action

A motion to recommend approval of the Highland Trails Phase 2 subdivision preliminary plan carried on a roll‑call vote. Recorded on the transcript were votes in favor from Chair Michael Stout, Board member Simon, Board member Levins and Board member Jonathan McKeef Chaff; the motion was recorded as carried and will be transmitted to the City Commission for final action. The board and staff stressed that preliminary‑plan approval does not authorize construction and that the project must still complete construction documents, permitting and final plat steps.

What remains: the preliminary plan will proceed to the city commission (and to county/state reviews as required). The items the adjacent landowner requested — right‑of‑way dedication/reservation and utility easements/stub‑outs — will be addressed during construction‑document review, county permitting/platting, or by private easement agreement between developers and adjacent owners.

Ending note: Board members and staff agreed they expect additional engineering detail and potential minor lot‑layout adjustments during the construction‑document stage; several speakers emphasized the applicant and adjacent owners should continue direct coordination to minimize later conflicts.