Pasco County, FL - Urban Land Institute
Pasco County, FL - Urban Land Institute
Pasco County, FL - Urban Land Institute
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New development in<br />
central and southern<br />
<strong>Pasco</strong> <strong>County</strong> needs to be<br />
clustered at nodes rather<br />
than spread out among<br />
competing land owners.<br />
Mixed-use buildings and<br />
planned communities that<br />
incorporate components<br />
of traditional neighborhood<br />
development should<br />
be a priority.<br />
South Market Area Challenges<br />
There is no clear consensus on the vision or identity<br />
for the South Market Area. No brand has been<br />
established by which the area can distinguish itself<br />
and sell itself to the Tampa Bay office market.<br />
Proximity to the airport is noteworthy, but alone<br />
it is not enough to make the area remarkable. Its<br />
role as a gateway area is not fully realized.<br />
Development pattern and mix. The panel felt that<br />
while this area was capitalizing on the growth<br />
pressures from the Tampa market to the south,<br />
the quality of the commercial product has been<br />
historically poor. This image still remains although<br />
new developments, such as Northpoint,<br />
are ratcheting up the level of quality and future<br />
image for commercial product. Efforts are being<br />
made to create employment nodes, but the image<br />
that must still be overcome is one of hodgepodge,<br />
low-quality commercial development along<br />
clogged transportation corridors. Residential areas<br />
are interspersed, creating opportunities to live<br />
close to potential future employment, but other<br />
quality of life amenities appear to be lacking, such<br />
as land for parks and recreation.<br />
Economic development. Growth pressures from<br />
the south (Hillsborough <strong>County</strong> and the Tampa<br />
International Airport) are driving growth and economic<br />
development in this area. No clear economic<br />
development strategy exists in terms of markets<br />
to target or serve, clustering of like-employment<br />
sectors, or identifying and strategically growing<br />
the area’s competitive advantage. The market is<br />
responding on a speculative basis only. There is<br />
a high level of competition for economic development<br />
between the city of Tampa, Polk <strong>County</strong>,<br />
and Hernando <strong>County</strong>, fueled in part by the disparate<br />
fee structures and costs of development in<br />
each. The potential for medical facilities would appear<br />
to be viable in this area with its mix of new<br />
households and jobs.<br />
Transportation/transit. This area is congested,<br />
which impacts its economic development potential.<br />
Both roads and transit are inadequate to support<br />
the level and quality of development. Existing<br />
freeways, the Suncoast Parkway and I-75, are<br />
at capacity during the morning and evening commutes<br />
south of the <strong>Pasco</strong> <strong>County</strong> line. Correcting<br />
this problem and the congestion that cripples<br />
State Road 54, the major east-west link, are major<br />
challenges for this area. The rail corridor that<br />
runs north-south on the western side of U.S. 41 in<br />
the South Market Area is not maximized for transit-oriented<br />
development.<br />
Environmental sensitivity. Development does not<br />
appear to be environmentally sensitive or sustainable.<br />
The potential of linking into the ecology of<br />
the Central Market Area is not realized in the existing<br />
development pattern and may be lost to the<br />
emerging development pattern.<br />
30<br />
An Advisory Services Panel Report
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