Dade City officials say they still want to annex a 16-acre property on U.S. 301 as soon as flooding concerns have been addressed.
By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published October 29, 2004
DADE CITY - City officials say they are still interested in annexing a 16-acre property on U.S. 301 north of Morningside Drive, but drainage concerns forced them to delay action.
The parcel is owned by Perfection Partners, an offshoot of the Evans fruit-packing empire. It is targeted for commercial development.
Plans had been moving ahead for annexation, rezoning and a change to the land-use map. But when the city sent it and several other properties for review by the Department of Community Affairs in Tallahassee, flags went up regarding the Morningside piece.
City attorney Karla Owens decided to withdraw the property from the package so as not to delay annexation of the others - orange groves at three corners of U.S. 301 and Clinton Avenue.
In the meantime, the city is encouraging the developer to team up with the Southwest Florida Water Management District about the stormwater concerns.
"It falls back into the developer's court to address those issues," City Manager Harold Sample said.
Swiftmud and Pasco County have agreed to do an analysis of the entire basin, which stretches roughly from Lake Jovita to the Withlacoochee River. Flooding is a perennial problem, particularly in Hickory Hill Acres, which lies directly west of the 16-acre property on 301.
Swiftmud spokesman Michael Molligan said both agencies have approved the initial funding - about $105,000 - and the study should begin soon.
"This is the early stages of looking to see what exactly the problem is, what are the impacts downstream," Molligan said.
Down the road, more money would have to be secured for engineering and construction of any fixes.
But news of the pullback on the Morningside Drive property came as vindication to Lewis Zipperer, who lives on Green Oak Lane in Hickory Hill Acres. He had water over his front yard during the summer's storms, and several of his neighbors had water in their homes.
"Outstanding," Zipperer said when told of the change of course. "If they fix the drainage problems, I have no objection to development. But we need the drainage problem fixed first."
The city, for its part, still hopes to see the property annexed one day, to fuel development and add to the tax base.
"We still want it," Sample said. "We want to see it developed."
