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County denies lots, okays homes

A subdivision with dozens of houses is approved while Ramona Migliore's plans for her land fall by the wayside.

By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published August 11, 2005

HUDSON - Chalk up one win and one loss for the folks who want to keep Hudson's rural feel.

The County Commission agreed Tuesday night to rezone Ramona Migliore's 9.68-acre tract on Denton Avenue for just three homes, making it consistent with the other spacious homesteads in the area.

But commissioners also gave the green light for an 80-home subdivision at the southeast corner of Hicks Road and Carl Street, on a 38.89-acre tract that currently has an old house and a pole barn.

"These houses would look like they're just stacked in . . . which we don't think fits with the area," neighbor George Elliott told commissioners at the meeting at the West Pasco Government Center.

"We don't believe this fits with our area or our lifestyle."

Joel Tew, an attorney for MRRJ Development, agreed the $250,000 homes would be a departure from the existing community. "Fortunately, it's an improvement on what's there," he said.

Commissioners also agreed the new homes would be an improvement, as the developer would have to fix up the crumbling roads and bring central sewer lines to the site. But they had qualms about the number of units.

The developer originally requested 113 units, but Tew said 90 homes are more likely to fit.

Commissioner Jack Mariano, whose district includes Hudson, suggested limiting the project to 70 homes, but later offered 80 homes as a compromise.

"We are in the perfect elected officials' position: We will make nobody happy," Commissioner Steve Simon said as the board approved 80 homes.

Nonetheless, commissioners managed to make Migliore's neighbors happy.

Migliore wanted to rezone her agricultural land to agricultural residential, so she could carve the 9.68 acres in to eight lots. The site is on the north side of Denton Avenue, just west of Kitten Trail.

Migliore planned to sell the lots for upscale homes ranging from $500,000 to $1-million. But the neighbors, many of them blueberry farmers and other fans of the rural lifestyle, said the houses would be a bad fit for the area, where most homes sit on at least 3 acres.

"I didn't move out there to farm so they could build a subdivision behind me," blueberry farmer James Owen said. "It's just not consistent with what's going on."

Commissioners agreed and decided Migliore could put only three homes on the property. That was bad news for Migliore, who said the project won't fly with fewer lots. She'll have to figure out how to divide the land among her children.

"I have four children," and she needs to keep at least one lot for herself, Migliore told commissioners. "Which children do I leave out?"

Bridget Hall Grumet 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 bhall@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 11, 2005, 11:52:13]