P eighty-two Tunnel to Tower R-4 rezoning Parkway Boulevard
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The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Jun 8, 2021
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The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Jun 8, 2021
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What was said
Machine transcription of 31m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 94% of 170 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
Aye. And that's for the consent agenda items P78, P70, or P79, P70, 80, and P81. Next item. P eighty-two.
Item P82 was published in the Tampe Times on March 10th, 2021.
Okay.
Liam Devine, Planning and Development, Item P eighty two. I would like to note that this item does have ex parte communications with Commissioner Oakley, Starkey, Moore, Fitzpatrick, and Mariano. PDD 21-7528, in the name of Stephen Stiller, Tunnel to Tower slash Parkway Boulevard. It is a rezoning from a PUD Plan Unit Development District to an R-4 high density residential district.
The subject site is located on the south side of Parkway Boulevard, approximately a half a mile east of Aaron Cuddon.
The site is currently undeveloped and contains approximately 75.15 acres. The owner slash applicant proposes to develop the site in conformance with the R-4 high density residential district standards. The property owner wishes to develop the site for the community's foundation's three programs: the Gold Star Family Home Program, the Smart Home Program, and the Fallen First Responders Home Program.
The surrounding area is characterized by residential development. The subject site has a feature land use classification of Res III, residential three dwelling units per acre, under the comprehensive plan. The applicant has volunteered a deed restriction to limit the number of total lots, install a six-foot-high fence along Panthers Run subdivision, and Dupree Lake subdivision. Limit the number of lots located along Panthers Run to a total of nine lots, including six
lots being with a hundred-foot width along Panthers Run subdivision. This proposed deed restriction was not the same deed restriction that was reviewed by the Planning Commission.
This will be a look at the conceptual site plan with the proposed deed restrictions.
And then the next slide will be exhibit B from the deed restrictions, which would be the um a conceptual of what the deed restrictions will look like along Panther's Friends subdivision.
The surrounding zoning to the north and east is MP PUD and to the south and west is MPUD and PUD. The future land use classification to the north and east is RES 3, and to the south and west is RES 3 and RES 6.
And then access to the site is from Parkway Boulevard.
And this is coming with a recommendation for approval from Planning and Development Department. And as stated before, Planning Commission made a recommendation of denial, but they had a different deed restriction presented to them.
Okay.
All right.
That's almost
You speak for the applicant?
I am sorry, yes. Good afternoon, Commissioner.
Uh give us your name and also uh state if you've been sworn or not.
Sure. My name is Matthew Mahoney. I'm the Executive Vice President of Stephen Siller Tunnel Towers Foundation and I've been sworn in this morning. Uh this afternoon. Um we had a presentation if uh we'll pull that up.
Why not?
There we go. Uh so as I said, I'm here to represent the applicant, the Stephen Siller Tumult Towers Foundation. Um can you go to the next slide, please? Um I won't run through this whole thing, but we're we're in our 20th year. We were created after the uh September 11th attacks in New York City, and we're named in honor of fallen fighter fighter Stephen Siller. Uh Stephen that day was a hero among heroes, we like to say. Um when the tower was attacked, Stephen, uh who himself, when he was a child, was orphaned
at the age of nine and ten and raised by His siblings left five children at home that day to respond to the attacks of the World Trade Center. He had finished his shift, he was on his way home, he did not have to go. Report, but he turned his vehicle around, headed to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, which connects Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan. And not being able to take his personal vehicle through because of the emergency, Stephen donned over 60 pounds of firefighting gear on his back and ran. ran over two miles to the World Trade Center, ultimately losing his life that day at the
South Tower, leaving behind five small children. He was one of three hundred and forty three firefighters we lost, a total of four hundred and six first responders that day. Next slide. In response to Stephen's death, this foundation has carried out 20 years of doing good, as we like to say. And we have four primary programs we run, three of which will be exhibited here in Pasco County. The Smart Home Program, we deliver mortgage-free homes, custom built to our nation's most catastrophically
wounded veterans that come back from the war against terror. These are individually tailored to their needs. Our fall and first responder program, where fall-and-first responders, police officers and firefighters from all over the country um participate in this program. When they leave behind small children uh and they lose their life uh due to their duties, we pay off the mortgage of those homes. If they do not have a home, we will buy them a home anywhere in the country they'd like. Our Gold Star program works much the same way. When we have a member of the military service on active
duty who's killed anywhere in the world, they leave behind small children. We will either pay off the mortgage of their home if they have it, or build them a home. By the end of this year, we would have built or paid off over 400 homes. Our last program is the Never Forget program. That's our annual run-walk series. The closest we have to Lando Lakes would be over in Orlando, where we have about 3,000, 4,000 people participate. The New York City race typically has about 40,000 plus people that participate in that race every year.
Announced at the World Trade Center we will be doing the race again this year to uh after COVID. And also we announced that we are going to be paying off the mortgages of the firefighters and police officers who responded to the World Trade Center who are dying of 9-11 illness. So this morning alone we added about another 65 families to our list. Next page. Here in Pasco County, we've already built one of our smart homes in 2019 for Sergeant First Class Anthony Kenworthy, right here
in Land O' Lakes in 2019. He was a former Green Beret who was severely disabled thanks to his service in the military. Next slide.
So the Let Us Do Good Village, which is what we are calling our development. There's a community created by our foundation, which is going to bring these families together. There's no greater support system for these soldiers who have given so much and their families, as well as all the widows of the Gold Star families and the Fallen First Responders, than to be together. We bring them together throughout the year at different times. And we see that bonding. Some of them have really become like family to one another. And creating a village where they're Children, especially their children, are gonna be able
to grow up. In a community. Where other children don't have a dad or other children don't have a mom because of their service is going to do a lot to help those families recover. Um Our smart home, Gold Star, and Full and First Responder recipients will be gifted these homes mortgage-free. They will choose from three to four designs that'll best suit them. So it's not going to all be cookie-cutter homes. This is a sample of a couple of the pictures of some of the homes that we've built. The smart homes will be on large the larger 100 square lots,
100-foot lots, and it gives you a real sense of what we do. You can go to the next slide. Like. Um here are a couple of the other homes which we've built. Um the homes will look different. They will have landscaping. One of our great partners is the Home Depot. They come in and Team Home Depot does a lot of landscaping for us. We make them look as beautiful as we can. As mentioned in the deed restriction, we're gonna uh put a six-foot fence along the Panther Run subdivision. We're also gonna do that to the south of the property as well. We're also gonna do plantings.
We have uh there'll be a tree planting requirement. We'll plant those in the backyards too for extra privacy. When we commit to doing that, we don't know what the numbers will be yet based on you know how many trees we take down. But we want to ensure privacy both for our neighbors and of course for our widows and children. Children. We want them to have privacy as well, too. Um I'd like to bring up um we can go to the next slide, Cynthia Tarapini who's working with us and she can describe uh any of the issues here with the deed restriction.
Okay.
Well, good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and Commissioners. It's a pleasure to be back here in person with you today and a real honor to be representing the Stephen Siller Hudelton Towers Foundation. Uh Mr. Mahoney has described the mission of the foundation. I'd like to talk a little bit about the rezoning criteria and then specifically about the deed restriction. As you can see in the slide, the neighborhood will have 103 lots. There will all be single-family, detached homes, no townhouses, no apartments, no villas. The density is about two units an acre, well within our plan category of three
units an acre. We are specifically not requesting a plan amendment for this site. We'll have two entrances on Parkway Boulevard as you can see where the little pink dots are. The southern one is the main entrance and next to that main entrance will be our community center, neighborhood park, clubhouse, and amenity area for the residents. There's a lot more information about our compliance with the rezoning criteria and our narrative, and I'll refer you to that, and I'm happy to answer any questions on that. But I'd like to spend a few minutes talking about the deed restrictions and walk through that in in specifically
in detail with you. But I also want to say that prior to our first public hearing before the Planning Commission back in April, we had several individual conversations and then a conference call with the residents of Panther Run, which is immediately to the west of the site. We've continued to correspond with them through this process, and when we revised the deed restriction that is before you today, we sent it to the county on May 26th, we sent it to our neighbors on May 27th so that they would have it as well. So let's just walk through the if we go to the next slide, please. This
exhibit is in the deed restriction. It is attached and be made a part of that deed restriction, and our commitments are both in the language of the deed restriction and on this exhibit. But I just want to walk through each one specifically. So in Panther Run, it's a little hard to see because they're light, but along the western edge there are four lots, and there are three lots along that northwest edge within Panther Run. So a total of seven lots in Panther Run. The deed restriction will restrict our project to nine lots and nine homes in
the same area. And you can see they are colored. The green lots are the 100-foot-wide lots for the disabled veterans. The yellow lots are the 60-foot lots. But you can also see that not only have we reduced the number of lots, but we have placed those larger 100-foot-wide lots directly next to the existing homes. in Panther Run. So every each large lot is next to the existing home in Panther Run. There are three of the lots that are 60-foot wide lots, as I mentioned before, and they are in yellow.
And again, they are focused away from the edges of the development. Since all since the 100 foot wide lots will be the homes for the disabled veterans and all of those homes will be one story, therefore the 100 foot wide lots, the yellow excuse me, the green lots will all be one story next to Panther Run. This was a specific request by the Panther Run residents. There are three areas along this edge, these two edges that are not going to be developed. So they're kind of shown in the hatched
green. There's one right at the entrance, a second one kind of in the middle of the western boundary, and another one along in the middle of the northern boundary. Those areas will only be will not be allowed to be developed with homes. They can only be developed with park, open space, and or drainage. As Matt mentioned, we've also committed to install a six-foot oak solid fence along the edges of our property. That's shown in dark blue on the exhibit.
And we're also putting a fence, although it's not shown on this exhibit, but it is in the language, we are putting a six-foot fence along the southern edge of our property next to Depree Lakes. In summary, we believe the application meets all the criteria for rezoning. The staff has recommended approval, and the foundation has made significant commitments along that common border with Panther Run to address their concerns. We believe we've gone above and beyond in our efforts to be good neighbors. On behalf of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, I'd respectfully request your approval of this
rezoning. With your support, the foundation will create the first village anywhere in the United States, right here in Pasco County, specifically designed for disabled veterans and surviving spouses. Uh thank you very much and I'd be happy to answer any of your questions.
Mr. Chairman Mariano
or Mr. Mahoney
We had a conversation last I think it was last week, right? I think we did yes, I think it's a good idea. Uh last week. But I also had the pleasure of having a conversation with one of the neighboring residents, uh Ms. Um Carrero yesterday as well, and I followed back up with you afterwards. Um just wanna make sure I you you mentioned it, um, Mr. Mahoney and saying you just didn't mention it in your conversation, but One of the concerns was too about the the pot the trees and you mentioned you would be putting trees. You can't tell us how many right now because obviously the full site plan hasn't been completed. But I
just wanted you to reiterate that there will be trees um on the other side of the fence too on your property to help buffer even more.
Yes, sir. Those would be put on our property. Okay. Um so the idea would be to pro you know, we had this conversation with the residents as well way over a month ago, and that idea kind of came up and blossomed out of those conversations. We want privacy for ourselves, they want privacy for their property. We're happy to accommodate that. So the plantings that we need to do on those properties, we'll put them on our side of the fence, sort of in the backyard uh of our homes, so that they provide some sort of additional shield.
Okay, thank you. I just wanted to reiterate that. Of course
and I obviously always appreciate talking to residents. I don't know if anybody here is in the audience today or not. Um but I appreciate obviously everything that um you guys are doing when it comes to our veterans and our first responders. I did have the pleasure of of attending the event back in 2019 and um and while the what he's what he's doing, what what your organization has done for these people is is remarkable. So thank you. Thank you sir.
Mr. Mara. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And uh I want to say I thank you for coming before the board with such a great project. Thank you. And I also want to thank you the detail that you spent from your listening to the residents from the get-go, the changes you made. If you would put that picture back up.
It shows clearly the where the houses are coming in lot one, lot two. Uh you put a park right behind that. Yes. On lot four, you've gone through and put the park there as well, or drainage, uh, and kept everything one story, the whole thing. So it is a residential three area, a res three area that But y i I think you're making yourself fit in there real well and with the project you've got, I think you'll you'll find the board uh probably excited about what's what's coming up to to help our veterans. So thank
you.
Thank you, Commissioner. Yeah, thank you. Y'all you'll done a a good job in answering answering the public and the neighbors of that project, so it looks very good. But this is a public hearing so M Mr
Chairman Mari
Starkey has a question. Ms. Starkey?
Yeah, and I I also met with applicants and I met with some of the residents. I think I see them here today. And um Great great project. I'm very very proud that we're gonna have this in our in our county. I actually just returned from a military ceremony where my son-in-law took command of a squadron in at Fairchild Air Force Base and I mentioned this at the party afterwards to a whole group of our military and they thought it was really awesome that someone was doing something like this for them. their
their families. So thank you very much. Um I am kind of noticing I I'm I'm actually on the property appraiser's map and I'm on on one of the lots here. Um I don't know if you all have gone and looked I've never been in the subdivision looks like beautiful homes. The one that's existing. Um but they built right to the property line. There's some there's a structure right on the property line. I I don't know I don't know how they got to do that. But um I'm very appreciative of uh what you
what you've done here. I think you've gone over and above what we should ask a neighboring residential community to do to another residential community. I I I I you didn't have to do this, um, but we thank you very much and I'm looking forward to voting on this project. Okay.
Thank you very
much for
the comments.
Mr. Chairman Mariano. No, no. Um and do me a favor, we we gotta see obviously how things go for the public hearing, but um connect with Pasco County Schools if you would. I think they would like to work with you on some things, uh some ideas and Mr. Gadd, um assistant superintendents in the audience today, if you guys can make that connection. And actually made that connection for you. But if you would uh There's he's right behind you. There's some there's some things that you guys could probably partner on. Okay.
I did have one more question. Um When I when I met with you the first time, you had an amenity package and I see now you've added this part space. So did that change your amenity package any?
No.
No, it will not change. It'll be in addition to it. I imagine it to be very passive recreation parkland. I'm
just hoping you don't have to get rid of your club.
Oh no, not at all. No, not at all. I also don't want to build anything noisy next to the neighbors as well. So I imagine leaving that as pretty open parkland.
And I just want to add, um with the addition of the three park areas along that edge and the amenity center that we were doing all along at the entrance, we're now at triple the amount of required parked open space. We're at about three point seven acres estimated. So um we you know we're really trying to make this project something that not only will fit in with the neighbors um as we've talked about, but that will provide all those wonderful small recreational opportunities for the residents.
Okay.
Mr. Chairman
Mariano.
Oh go ahead.
I would just like to say thank you to the developers as well and thank you for the residents that come in in ahead of time and the developers for updating and project Google and about moving on as well because it's nice to see all the collaboration, everyone working together. And I do have family that work for New York City, detective's office and law enforcement. It means that.
Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you, Commissioner Oakley.
So Mr. Chair, because we don't have any ex party forms for this matter in the file, um, I know that Commissioner Moore and Commissioner Starkey already announced who they met with, but anybody else who met with the applicant or the residents, could you please state that now so we can get it on the record that you have those ex party meetings? Because there's no forms in our packet. So I'm
I've met with the applicant myself at a night
So yeah.
Mr. Chairman Mari with the applicants as well as one of the residents. Um I thought we had the form set in, so
there's none in the packet applying. So mid-disclosure, that's good.
I believe I met with the applicant and the resident as well. And maybe you should have that there.
And just to confirm we did submit um all of the meetings that we had as the applicant with the commissioners, we did submit those um to the project planner, so they are in the official file.
Yeah.
Okay. I
was
just
texting my staff. Thank you.
Okay, uh this is a public hearing and Do we have um
Get those to the clerk because they were received today. Just just to let you know. That's why they weren't in the packet. Okay.
Oh, okay. All right, thank you.
But Liam did read that into record that they were ex parte in communication.
I understand, but the forms have more detail than what Liam stated is.
Can we just get the board to receive and file the ex party forms now while we're on the topic?
Move the same file.
Okay, got a motion and second. All those in favor say aye by roll call vote.
District two, Commissioner Moore. District three, Commissioner Starkey. Aye. District four, Commissioner Fitzpatrick.
District five, Commissioner Mariano. Did you take it? Not yet. He was just about getting
on this public
forms. Okay,
on the forums. I'm trying to get to public comment as well. But we had a lot of good information before we get to public comment. So uh do we have anyone sign up to speak here today?
We do. We also have someone on WebEx. I have no emails.
Okay.
What would you like to do first, Mr. Chairman Mariano?
Let's hear the person on WebEx first.
All right.
And if they've been sworn.
Okay. Um Miss Sabrina Fernandez, you are on WebEx. If you could please state your name, address, and state that you have been sworn in. And then we may begin your comments.
Okay, my name is Sabrina Fernandez. I reside at [address removed] and I have been sworn in. I'd like to say good afternoon to the commissioners and to thank you for allowing me to speak today. I just want to first reiterate that I, along with my neighbors, have always expressed support of the Penels to Towers Foundation's cause and this project overall. The new deed restrictions I Conceptual plan are much improved from what was originally given to us. So I would like to think the foundation
for its efforts to make it less of an impact for us. I've created the zoning stuff, I've learned a lot through this process, and I know that we're definitely not a high-density R4 neighborhood. So I do appreciate what they're trying to do along the edge of our property, and I understand that some. Some of this doesn't have to be done. But to get that all-forward zoning, that's definitely not in line with what our community is. We have a more rural feel to our community. If anyone's taken up where we'll get it, we have half-acre
blocks. Um, that's one of the reasons I bought my home in this community. Um, I know that they've offer to put up a six-foot fence and trees, but there's no guarantee that those trees have to remain. There, it's not in a D. I would really like to have a guarantee of some sort of a buffer because, like I said, we we've been in this community for quite some time. This is new, it's going to be a density area, regardless of the properties that are against ours. Um, it would be nice to
have some guarantee of a buffer besides a six-foot fence. Also, I live along the End of the property, which is near lots 10, 11, and 12. And a few weeks ago, just after the either the first or second meeting we had about this, they had a surveyor come out and Some of those areas weren't initially going to be developed. And there's a very low line area there that floods during the rainy season. So I just want to be um make
them aware that this could definitely be a flooding issue and I there's been properties added around this edge. It's been more now tucked into our community, at least as far as where I live. And so Lot 10 is above Lot 10 is going to be a two-story home that does overlook my property. Just so you know, it's a two-story home and it does definitely overlook my property there. It's halfway in the lot. So we really ask them They only do it once for a year as well, um, if they can. Um And I just want to thank the developers again for working
with us and the county commissioners for hearing us out today. So thank you for your time.
Well thank you for your comments. Okay.
Yep, we have um two people signed up, but I don't know if that has captured everyone that is here. So we have um Mr. Joe Clavin.
Mr. Jocley.
All right, thank you. Thank you, sir.
And I also have signed up uh Trina, is it Van Nostrand?
As you approach the Brench, I would just remind you if you could please state your name, address for the record and also whether you've been sworn.
Uh my name is Trina Banastra and I live at [address removed]. Um I have not been sworn in.
Okay. Would you please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm the testimony you're about to give is the truth, so help you God.
Yes, ma'am.
Thank you, ma'am. You may proceed to pray.
Um my concern basically is what my uh neighbor was talking about and that's with the um board density. the high density that they're requesting when the rural area there is no other developments that are allowed of for density and that's our biggest concern. Um I do live On the western side and my property floods
already when we have Heavy rains. my whole backyard on the back end, which I have a twenty foot drainage easement in my yard that I can't even do anything with twenty foot of my yard. uh on that whole backside. And like when it does rain, I flood back there. They go building these homes and stuff, I'm gonna end up with more problems than I've had in the past. Um when I put in a pool My the elevation
was so low that I literally had to bring my patio up two foot. So my six foot fence Is when I'm on my patio is con Like a three or four foot fence because my patio sits so high. So I literally can see over the whole fence in that whole back area in which they're gonna be able to see into my patio area and I'll have no privacy. Right now when I look out. At least I'm just looking at the
cul-de-sac and a couple of houses in my subdivision. which is their front yard. So it's not like somebody's backyard, which these will be people's backyards. which they will be occupying a lot more. And like I said, I won't have any privacy at all. I have There's two 60-foot lots, so two That's gonna be two story homes. that with the way the angle of that is, we'll be able to look in. and see right over. And like I said, when I'm standing on my patio
where my pool area is, I'm looking right over my fence. So this is my biggest concern right now and I would just I appreciate what they're doing. I'm from the military family. And I really do appreciate it. I just wish they would go more with the R three instead of an R4 density if you would just, you know, have them approve for just an R three instead of R4. Thank you. So
I'm
I'm
looking at your lot um here and is that your garage that's in the front?
Is
that your garage so are you What was your address? Two two four three zero. Is your name Trina? Yes ma'am. So I'm looking at your lot and it looks to me like you've chosen to put your house further back than your neighbour's? I mean it it it's pretty far back on your lot. So that's it.
Well
I didn't
build the home.
Well whoever. Whoever sighted it. It's definitely pushed back to um to the back part of your lot. So I think, you know, that that's gonna be a risk when you cho when someone chooses to cite a house. So far back like that?
I'm not really certain what you're talking about, but like I said, I added on the back. I mean I had it on a patio, so that brought it out a little bit more. But my my garage faces the west. It's right on the side of the home.
Per house is
all and
And the garage is out there.
So I did add on that patio, but like I said with the elevation I had to r you know, bring the whole patio up. So, like I said, I won't have privacy.
Yeah. Yeah.
All right, thank you for coming.
Thank you.
Thank you.
So Mr. Chair, that is all that I had signed up, but I don't know if there's anyone else in the audience who does anyone
in the audience wish to speak to this matter?
It's just a problem that you're going to do.
Yeah, that's cool.
I
mean
just as a reminder, name and address for the record and state whether you've been sworn. Hi,
my name is Shelby Carrero and I live at [address removed]. I have not been sworn in. Okay.
Do you swear or affirm the testimony you're about to give is the truth so help you God?
Yes. Thank you. So I just wanted to thank um the county commissioners for meeting with me um over the course of the last two weeks. I appreciate that. I also want to thank um Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Um they have worked with us for several months now and I think that we have finally come up with a compromise on both sides and um I greatly, greatly appreciate that. And again to mimic all my other neighbors um I think that We couldn't ask for better neighbors for what you guys are doing
and we are excited to see what they are gonna do. So thank you and thank you guys.
Thank
you.
Is anyone at the kiocks?
No emails to email. There's no
email emails for that item.
All right, thank you.
And no emails on this item.
Please? Okay. Pleasure of war.
See now move report.
Second.
Got a motion and a second. All those in favor say aye by roll call vote.
District 2, Commissioner Moore. Aye. District 3, Commissioner Starkey. Aye. District 4, Commissioner Fitzpatrick. Act District 5, Commissioner Mariano.
Aye.
District one, Chairman Oakley.