Brown Acres is fighting blight

PORT RICHEY -- Residents of Brown Acres proved Thursday night that their interest in redeveloping the neighborhood wasn't just a fleeting fancy.

In the second community meeting, more than 70 people turned out Thursday night to talk about code enforcement issues and pick a committee of eight people to steer future plans.

A meeting last month brought out about 90 residents who said they wanted to work with the county to make improvements.

The County Commission has chosen to target Brown Acres for redevelopment as the first of three communities it wants to help recover from stagnant property values, code violations and crime. The other two will be Holiday Hill in Port Richey and Sunnydale in Hudson.

George Romagnoli, assistant manager of the county's Community Development Department, told the crowd about the advantages of being a target area.

Homeowners in Brown Acres now can apply to the county for zero-interest loans to repair homes. Payment doesn't start for three years.

Residents can add a bedroom or bathroom, Romagnoli said, while members of the audience cooed in delight.

Two banks have offered to join the county in a home loan program. The banks would loan half the money, while the county would loan the other half at zero percent interest, Romagnoli said. Payments on the county's half of the loan are deferred for five years.

The county also has established a tax increment financing district within the area, meaning that any increased taxes collected because of higher values of neighborhood homes will remain within Brown Acres to pay for sidewalks, curbs, better roads or other amenities sought by residents.

The county is using the projects as test cases before moving on to other older communities.

Brown Acres has scheduled a cleanup day for Oct. 26, when county workers will descend on the community with trash bins.

County Commissioner Peter Altman, who has spearheaded the redevelopment effort and attended the first meeting, asked the crowd on Thursday to help organize a cookout after the cleanup.

For more information, call Romagnoli at 847-8970.

-- Saundra Amrhein covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is amrhein@sptimes.com.

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