Holiday Hill residents want to upgrade

Revitalization is necessary for the neighborhood they love, owners say about a new plan.

PORT RICHEY - Don't get them wrong: Holiday Hill residents like a lot of things about their community.

They have a duck pond, nice shopping nearby and mostly friendly neighbors, according to a recent neighborhood survey.

They also have poisonous viper snakes in a nearby swamp, cars speeding through their narrow roads and a number of aging homes falling into disrepair, some at the hands of rowdy renters.

After discussing their concerns for about 11/2 hours Tuesday evening at the VFW building on Stone Road, Holiday Hill residents agreed in a voice vote to create a neighborhood revitalization plan with help from county officials.

It's the beginning of a comprehensive undertaking that includes a May 10 neighborhood cleanup, a code enforcement sweep of the 260-home community and the use of zero-interest loans to improve the homes.

"This is where I want to stay for the rest of my life," said Teddy Chmielnicki, a retiree who moved to Holiday Hill nine years ago. "My grandkids come to see me here, so I have an interest in it."

The effort in Holiday Hill is similar to the county-led revitalization efforts in Carver Heights, Tommytown and Brown Acres, said George Romagnoli, the county's community development manager.

Once the County Commission gives its blessing, residents will have a series of meetings with code enforcement officials, sheriff's deputies, Animal Control officers, and other agencies.

They could also explore the need for creating a small park, reviving the lapsed deed restrictions or improving the stormwater drainage system.

Ultimately, the residents will help draft a revitalization plan that will come back to them for approval.

The revitalization label will also put Holiday Hill near the front of the line for zero-interest loans to fix up old houses or help new residents move into the neighborhood, Romagnoli said. More than 50 residents sat through the meeting Tuesday evening, many of them offering concerns, complaints and suggestions for improvements. Now it's time to move forward, they said.

"We plan on being here a very long time," said Danica Farese, who just moved into the neighborhood in October with her husband and four children. "We'd like to see the value of our home increase, of course, but we also want a safe environment for our children."

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