Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Instead, they will accelerate plans to build at least 200 homes on the 274-acre site in Wesley Chapel.
By JAMES THORNER
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 15, 2000
WESLEY CHAPEL -- Under pressure from hundreds of angry neighbors, developers have withdrawn an application to mine dirt on 274 acres off Boyette Road in Wesley Chapel.
Karla Owens, the attorney representing the two business partners in the mine proposal, Safety Harbor Capital Corp. and Bishop and Buttrey Inc., informed the county of the decision by letter Friday.
Reached at his office in Orlando, John Buttrey, who had proposed excavating 1.5-million cubic yards of dirt over three years, declined to explain the change of plans.
'What is such earth-shattering news about that?" he asked a reporter. 'At any rate, I've got to take another call."
In place of the mine, it appears developers will accelerate plans to build a 200-plus-home development on the land, southeast of Boyette and Overpass roads.
Safety Harbor had originally planned to build homes only after closing the mine, converting the abandoned pit into a lake. Thursday, the subdivision plans cleared the county's Development Review Committee.
The mine proposal appeared to face rougher passage after Monday's thumbs-down recommendation by the Pasco Planning Commission.
Planning commissioners ruled that the mine would harm the health, safety and welfare of the neighborhood.
On top of that, county commissioners are mulling tougher regulations for dirt mines.
Also mobilized against the mine were neighbors who felt burned by encounters with five other mines that chewed the soil in their part of the county.
They complained the operation would chew up their roads, raise choking dust and generally disturb the peace.
To supply dirt to county road-building projects, developers proposed moving as many as 250 truckloads a day for three years.
After hearing the news Friday, Jerry Haxton, a retiree who collected 329 signatures on an anti-mining petition, refused to let down his guard. He feared the new subdivision would also wreck his community.
'If they're not going to fix our roads we're going to vote against them again. I'll get another petition going," Haxton said. 'They're going to have to prove the roads can take the traffic."