BROOKSVILLE - Developer Charles Sasser stormed out of a County Commission meeting two months ago threatening to come back with a proposal for a strip mall.
Now, it appears, he won't be building any stores or shops - or returning to the County Commission.
Instead, Sasser has asked the city of Brooksville to annex his property, 31 acres of planted pines on State Road 50 just west of Mobley Road.
Although he declined to discuss his plans Wednesday, Sasser has talked to the city about building condominiums on the property - a proposal similar to the one he submitted to the county.
County commissioners liked the idea of the project, but the development stalled when most of the commissioners said they could not bend the county's frontage road requirements for Sasser.
At a commission meeting in December, Sasser was asked whether he would negotiate the issue with county planners. He said he would not and vowed to return with other plans: "maybe strip commercial with a great, big, beautiful access road.'
Sasser, developer of Brookridge, High Point and Hernando Beach, said Wednesday that it is too early to talk about the specifics of his development.
"Let's wait until we're a little bit farther down the road," he said.
The city has been criticized for having a less stringent development review process than the county, which draws developers.
But Bill Geiger, Brooksville community development director, insisted that the city has the same frontage road requirements as the county. Sasser told them he had come to the city because he was planning to hook into Brooksville's sewer and water system.
Geiger said he discussed possible solutions to the impasse on frontage roads in a meeting with Sasser and Larry Jennings, the director of the county's Planning Department.
One possible solution, Geiger said, is for Sasser to cede right of way for a frontage road to the city once the property has been annexed.
"The county was leaning toward a compromise where (Sasser) would provide right of way for the road and cut it out of the project," Geiger said.
That way, Sasser would not have to pay to build the road and the county would not have to pay him to acquire the land.
But that was the agreement the commissioners found unacceptable, Jennings said, and it would represent a significant break for Sasser. The county's zoning law specifically requires the developer to absorb the cost of frontage roads.
"Obviously, if he didn't have to pay to build the road, that would be a cheaper approach," Jennings said.
Such an agreement was a long way from being finalized, Geiger said. The property will not be considered for annexation until March at the earliest.
The voluntary annexation is possible because the land is contiguous with the Sheriff's Office property, which is in the city.
Consideration about zoning would come later, Geiger said, though there is little question in his mind whether the project is a good fit for the area.
"It's very close to all the amenities and services that are offered by the city of Brooksville, including our commercial district," Geiger said.
"The overall evaluation is that it is a logical location for that type of development."
County planners liked the proposal because its 240 units, built on three stories, would cover a much smaller area than single-family homes. Sasser, who planned to call the complex Royal Pines, said he intended to preserve as many of the pines as possible on the property.
In the plans submitted to the county, Sasser anticipated building a common meeting area, a fitness center and indoor and outdoor swimming pools.
- Dan DeWitt can be reached at 352 754-6116. Send e-mail to dewitt@sptimes.com
