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Neighbors ally for street's protection

Calling themselves the Carson Group, residents are fighting a development they say could overcrowd Carson Drive.

By PHIL DAVIS
Published February 14, 2006

LAND O'LAKES - Folks on Carson Drive say they've taken on enough of the headaches caused by central Pasco County's rapid growth.

They say a developer's plan to build 50 condominiums and six houses on 9.5 acres of orange groves on the south shore of Lake Padgett would create gridlock on their narrow street. The neighborhood is one block north of State Road 54 and east of U.S. 41.

"It's a small town road," said Vini Krufka, who has lived on Cabot Road, just off Carson Drive, for 17 years. "The situation is already out of hand. We've got semi trucks that come through. Emergency vehicles can't get through."

On Monday night, 28 residents gathered to plan an all-out effort to stop the small development. They call themselves the Carson Group. They have a Web site, petitions, visual aids, checklists and committees working on all fronts.

"We are organized," Krufka said.

The residents said they found out about the proposed Hagman Condominiums after the project cleared the county's Development Review Committee.

Group members now are focusing on a March 8 planning commission meeting where the developer, Mobley Homes, is seeking one of many county approvals to get the project started. They aim to persuade the commission to recommend denial of a proposed zoning change that would allow condos in the area, currently zoned for houses.

"We can't keep them from building on their property," said Lynne Picou, who has lived on Wilsky Road for 32 years. "That's not our intent. We just want it to be safe for everybody."

Property owner Robert Hagman defended his development plans.

"The road there is not a bad road," Hagman said Monday. "It is up to every county standard. The problems that the residents say are there don't exist."

Carson Drive is currently a mix of undeveloped orange groves, mobile home parks and single-family homes on large wooded lots. At its widest point, about 19 feet, two cars can squeeze past each other. Some residents say the county continues to allow more homes without budgeting improvements on the narrow lane.

The residents say Carson Drive serves as a back door to the Wal-Mart and Village Lakes shopping centers on the northeast corner of State Road 54 and U.S. 41.

Cars leaving Carson often get stuck between two heavy columns of traffic on U.S. 41.

Meanwhile, traffic backs up on the road. Residents say even a small preschool on the road can cause a small traffic jam when school lets out.

"It can only get worse," Picou said. "We know about Connerton and all the other developments north of us."

[Last modified February 14, 2006, 02:45:31]