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Board signs off on Kenton road development agreements and Kenton Road Commercial MPD; neighbors press for four lanes and signals
Summary
Commissioners approved development agreements requiring applicants to build missing Kenton Road segments (multi‑use paths and turn lanes) and an MPD at Kenton and Elum allowing commercial space and a 120‑room hotel; residents urged building four lanes and signalization to handle projected peak hour volumes.
The Pasco County Board approved a set of linked development agreements and a rezoning that together aim to complete missing segments of Kenton Road between Elum Road and Overpass, install multi‑use trails and enable a mixed‑use commercial parcel at Kenton and Elum.
Staff said the Kenton and Arley development agreements create three different “backstops” — DAs that collectively obligate private developers to design and construct roadway segments in exchange for transportation development fee credits, closing a gap in the Connected City roadway network. The typical section will include two 12‑foot multi‑use paths (one each side) and an ultimate cross‑section configured for transition to four lanes where needed.
Speakers and residents pressed the board to build four lanes "out of the gate" and to signalize intersections such as Kenton and Elum to manage projected peak flows. Michael Ptok, a neighborhood speaker, cited traffic study numbers showing more than 1,300–1,700 vehicles per peak hour at the intersection and urged immediate signalization and four‑lane construction for safety.
County engineering staff and applicants said the missing Kenton segment is constructed in phases and that the DA packages are structured to provide multiple backstops so the segment can be completed. County engineers confirmed there is adequate right‑of‑way (70‑foot typical corridor) to build multi‑use paths but noted tradeoffs between green space and moving pathways outside the curb; the county can retrofit existing sections in the future but retrofits are costly.
On the Kenton Road Commercial MPD (P57), the applicant proposed a three‑parcel plan oriented around a social gathering space, first‑floor retail and vertically integrated self‑storage above retail in a parcel designed to limit standalone drivethrus, gas and vehicle sales. Commissioners added a condition requiring a common architectural/material palette for facade consistency and extended a restaurant/retail reservation period to allow time for the corridor and roadwork to commence.
The board approved the Kenton and Arley DAs and the Kenton Road MPD by roll call (motions included clerk’s final review steps for finance and the clerk’s office). Staff will continue to coordinate timing with applicants and the county’s capital improvement program for intersection improvements and signalization as volumes warrant.
