Pasco County is weighing a deal that would let Meritage Homes design, permit and build a four-lane stretch of Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel in exchange for cash reimbursement from the county, with an estimated cost of about $7.1 million. The agreement covers the road between north of Coyote Way and Sedgeway Boulevard and just north of Old Mill Road, tying the roadwork to a nearby 106-townhome development the developer wants to build on roughly 18 acres.
According to Tampa Bay 28, Pasco County would reimburse Meritage Homes for eligible expenses once the builder completes the widening and resurfacing work, and the agreement would allow the townhomes to be built and sold before the road improvements are finished, provided the developer sticks to the terms of the deal. The news station reports the development plans also call for bike lanes, a sidewalk and a multi-use path along the corridor.
Pasco County planning staff have already backed a version of the arrangement. Per Citizen Portal, the proposal, identified as PC-4 (PDE 270036), is a development agreement with Meritage Homes of Bridal, LLC, to design and construct Old Pasco Road to four lanes in exchange for cash reimbursement. The planning commission placed the item on its consent agenda and recommended approval to the Board of County Commissioners, the outlet notes.
A Deal Rooted in Last Year's Zoning Fight
The townhome project at the center of the agreement traces back to a zoning change commissioners approved roughly 18 months ago. Citizen Portal's coverage of that decision states commissioners adopted a comprehensive plan amendment on April 30 that changed about 18.36 acres at the northeast corner of Old Pasco Road and Hadlock Drive from Residential-3 to Residential-6, clearing the way for 106 platted townhomes. As part of that approval, the same report notes, the developer agreed to construct off-site road improvements tied to the project.
The road agreement now headed to commissioners is the mechanism for delivering on that commitment, according to the facts laid out by the station's report. The Pasco County Commission is set to hold a meeting and public hearing on the proposed agreement next Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 1:30 p.m. in Dade City.
A Neighbor's Worry Over Who Bears the Risk
Not everyone near the project is sold on the setup. Larry Feldstein, who moved to Wesley Chapel near Old Pasco Road in 2023, told the station that he and his neighbors have already experienced numerous disruptions, noise and lengthy construction. He said he believes the county can be held more responsible for projects than a developer can, raising questions about accountability if the work drags on or falls short.
Other residents see the widening as simply necessary. Some have told the station they support the construction because it is required to keep pace with Wesley Chapel's growth, even if it means more short-term headaches on an already busy corridor.
One Stretch Among Several Old Pasco Road Projects
The Meritage agreement is not the only widening effort touching Old Pasco Road. The corridor already has a widening project underway in parts of the road, separate from the Meritage-linked segment, and Pasco County has pursued other improvements along the route in recent years. A county notice dated January 2024 described a widening project from just south of Sonny Drive to north of Overpass Road that was set to begin that same month, including two added travel lanes, a median, a sidewalk, a multi-use path and two new traffic signals, according to Pasco County.
Further north, a much larger undertaking is in the pipeline. GovMarket News reports the county has put a $42.4 million project into motion to widen a 2.4-mile stretch of Old Pasco Road from Wesley Chapel Boulevard to Sonny Drive, with the design phase expected to wrap in 2027 and construction slated to begin in 2029 and finish by January 2031. That project calls for four traffic lanes, bike lanes on both sides, a sidewalk on the west side and a multi-use path on the east side, the outlet reports — a scope and price tag distinct from the smaller Meritage-linked segment up for a vote this month.
