Pasco staff propose simpler roadway level-of-service and clearer drainage standards in PASCO Invest update

County staff on July 9 asked the planning body to approve technical edits to the PASCO Invest chapter of the PASCO 2050 comprehensive‑plan update that simplify roadway level‑of‑service language and clarify stormwater/drainage standards.

Ellie (project manager, Planning Development and Economic Growth) said the Invest chapter was reorganized to one goal, five objectives and 50 policies. She told the commission the roadway letter‑grade column was removed from a level‑of‑service table on the recommendation of the county engineer to avoid mixing letter grades with volume‑to‑capacity metrics.

"When you combine a letter grade with a volume to capacity ratio, you're mixing your metaphors," said Nick Uren, County Engineer. "We're just trying to simplify the language and make it a little easier to implement." Uren described the change as a functional simplification rather than a standards rollback.

Commissioners raised questions about a drainage table that uses the term "accommodate" for different site types (emergency shelters, habitable structures, employment centers). Joyce Goulas, the county stormwater engineer, said the table reflects watershed management guidance and that for new construction the practice is to meet the 100‑year, 24‑hour event or FEMA base flood elevation. "For the hundred year, new standards... for new structures, they should be outside of that hundred year, 24 hour flood stage," Goulas said, and staff agreed to clarify the table to specify applicability to new development and redevelopment.

Several commissioners noted the county's allowance of up to 6 inches of gutter spread differs from FDOT/Green Book expectations. One commissioner urged the draft be revised so "roadway flooding shall not encumber more than half of the outside lane," language several members supported as closer to state standards. Goulas said the county will coordinate with Building Services and FDOT criteria when updating the Land Development Code to avoid conflicts.

Staff said they will return a revised table that clarifies whether standards apply to new construction only, what "accommodate" precisely means for each facility type (structure elevation vs. site accessibility), and how evacuation routes are protected. The commission did not take a final vote on policy changes at the workshop; staff will post an edited draft for review before the chapter returns for formal adoption.