Oakstead project gets okay

The county's top planners give a thumbs up after the developer eases traffic concerns.

By CHUIN-WEI YAP
Published June 22, 2007

LAND O'LAKES - The entrance to Oakstead on State Road 54 used to be flanked by two monument signs amid a sea of manicured greenery.

It won't stay that way for long. The western side of Oakstead Boulevard is already a carnival of dirt and bulldozers as an 8-acre office park takes shape.

The eastern side is about to join in.

A much heftier 21-acre office project got its green light Thursday from the county's top staff planners.

Tentatively called the Oakstead Commerce Centers East and West, the parks are being built by Kevin Howell, a Tampa commercial developer who counts Westchase Commons Professional Center and the Tampa Telecom Professional Park among his creations.

At 142, 000 square feet, the new Oakstead Commerce Center East is slated to produce 49 single-story buildings, a mixture of restaurants, offices and stores.

Oakstead neighbors had been nervous about cars piling onto Oakstead Boulevard, their main access route, because of the new park. They brought their fears to the Development Review Committee last month.

Among their top concerns was whether cars would tie up the road while trying to make a U-turn on the boulevard after exiting the office park.

A series of meetings in recent weeks between Howell, his engineers and the neighbors resolved these concerns. John Witmer, chairman of Oakstead's community development district, told county officials he was happy with how the developer handled their concerns.

Others acknowledged that they could live with the new commerce center, but pointed out that they couldn't really force any real changes, since the driveways had won approval five years ago. This latest round of approval is only for the park's site plan.

"If someone has a larger car, like a Lincoln ... the (road) island is not large enough to stack a car, " said Larry Cyment, a CDD supervisor. "But we did agree that (Howell) would put signs up directing traffic."

Cyment said the CDD has other issues with the developer, including sidewalks and bicycle paths.

But, as far as the commerce center goes, "I think we've dealt with most of the issues, " Cyment said.

Their mixed feelings are a coming-of-age story with echoes all over the county and state, as developments get older and more crowded, as community management shifts from developers to residents, and as commercial neighbors cram in, chasing homes.

Don't expect the flood of office space to end.

Howell has at least six properties between Ballantrae Boulevard and U.S. 41, including two in Seven Oaks.

And bigger projects, like Ashley Glen in Odessa, Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel and Pasco Town Centre in San Antonio, are together going to put nearly 5-million square feet of office space into central Pasco.

Chuin-Wei Yap can be reached at (813) 909-4613 or cyap@sptimes.com.

[Last modified June 21, 2007, 21:50:47]