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As Florida begins an overhaul of its growth management policies, Pasco became one of a handful of communities this year on the cutting edge of developing a new tool to combat urban sprawl.
You read that right. Pasco. Cutting edge. Combatting sprawl. Same sentence. How in the world did that happen?
"What Pasco has done is very, very positive," said Charlie Gauthier, a Tallahassee planning consultant and former top official in the state's planning agency.
Pasco commissioners in July voted unanimously to create mobility fees, which are a charge on new development to help pay for roads, sidewalks and bus shelters. Because fees are lower in urban areas than the old transportation impact fees, officials believe the new approach will help concentrate growth in those areas while keeping rural areas less developed.
Assistant county attorney David Goldstein, who helped craft much of the plan, said it marks a significant step forward.
For the full article, visit the St. Petersburg Times.
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