Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Business Outlook 2006

Will quarry become housing development?

A plan to build a large community on a limerock quarry dominated the development landscape last year.

By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published February 19, 2006

ZEPHYRHILLS - If developers have their way, houses might one day swallow a rock pit, not the other way around.

Owners of the limerock quarry Plaza Materials continue to court city officials to allow the mine to be shuttered and the land off Chancey Road at Yonkers Boulevard to be rezoned for a large housing development.

It would be the city's largest-ever annexation, and it dominated Zephyrhills' development landscape in 2005.

The parcel lies in a zone the city and Pasco County have earmarked for industries. Additionally, the city-owned airport lies northwest of the mine, and the city plans to eventually extend its runway south, which would restrict how surrounding land can be used.

But developers say the spot is actually ideal for the community they envision, called Zephyrmere. The airport, Hillsborough River, Zephyrhills bottled water plant and proximity to both State Road 39 and U.S. 301 all count as amenities.

Plans call for more than 1,000 homes and nearly 500 townhomes.

Other major projects to watch for in the area include the development of Gore's Dairy on U.S. 301 at the north end of town. City officials recently rezoned the highway frontage, which will become a shopping complex. Behind it will be a residential subdivision.

And rancher Robert Thomas plans to sell about 3,500 acres of his Two Rivers Ranch along the Pasco-Hillsborough county line. The massive project could include up to 7,000 homes.

To prepare for these and other developments, Zephyrhills officials have taken steps to update the city's code for booming growth.

An ordinance governing townhouse standards - architecture, landscaping, lot width - was put in place when a spurt of proposals came to City Hall. Such standards were never necessary in the past.

In addition, new and revised ordinances governing commercial landscaping and street renaming are now on the books.

Across town, business news included the renaming of East Pasco Medical Center to Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. The hospital, owned by Adventist Health System, was renamed to fall into line with the rest in the group.

Phillips & Jordan Inc., a construction firm from Knoxville, Tenn., with offices on U.S. 301, was awarded a sizable chunk of debris-removal work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The company secured a $500-million contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with an option for another $500-million.

[Last modified February 19, 2006, 01:09:21]