Pasco To Host Open House On Extending Roads Into New Tampa

WESLEY CHAPEL, FL -- It’s a proposal that has been raised repeatedly and then dismissed. But now Pasco County has released a definitive study on the pros and cons of connecting neighborhood roads in the Wesley Chapel of Meadow Pointe to the New Tampa subdivision of K-Bar Ranch.

The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization will discuss the study with residents at an open house on Tuesday, May 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Pasco-Hernando State College, Room B-303, 2727 Mansfield Blvd. in Wesley Chapel.

Right now, the only thing preventing Mansfield Boulevard in Meadow Pointe from connecting to Kinnan Street, which runs along the western boundary of K-Bar Ranch is an invisible county line and a barricade.

But, in the interest of improving road connectivity and traffic flow, the Pasco County Commission and the city of Tampa are exploring the possibility of linking Mansfield and Kinnan.

That idea doesn't sit well with Meadow Pointe resident Chris Dillinger and his neighbors who have started a petition drive opposing the connection. So far, the petition has more than 533 signatures.

Mansfield Boulevard is a two-lane road constructed by the developers to specifically serve the villages within Meadow. In fact, it was owned and maintained by the Meadow Pointe Community Development District until 2002 when it was deeded to the county.

In addition to serving the residents of Meadow Pointe, Wiregrass Ranch High School, Wiregrass Elementary School, Long Middle School and the Potter campus of Pasco-Hernando State College are located on Mansfield.

“At lot of people in Meadow Pointe feel like the neighborhood is under siege,” said Dillinger. “Mansfield is a small, two-lane residential road that can’t be widened (due to existing development). It would never be able to handle the volume of traffic if the roads are connected.”

Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione first broached the idea of connecting the two roads after a home in K-Bar Ranch caught fire and Tampa firefighters couldn't find the subdivision's entrance and ended up at the dead end of Kinnan Street.

But when Montelione spoke with Pasco County commissioners about connecting the roads, the issue hit a road block. The Pasco County Commission wanted the city of Tampa to fund traffic-calming measures along Mansfield and to extend Beardsley Drive from Meadow Pointe Boulevard to Morris Ridge Road.

Montelione said the city council couldn’t justify spending taxpayer dollars in Pasco County and dropped the issue.

Dillinger said it wasn't a good idea in 2013 when Montelione first brought it up, and it's worse now.

In the five years since, K-Bar Ranch is nearly built out and its developers have proposed adding 700 more homes.

Additionally, with the Shops of Wiregrass mall, the Tampa Premium Outlets Mall and the Florida Hospital Ice skating complex all located on State Road 56 off Mansfield Boulevard, there are more reasons for New Tampa residents to cross the county line.

The MPO study explores a couple of alternatives that Dillinger believes would be less disruptive to current residents.

One alternative is to extend Beardsley Road and Meadow Pointe Boulevard on the east side of the community into Hillsborough County. The other explores the possibility of extending Wyndesfield Boulevard, which lies even further east, into Hillsborough.

Dillinger said those two options make more sense than sending traffic through an established neighborhood.

“I understand, with all the growth, you have to look at regional connectivity,” he said. “But it shouldn’t come at the expense of established neighborhoods, especially when there are alternatives available.”

The 450-page study is available on the county’s website. Residents who are unable to attend the open house can submit comments on the website.

Image via Chris Dillinger