No signs yet of any slowing down

One of my favorite county officials sends out a monthly report called “Look What’s Coming.” 

Joanna Coutu, director of the Land Development Division, lists all the significant permit activity in the county.

Joanna’s been issuing this monthly report for years. It used to run a page or two. You know…a Dollar General being built here, a new Taco Bell there.

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Well, Citrus County is growing like a middle schooler and now the report runs a solid five pages.
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I’ve almost become numb to all the big plans. I used to attend Planning and Development Commission (PDC) meetings anytime a significant zoning vote was on the agenda. I rarely do that now. Two reasons:

— As mentioned, the news value is lukewarm. It’s eye-catching the first three times we’re looking at 600-home developments. By now, it’s old hat. 

— Nothing against the PDC, but county commissioners have the final say and they’re the ones who face an electorate that isn’t thrilled with the pace of growth.

That makes the PDC recommendations somewhat irrelevant. I hate being that blunt, and I’ll likely catch some flak for it, but PDC members are making decisions based on the facts in front of them. None of the PDC members are politicians, they’re all simply volunteers.

Both boards should technically use the same criteria. Zoning cases are technical in nature. The rules tend to side with applicants. For some reason, we need a technical reason to tell someone no. We can’t just say, “Nah, don’t think so.” Commissioners need “competent, substantial evidence” before saying yes or no.

(JWC’s opinion: That “competent, substantial evidence” rule should be in place ONLY for yes votes. Or, the board should require four votes to approve an upzone. We really need to make it more difficult for developers to get their way.)

A now-former commissioner would often say that people have a right to do with their property as they wish. The public’s response: To an extent. Meaning property is zoned a certain way, and that’s the ONLY guarantee a landowner gets. Any upzoning is a gift from Citrus County taxpayers.

Most of these upzoning applications come in the form of a planned unit development (PUD), which specifies conditions to each case. That’s basically how developers do business with the county these days. PUDs allow developers to sweeten the pot with add-ons in exchange for more rooftops.

Here’s a smattering of proposed upzoning items from this month’s Look What's Coming (which, oddly, isn’t on the county’s website, so I can’t link it.)

— Aware Investments wants to rezone 28 acres from low-density to medium-density for 102 units, commercial, and an independent living facility on C.R. 491 in Lecanto.

— Post Oak Ranch, 540 acres of vacant land where Venable and Seven Rivers Drives meet in Crystal River, proposes 1,750 homes in what is now low density.

— Nomad RV wants an RV park with 196 sites on W. Kingston Drive in Homosassa. The PDC recommended no. The County Commission will hear it Jan. 14.

— Garden Street Communities seeks 136 homes on 34 acres on Rock Crusher Road.

— Paradise Meadows RV Park is looking at 350 RV sites on E. Withlacoochee Trail in Dunnellon.

— Betz Farm: 1,466 homes and apartments on county-owned property off Turkey Oak Drive, Crystal River. This one is a little different. The developer will give Citrus County $6 million if we acquiesce to his demands. He’ll secure the property and permits; we’ll get a decades-long headache. Seems fair.

— Tuscany Ranch is 5,100 homes and apartments plus 300,000 square feet of “non-residential” uses on C.R. 491 in Beverly Hills. Expect lots of conversation with Tuscany Ranch. 

That’s just a snapshot of the development activity taking place. Seems like everyone and his sister want to build homes, mini-storage, or RV pads in Citrus County.

It’s a good problem to have. Certainly, much to discuss.

That’s it for this Monday. Have a terrific day, friends.

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