Plan ups ante on towers

A cluster of 12-story office and residential buildings may soon be the county's tallest.

By CHUIN-WEI YAP, Times Staff Writer
Published September 27, 2007

ODESSA - Today, the tallest building in Pasco County is still the Landings at Sea Forest, a residential complex stacked nine stories high in seaside New Port Richey.

But the Seagull Drive condos might not hold that distinction for long.

County commissioners have approved a 1.8-million-square-foot office center destined for the Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54, tentatively called Ashley Glen.

Its developers want to erect a cluster of 12-story towers that would overlook the highway.

"We've already negotiated with the county and they're in agreement with that," said Dr. Doug Weiland, the surgeon-turned-developer behind JES Properties. "But we haven't totally designed it yet."

JES wants to have five towers in the project.

For county planners, the hope is to attract higher-wage professional businesses to Ashley Glen, but the place might sprout a new name if that happens.

"If it's a major corporate user, we can rename it," Weiland said.

Normally, with that kind of height, zoning restrictions kick in. For commercial zones, the limit is 60 feet. For professional buildings, it's 35 feet. Anything beyond that needs a variance, or exemption, from county planners.

But Ashley Glen is expected to secure a special zoning in December that allows developers to negotiate dimensions without the need for formal variances.

Weiland said work is expected to start in February on Ashley Glen Boulevard, a new road that will be "Main Street" for the development, running roughly parallel to the parkway.

The first buildings to get going might not be the offices. It's more likely the residential portion: 900 apartments and townhomes, Weiland said.

The project also includes 444,000 square feet of retail, an area that's slightly larger than two Wal-Mart Supercenters.

Before all that happens, JES needs to close on buying the project's 266 acres from Standard Pacific Homes. Their contract obliges JES to complete the purchase once development negotiations end. Weiland said he expects to sew it up in six weeks.

The development is building $71-million worth of road improvements, with JES contributing $20-million as its "proportionate share."

Improvements to SR 54, the parkway, Ashley Glen Boulevard and the Mentmore Boulevard extension are part of the planned road work.

But it's still a big maybe if Ashley Glen will be part of an ambitious county project to build a third east-west road.

The proposal is to extend Tower Road from U.S. 41, through Ashley Glen and over the parkway, to reach Starkey Boulevard.

Ashley Glen has earmarked funds for the possibility, but the county needs to coordinate among at least four developers to make the giant project happen.

Chuin-Wei Yap can be reached at 813909-4613 or cyap@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 26, 2007, 22:53:19]