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Impasse on roads dispute deepens

Pulte Homes representatives leave five minutes into a meeting with planners about public access in proposed gated developments.

By JAMES THORNER
Published October 11, 2005

WESLEY CHAPEL - Pulte Homes and Pasco County remain deadlocked about whether the giant national home builder can start construction on thousands of homes in Wesley Chapel.

Pasco wants to punch public roads through what Pulte intends as private gated communities on the 5,000-acre Wiregrass Ranch southeast of State Road 54 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Hopes for a compromise fizzled Friday as Pulte representatives bolted from a meeting with Pasco planners after fewer than five minutes.

The case moves on appeal to the Board of County Commissioners, which is scheduled to weigh Pulte's road plan at a Nov. 8 meeting at the West Pasco Government Center on Little Road.

Pulte has big plans for Wesley Chapel. Its three divisions, Pulte, DiVosta and Del Webb homes, could build as many as 16,000 houses, townhomes, apartments and duplexes.

But only three thoroughfares will be available to move traffic through what will be city-sized developments: State Road 56, Chancey Road and Porter Boulevard.

Pasco planners, aware of the traffic jams that plague roads in Wesley Chapel like State Road 54 and County Line Road, have demanded alternate routes.

To build them, Pulte would need to breach private, gated walled communities sought by DiVosta and Del Webb. The company insists public roads would destroy the integrity and marketability of the neighborhoods.

Pulte representatives called Friday's meeting to pitch what it viewed as concessions. Assistant County Administrator Bipin Parikh opened the meeting with words of encouragement but said the Pulte revisions failed to go far enough.

According to Pasco officials, Pulte attorney Joel Tew stalked out of the room, followed by other company representatives.

As he left, Tew warned Pasco officials he had enough votes on the five-member Board of County Commissioners to overturn their decision.

The source of the discord was an August hearing of the Pasco Development Review Committee. The committee, consisting of Parikh and other administrators, rejected Pulte's housing plans, citing insufficient roads. Without a thumbs-up vote, the company can't break ground.

Tew couldn't be reached for comment Monday.

[Last modified October 11, 2005, 01:58:15]