FloridaFuture
May 5th, 2007, 02:45 PM
Wiregrass' Toll: $627 Million
By KEVIN WIATROWSKI The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 5, 2007
WESLEY CHAPEL - County officials say they expect to charge the developers of Wiregrass Ranch an unprecedented $627 million for road improvements mandated by the city-size project.
If the developers sign on, the deal could resolve a long-running dispute with the county over how to address the effect Wiregrass' 35,000 potential residents could have on the road network in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa.
After more than two years of negotiations, Wiregrass Ranch could go to county commissioners for final approval this summer.
The project is on the schedule for the commission meeting Tuesday but likely will be delayed so county officials can finalize the documents needed to seal the deal, said Ali Atefi, a county transportation planner who negotiated the final number with Wiregrass and the state Department of Transportation.
The total payment would be the largest amount Pasco has ever charged a developer for road projects, Atefi said. The record has been the $78 million charged the developers of Bexley Ranch on the western edge of Land O' Lakes.
County officials charge large projects such as Wiregrass for a "proportionate share" of road improvements needed to absorb the traffic they generate. Those figures have risen rapidly in recent years as road construction costs have doubled to $6 million a mile.
Atefi said Wiregrass' proportionate share charge reflects potential increases in construction costs as well as Wiregrass' far-flung influence.
The final figure has been fixed, but it's unclear what that money would buy.
"The next step is to figure out what to do with it," Atefi said.
In other cases, proportionate share funds have been poured into a single project, such as the widening of State Road 54 in the case of Cypress Creek Town Center.
The developers already are committed to extending State Road 56 and Chancey Boulevard east to Meadow Pointe Boulevard and linking Mansfield Boulevard to State Road 54 with a new road named Porter Boulevard.
The dispute over Wiregrass' future traffic has hamstrung the Porter family's plans to turn its 5,000-acre homestead into the focus of south-central Pasco's sprawling suburban growth.
Wiregrass' developers didn't return calls for comment.
Overall plans for the ranch include more than 13,000 homes, 3.2 million square feet of retail space, 2 million square feet of office space, a hospital and four elementary schools.
The project will be built in four phases during the next 20 years.
The developers and county officials spent much of last year debating what that traffic could do to the existing road network and how to compensate. Among other things, Pulte agreed to build public roads through the heart of its gated retirement community to relieve the pressure on major roads.
Last fall, Pulte began work on Chancey Boulevard and a northern extension to serve Wiregrass High School. But both projects have ground to a halt, along with Pulte's first residential project, with no sign of restarting.
Work is moving forward on the Shops at Wiregrass, Wiregrass Ranch's retail component at the northeast corner of S.R. 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
There, developers have begun work on three new buildings on the east side of the existing JCPenney store that opened in 2005. The rest of the plaza - more than 500,000 square feet of new shopping - must wait until the county and Wiregrass sign their deal on the overall project.
Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com.
http://pasco.tbo.com/pasco/MGBCMVXDB1F.html
By KEVIN WIATROWSKI The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 5, 2007
WESLEY CHAPEL - County officials say they expect to charge the developers of Wiregrass Ranch an unprecedented $627 million for road improvements mandated by the city-size project.
If the developers sign on, the deal could resolve a long-running dispute with the county over how to address the effect Wiregrass' 35,000 potential residents could have on the road network in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa.
After more than two years of negotiations, Wiregrass Ranch could go to county commissioners for final approval this summer.
The project is on the schedule for the commission meeting Tuesday but likely will be delayed so county officials can finalize the documents needed to seal the deal, said Ali Atefi, a county transportation planner who negotiated the final number with Wiregrass and the state Department of Transportation.
The total payment would be the largest amount Pasco has ever charged a developer for road projects, Atefi said. The record has been the $78 million charged the developers of Bexley Ranch on the western edge of Land O' Lakes.
County officials charge large projects such as Wiregrass for a "proportionate share" of road improvements needed to absorb the traffic they generate. Those figures have risen rapidly in recent years as road construction costs have doubled to $6 million a mile.
Atefi said Wiregrass' proportionate share charge reflects potential increases in construction costs as well as Wiregrass' far-flung influence.
The final figure has been fixed, but it's unclear what that money would buy.
"The next step is to figure out what to do with it," Atefi said.
In other cases, proportionate share funds have been poured into a single project, such as the widening of State Road 54 in the case of Cypress Creek Town Center.
The developers already are committed to extending State Road 56 and Chancey Boulevard east to Meadow Pointe Boulevard and linking Mansfield Boulevard to State Road 54 with a new road named Porter Boulevard.
The dispute over Wiregrass' future traffic has hamstrung the Porter family's plans to turn its 5,000-acre homestead into the focus of south-central Pasco's sprawling suburban growth.
Wiregrass' developers didn't return calls for comment.
Overall plans for the ranch include more than 13,000 homes, 3.2 million square feet of retail space, 2 million square feet of office space, a hospital and four elementary schools.
The project will be built in four phases during the next 20 years.
The developers and county officials spent much of last year debating what that traffic could do to the existing road network and how to compensate. Among other things, Pulte agreed to build public roads through the heart of its gated retirement community to relieve the pressure on major roads.
Last fall, Pulte began work on Chancey Boulevard and a northern extension to serve Wiregrass High School. But both projects have ground to a halt, along with Pulte's first residential project, with no sign of restarting.
Work is moving forward on the Shops at Wiregrass, Wiregrass Ranch's retail component at the northeast corner of S.R. 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
There, developers have begun work on three new buildings on the east side of the existing JCPenney store that opened in 2005. The rest of the plaza - more than 500,000 square feet of new shopping - must wait until the county and Wiregrass sign their deal on the overall project.
Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201 or kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com.
http://pasco.tbo.com/pasco/MGBCMVXDB1F.html