Pasco staff proposes consolidated pedestrian and bicycle standards; public hearings set

Pasco County planning staff presented a first reading of a land-development-code rewrite to consolidate bicycle and pedestrian facility standards and to strengthen connectivity requirements for new development.

Rebecca Bowden of Planning, Development & Economic Growth said the rewrite combines previous sections, allows friction-course roadway material, and proposes 10-foot multi-use paved trails on both sides of tier‑1 collectors while exempting agricultural and low-density future land uses. “The overall goal here is to strengthen the county’s position to require land development projects to build segments of our overall multimodal network,” Bowden said.

Bowden described changes considered by the local planning agency and noted concerns from September hearings about rigid requirements for trail placement; the draft was revised to allow more flexibility and a payment-in-lieu option where on-site construction is infeasible. Commissioners asked how the ordinance would affect existing subdivisions without sidewalks and whether the standards would apply only to future applications; staff said the requirements would apply to post-adoption applications and would not retroactively force existing developments to reconstruct frontage.

The item was presented as a first hearing; staff said the adoption hearing is scheduled for Dec. 9 with interim LPA review on Nov. 20 and a first BCC hearing on Jan. 6, 2026. Commissioners asked for additional public outreach and details on material durability for boardwalks and wetland crossings.