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Despite flooding concerns, Brooksville council says yes to 999-unit housing development

 
Location of the proposed Milk-A-Way Farms development in Brooksville.
Location of the proposed Milk-A-Way Farms development in Brooksville.
Published Aug. 8, 2018

BROOKSVILLE — This year's rainy season has kept the residents and management at Clover Leaf Farms mobile home community busy with flooding that required water pumping and resident relocations.

Park general manager Bill Barton told the Brooksville City Council this week that they've pumped more than two million gallons of water out of the area. And they fear the problem will get worse if the city approves development on the nearby Milk-A-Way Farm site.

Despite those concerns and others voiced by residents and long-time City Council member Joe Bernardini, the council on Monday voted 3-2 to change the city's comprehensive plan and create a mixed-use development district on the 440-acre property on the northeast corner of U.S. 41 and Croom Road in northern Brooksville.

The county's land use map listed the land as commercial, residential, rural and conservation. In May, the council voted 3-2 to send the recommended change to the state for review. The state posed no questions that would change the proposal, according to city staff.

The site could include 999 residential units and 50,000 square feet of commercial and office space.

Cliff Manuel and Don Lacey of Coastal Engineering represented developer Croom Road Land Holdings at Monday's meeting. They explained that the council can require the developer to fix the flooding problem, and also remedy concerns about traffic congestion and the safety of children traveling to school across busy U.S. 41.

"To me, it's a win,'' said council member Bill Kemerer. The developer will have to resolve nearby flooding, including drainage problems that have flooded Croom Road after recent storms.

"Otherwise, who is going to buy a house there?'' he asked. "We're not going to solve the problems out there with city money, and the county is not going to pay.''

Bernardini remained worried about such dense development on property that city officials acknowledge is half in a flood plain.

He was concerned that the owner, who recently posted the site for sale, is simply trying to increase the value of the property, which was annexed into the city in 2005.

Telling potential buyers they could develop nearly 1,000 residential units on the site, "I think that's misleading to the general public,'' Bernardini said. He likened the pitch to photos of luscious steak and a fresh catch of the day at a restaurant serving hamburgers and fish sticks.

Flooding problems have worsened with development, he said, and so have traffic problems that would intensify with 1,000 new homes. He spoke about multiple accidents in the past few weeks on U.S. 41.

Adding 10,000 vehicle trips per day on city roads also will become "a maintenance nightmare,'' Bernardini said.

Manuel described how the farm owner routed water on the Milk-A-Way site with a culvert and berms, complicating water issues.

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But a developer would have to work with the city and permitting agencies to route water properly and cluster residential units away from the flood-prone areas, he said.

Bernardini and Mayor Betty Erhard were not convinced. They voted against changing the city's comprehensive plan.

The next step for the city and developer is a rezoning process, during which the council will work out development requirements. That will require public hearings before the city's Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council.

Contact Barbara Behrendt at bbehrendt@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1434.

>>>Previous coverage:> Brooksville council gives tentative nod to 999-home development