Scenic roads, storage fencing, Florida Trend

1:06:13all right. Well I have something I wanted to bring up to you. I think I've mentioned it briefly, but it's um And my never ending challenge to clean up Pasco County. Thirty year endeavor. Um I have some photos. And I have a list. Uh So this is um F uh Commissioner Fitzpatrick, you weren't here, but the other commissioners were here when a company moved in. Well, actually it was a repair shop on nineteen and they wanted to add a towing

1:06:43facility. And so we said, well that's, you know, that that kind of look is not what we want on US 19. We're trying to reimagine 19. And we had them come in with a opaque fence and landscaping and it now it's it looks really nice on 19. It's an asset. This is a company that's moved into onto 54 without permits. Um to open up a towing um Uh Sight. And this is what's greeted on fifty-four is

1:07:14the chain link bob wire, no landscaping, uh it's very unsightly. It kind of reminds me of the federal prison. And I don't think this is what we want 54, 56. and other roads to be looking like. So um I have another one. Um let's see, where's my list on my phone? This is uh fifty four near nineteen. Um keep going. Some more on fifty

1:07:44four. We've got um Trinity Towers, um for some reason which I don't understand how we're allowing this. We allowed this is where they had all the oak trees and they cut them all down when you drive on 54. Um, we allowed them to put the landscaping behind the fence. And so um It it d does absolutely nothing. And this is this is just before you get to Starkey Boulevard. And um I I just don't think that should be allowed either. Got

1:08:14another one on Massachusetts.

1:08:16Madam

1:08:16Clerk? Yeah.

1:08:17And just to tell you it's not just down there too, because on Old Dixie Highway, we had a guy come in with a storage area. And the storage area's gonna hold house Yeah, boats, et cetera. And behind it is the landscaping. Yeah. On the other side they've got an opaque fence. What did we do? So it makes no sense.

1:08:34Makes no sense. I've seen it on Grand Boulevard. Um this is uh Massachusetts. This one was put in like last week. This is a new storage facility coming in on Massachusetts. That that does That's just not a good thing. I just I'm really we should not be allowing this. And I have one more uh we have a video. Um is this

1:08:56property.

1:08:57I don't know what that is. Um I don't remember what that one is, but I thought I had a video. It's

1:09:02like a fork where fork.

1:09:03Yeah, that was kinda weird. Is

1:09:05there a video? Speaking of that property.

1:09:08I and I know I've spoken to someone in the past. Um hang can you hang on one second? Okay. So show the video here. Oh, yeah, so that was the beginning of the video. Uh I mean that I just don't think that that's what we want. Um, go ahead, Commissioner Fitzpatrick.

1:09:23Speaking of that storage facility on Massachusetts, I still don't feel that it's right that the main entrance is inside of someone else's neighborhood.

1:09:33Oh, okay. Well I I don't know about that one, but um ter uh Terry, would you mind coming up? You uh you had some suggestions where um We thought maybe we could could do some tweaks to our I think it's our land development code that could fix this quickly and some thoughts on what roads shouldn't allow that kind of look. I mean first of all I don't think we should ever allow the landscaping behind the chain of fence. Um but There I certainly think we need to be looking at different kinds of fences. And Terry?

1:10:03Sure. Good morning, Commissioner. Um Madam Chair. Uh Nictoria Spito's Planning Development Department. Um We have uh had some preliminary conversation internal to the department and we think that the changes to the land development code to accommodate Um a potential potential change to our fence requirements um is feasible. Um we would probably target this toward Our main arterial and collector roads. Um And th those roads that uh have uh transit emphasis

1:10:34on them, so state road fifty four, fifty-six, fifty-two. um the north-south arteries like US nineteen. Uh little road. Um, I could march all the way to the east, but you get the idea. Um, I think with regard to the landscaping.

1:10:53You have uh They're they're on the inside of the of the fence lines, mainly because the orientation is screened to the larger uh traffic areas. If you move the landscape to the outside of the fence line then the orientation the landscaping is screening for motorists, right? So it's a preference.

1:11:18I don't don't want to be inside a storage facility and looking at the screening me from the road.

1:11:25Uh understood. Yeah, I'm just explaining I think that's why

1:11:27the

1:11:28landscaping ends up on the inside.

1:11:31I I understand your point, but th think about it in the the the code is Also being used for residential. And so traditionally you screen the neighborhood. From the road.

1:11:45Yeah, it's in

1:11:46commercial. That's up to the neighborhood, but the ro the traveling public needs to be protected from ugly. Commissioner Moore. Uh Mariano.

1:11:54Memphis Patrick. I mean it's absurd, number one, for just even isolating it to our terrier roads or busy roads. Like Old Dixie Highway is a quiet road. I don't know if they would even qualify, but every road that should have a business on it. it only makes sense. We put the land I'm um you tell me you were on it long, long ago long ago. Yeah. But w the we want the place to look good from the roadway when people are driving by.

1:12:16Right.

1:12:16Having a storage area for instance and a fence with an op opaque block on it Nobody's gonna see that except the people inside The property. Who cares? It should be on the outside of the road when you're looking. I mean, literally on Old Dixie Highway, we're looking at like part of the issue was all right, there's a trail that's going to be expanded going up there. Uh so you know, how much room is it gonna be? How how f how far is the setback gonna be? And they didn't they were afraid to put the trees too close to the sidewalk. Type of thing. They could have moved the fence back. That was like too much

1:12:47to do. So now we gotta Fence instead of looking at palm trees and bushes. I mean palm trees and vegetation. That's what we want to see. We want the people to see it. We're not worried about how it looks inside. We will look how it looks outside. So I don't know why it's a big change. And I th and I think it might even be a misinterpretation of the code. Yeah. I I

1:13:06don't know that it is a big change either, because all it is is just articulating that the landscape sh landscaping shall be on the uh right of way side of the fence, right? Yeah. So that just means that the fence is no longer at the property line. It means that the fence is probably ten, twenty feet within the property line so that Whatever buffer yard is there, let's say, can be facing the right of way.

1:13:29Yeah, and um That that one by by putting the landscape inside on the Trinity Well, I don't even think it should be a Chinese plant, personally. Let so let's cover one thing at one time. Uh would you like to see them come back with a a a change so that we don't do this? Uh it it's

1:13:48kinda wasting the Madam Chair.

1:13:52You're kinda wasting The landscaping when you have it that way too. So where it's we're here we are. Yeah, no, I mean

1:13:59We need both. We need the landscaping in front, but we don't need chain link and bob wire.

1:14:03Because behind it it's it's a moot point. Why put it there? You like you said, you can't see it. Yeah. So now it it it's actually the negative for when you think about it actually for the business owner too because they're now they're being told to put it here which is behind a chain link fence and now they're wasting possibly tens of thousands of dollars to even do that. So it makes absolutely no sense. Yes, it should be in the front. That's common sense. Come on.

1:14:26But uh of any fence. However

1:14:28Yeah, of any of the things that I

1:14:30w I wanna just make sure and I think I hear see agreement here that the chain link bob wire thing doesn't belong on our main our tourism collectors and whatever other roads in your districts that you want to designate. You know, we started I I remember when I worked on the billboard ordinance, um Uh you were here then. Thank you. Um I think and you were here then. And I I I'll never forget um being a citizen activist over there and um The county attorney Bob

1:15:00Sumner said, All right, I want all of you to go back to your districts and decide which roads you want to keep scenic. Because you know, we were about to build Starkey Boulevard and we said we don't want any billboards. We want to keep that scenic road on Starkey Boulevard. And um all the commissioners went back and thought about their district and Sylvia Young, uh I'll never forget, just started listing all the roads, Commissioner Oakley, in your district that they didn't want to have any billboards on. And then Commissioner

1:15:30Hildebrand. And um and then before you knew it, I mean they and they kept adding roads at the board meeting and before you knew it Sumner said, It looks to me like what you're asking for is a total ban. And that's how we got the total ban. Because they were all saying, Well, I don't want this road degraded, I don't want this road degraded. So Um So that I I mean I driving on fifty-two here, I see Paul is moving from fifty-four. to fifty two and on fifty four

1:16:00they had an opaque fence. They had a white vinyl fence a across fifty four, thank goodness. But now I see on fifty two they have a they have a chain link fence with Bob Wire. We got Angeline coming in there and you know we're trying to build a nice communities and we're gonna bop Um Chain Link and Pop Wire, we can do better. So Okay. I think you have to action.

1:16:25Well uh quick question. You mentioned the opaque fences. The chain link and the barbed wire. Um there's a preference not to see it. Is there a fence type that is preferred? We can't make that decision right now.

1:16:38Well, just not Chain Link and Bob Wire. Chain Link. Or chain link and boxed wire. Or chain

1:16:44link with those little slots to it.

1:16:45I think um Well that's There may be some very few exceptions for chain link and maybe We should leave that window open.

1:16:54Yeah. Yeah. I think

1:16:56But I have to go through a process.

1:16:57Yeah, 'cause you might run here's some of the issues you may run into we talk about fifty four, fifty six, forty forty one, wherever it may be. We still s do have Some ag properties along there that need barbed wire, need fencing for the cattle.

1:17:13Yeah.

1:17:13So we can we can't if we borrow it, that means they can't have cattle there anymore. So we

1:17:17can't

1:17:17do that.

1:17:17Yeah. So I wanna um make sure that we And I I can't think of any right now, but there could be some exceptions. And um and so certainly wanna have people Say they need that exception. But for the most part. When they can, you know, storage facility can put a opaque fence. A lot of these others can put an opaque fence. Landscaping don't degrade our communities. Yeah. Thank you. That's all I had. I don't like two fans.

1:17:48Say speak.

1:17:49I would just like to expand not just the main roads, but if they're putting a new business inside of a community, then that should be nicely buffered with a fence as well.

1:17:58Agreed. A a nicer fence than chain link. I mean Thank you. Chain length is okay for ag. Okay, so uh just wanted to alert you um that although none of us were contacted and asked for quotes. Uh in the Florida trend, which is unusual. We've always

1:18:17listed as

1:18:17We've always been. They did a story on Pasco County in this month's edition of Florida Trend. And I just thought I'd read to you what it says on the very opening page. Although I'm looking at a neighborhood with no trees and uh is this uh Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club?

1:18:40Well Coad needs to go in there and see where the trees are. Um It says Tampa Bay's emerging north. Listen to those who live and or work in Pasco County and a distinct sense of place emerges. It's represented in a mixture of adjectives such as amazing, and inspiring, blended with further descriptors such as great diversity, A gem and a phenomenon. Call it the Pasco vibe, and that vibe is all about growth. So

1:19:10pretty nice. So I'll be looking at this at lunch. Um but Very exciting. Excellent. With that we're adjourned. You're