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Controversial changes at Saddlebrook Resort get first nod of approval

Community residents pack meeting to object to proposals to add more homes and cut golf amenities
 
Changes in land-uses are under consideration for the Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.
Changes in land-uses are under consideration for the Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. [ FRED BELLET | Tampa Bay Times ]
Published Jan. 7, 2023

NEW PORT RICHEY — For hours on Thursday, residents of Saddlebrook urged Pasco County planning commissioners to protect their unique upscale community, a neighborhood they chose for its green space with abundant wildlife, golf and tennis training academies, and remarkable vistas.

Miami developer Mast Capital purchased the resort for $15 million in February and has plans for repurposing undeveloped portions of the community, including the existing driving range and several of the holes on one of the two Arnold Palmer-designed golf courses that are hallmarks of the development.

Those plans building include 105,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, 465 multifamily residences and 55 new dorms for students in the academies. Aran Landry of Mast Capital also outlined plans to upgrade the Saddlebrook resort itself by making over the hotel entrance, public areas, swimming pool and guest rooms.

Over the last few months, the company has been working with county planners to accomplish the unusual process of redeveloping an already partially developed community, one with pricey homes and a unique sports training program that has drawn athletes from around the world. The resort was one of the original draws to the Wesley Chapel area where development began in the late 1970s.

The difficulty of that process played out in a hearing that lasted more than four hours, dragging into the evening. Planning commissioners were uncomfortable with missing details in the plan, including what would happen in areas where golf course holes would be lost.

Saddlebrook Tennis Academy student Carter Bradford, left, is directed by coach Sean McQuillan, right, while warming up at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. Owners of the property a seeking permission to build in areas that include one of its golf courses and a driving range. [Times (2017)]

In the end, the majority agreed that the first part of the lengthy process would move forward, sending the proposed changes in the county’s comprehensive plan for future development to the state for review. The County Commission ultimately will decide if the changes are acceptable.

The application anticipates losing nine holes of the golf course, but after the public outcry, a plan to add housing where golf course holes will be lost was abandoned. Mast still plans to use those areas for golf-related uses, but the lack of detail on that troubled Planning Commission chairperson Charles Grey, who was one of two members who voted not to transmit the comprehensive plan application.

Grey said he was concerned about residents who made their investment for golf course frontage years ago and said they should not expect to see that changed now to a view of a maintenance shed or other unsightly use. One resident, Denise Reichenbach, said she bought her home for just that reason with a 180-degree view. She asked that her home value be protected.

Jon Moody was the other commissioner to vote no. At a September hearing on the plan he voiced concern that there was no one from the community aware of the proposal, which was listed under a portion of the agenda for items with no opposition. Since then the county changed its notice requirements and the room was filled on Thursday.

New owners of the 480-acre Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel are seeking to redevelop part of the green areas. [ Mast Capital ]

Moody said that approving the comprehensive plan amendment first before details were set for the next phase of review would allow the developer to argue that the proposal was allowed under existing rules.

Planning Commissioner Jaime Girardi said he wanted more detail but was willing to start the process by approving the transmittal to the state. He would not, however, agree to future land-use changes if they were not specific and appropriate, he said.

Residents had hired at least two attorneys who spoke against the plan. Dozens of homeowners and property owners joined in their plea. They voiced concerns about traffic and congestion because of increased density of development. Others worried resort improvements wouldn’t be made because the focus would be developing apartments and commercial uses.

Larry and Joann Barbetta, who have helped to organize the various Saddlebrook communities, each urged commissioners to vote no. They came to the community a decade ago because of the tennis opportunities for their daughter, but it was the look of the community, with its large, open, green spaces and abundant wildlife, that prompted them to buy.

“Saddlebrook,” Joann Barbetta said, “is a gem and it ought to be treated that way.”

Larry Barbetta said he did not understand how another 500 new residences and commercial expansion on the driving range, which has been an important recreation facility and green space at the front of Saddlebrook, fits.

That plan, he said, “is not consistent with the character of what we have.”