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Urban Land Institute panel advises Pasco on future development

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Urban Land Institute panel advises Pasco
Friday, April 25, 2008 - 5:30 PM EDT
Tampa Bay Business Journal - by Janet Leiser

An Urban Land Institute panel told Pasco County officials Friday the time is right to restructure how it deals with development.

"You just can't keep doing business as you've done it," Martin Cramton, one of eight ULI panel members who studied the county's layout, geographic assets and governmental structure over the past week told county officials.

The economic slowdown presents an opportunity for local officials, including county commissioners, Cramton said. It gives them the time needed to address long-range planning issues and restructuring to create a 21st century top-of-class organization and region.

The process is expected to take 18 to 36 months, or two budget cycles, to implement.

Other panel members were Dan Conway of THK Associates in Aurora, Co.; Tom Hester an urban designer in Tempe, Ariz.; Alex Rose of Continental Development in El Segundo, Calif.; William Lawrence of Cityscope Inc. in Jamestown, R.I.; Michael Maxwell of Maxwell & Partners in Miami Shores; Charles Long, interim city manager of Pinole, Calif., and Mary Roberts of Pinole, Calif.

The group spent the week in Pasco talking to government officials and those in the development community, trying to determine the county's strengths and weaknesses.

One of its strengths, according to ULI, is its comprehensive growth plan, while the development review process is cumbersome and unpredictable.

The process needs to be streamlined and more predictable with costs more clearly stated upfront, the group said. Development should be in designated areas and the costs of infrastructure shared by all developments in an area, not just the first one to build, it said.

The group recommended that the county more clearly brand itself and its five regions: coastal, along the Gulf of Mexico; coastal inland; central; south (bordering Hillsborough); and east, which includes Dade City and Zephyrhills.

Pasco Chief Assistant County Administrator Michele Baker said the final report is expected to take 60 day to complete. An outline of Friday's presentation is expected to be posted Monday on the county's Web site.

Tampa real estate attorney Ron Weaver, who represents the developer of Pasco Town Center, one of the biggest mixed-use developments planned for the county, attended the meeting. He predicted the day will be looked back upon as "the day we finally decided to become officially somebody."

"These are achievable dreams," Weaver said.

Nancy Surak, a commercial broker who also lives in Pasco, said, "We do have a good framework. We just need to take it to the next level."

The county and Pasco Economic Development Council shared the cost of bringing the ULI panel to town.

The next step: the county commission will hold a workshop to decide its priorities based on the report.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2008/04/21/daily56.html?page=2
 
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