One key Pasco County crossroads, Gowers Corner at the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 52, has seen some of the same development transformation as the rest of the fast-growing county, and soon that could ramp up.
Pasco County commissioners unanimously approved the Tibbets Land at Gowers Corner development this week with a mix of 400 apartments and up to 300,000 square feet of commercial space on 49 acres.
In an unrelated action at the same meeting, they also voted to protect their ability to someday acquire a large parcel southeast of the same intersection for future conservation or passive recreational use.
Commissioners were supportive of the plans submitted by the Tibbet’s Land applicant.
The mixed-use development was designed “with the intent to establish a well-connected network of internal streets and trails with a mix of uses that prioritizes employment generation along the frontages of SR 52 and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard,” according to the agenda memo. “The project is envisioned to be walkable and interconnected with an 8-foot-wide pedestrian path and 5-foot–wide sidewalks throughout the development.”
Commissioner Jack Mariano suggested that he would be happy if the developer wanted to build even more commercial buildings than requested.
“I’d rather put in flexibility for the future,” he said.
The existing land use rules would have allowed a much more intense development, county officials said. The rules would have permitted as much as 1.28 million square feet of commercial buildings on the site and 1,175 apartments. Clarke Hobby, the applicant’s representative, said that he agreed that a larger amount of commercial would work but ultimately he opted not to seek that because such a change would have delayed the approval of the project.
The commission’s discussion about preserving the other nearby land on the west side of U.S. 41 for some future recreational use was initiated by Commissioner Seth Weightman on Tuesday. That site includes multiple parcels totaling over 1,000 acres owned by Old Florida Ranch LLC, according to Property Appraiser’s Office records. It is located directly north of the county complex that includes the Pasco County Detention Center.
The Environmental Land Acquisition Selection Committee, which makes recommendations about environmentally sensitive lands the county should consider for future purchase, had recommended that the parcel not be included on the list.
Mariano said he felt that since a portion of the site was already protected because it was a mitigation bank, it didn’t make sense for the county to buy it. That would take funding away from other projects that need to be preserved, he said. A mitigation bank is sensitive land that is to be preserved to offset environmental damage in other locations. The owner of the preserved land is compensated by developers who buy portions of the bank.
But Weightman said that he was concerned about the large chunks of land that were disappearing to development in the county. By not having it on the list for potential purchase, it meant that the county couldn’t even consider buying the site for future public parks and recreational purposes, said Keith Wiley, county parks, recreation and natural resources director. Putting the site on the list, he said, does not obligate the county to buy it.
“We could explore public use,” he said.
Commissioner Kathryn Starkey made a motion to put the site on the county’s list for potential purchase.
“There’s no harm in putting it on the list,” Weightman said.
Commissioners voted unanimously for that addition.
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