WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Many people move to Wesley Chapel to get away from the loud city life. Some say that is now being threatened by the quick pace of new development.
“Schools are incredibly overcrowded,” Jennifer McCarthy said. “Why does a developer have more rights and privileges than me as a homeowner.”
McCarthy has owned her home in Wesley Chapel for 10 years. She and many other residents are concerned about how the area is being developed.
“I don’t want my neighbors to sell I don’t want to sell,” she said. “I want to live here for the rest of my life. That’s why I want them to develop responsibility.
"I don’t want to hate living in Pasco County.”
They point to the Wildcat Bailes Project.
It’ll be home to up to 1,275 multifamily units, 250,000 square feet of medical office space, a 365,000 square foot hospital, 250 hotel rooms, 155-thousand square feet of retail, another 150,000 square foot office and a helipad.
The concern is whether the area’s infrastructure can keep up.
Lisa Moretti and many other residents are wondering what this will mean for already overcrowded schools.
“The development that’s happening is happening so quickly and so, it feels unplanned,” Moretti said. “Because the infrastructure isn’t there, we already have problems with our schools being crowded. Too many kids in portable classrooms.”
Don Leppla, a resident in Wesley Chapel, said the schools are already overcrowded with the now being at 130-135 percent capacity.
“The estimated a ridiculous number,” homeowner Jim Marinari said. “I think they said it would add 40 to 70 students to the school. And that The Kirkland ranch magnet school was able to absorb 110 students. something along those lines. And that’s not going to be the case. That’s impossible you’re guessing the number of people and you’re already over capacity.
"There are thousands and possibly tens of thousands of new homes which are all going to be multifamily by the way.”
These concerns were brought up to Pasco County Planning and Development Director Nectarios Pittos. He says the county followed the comprehensive plan.
According to Pittos, residents had several opportunities to voice their concerns and they did.
“There’s a balancing act in terms of the quality of life but we also have to recognize, I think practically speaking, that the Tampa Bay region is growing and this particular area State Road 52 and I-75 is a growing place,” Pittos said. “As a result of that rise in property values with the investment people have made in their properties, some are wanting to cash in essentially to sell their property and develop according to the city comprehensive plan.”
Chris Williams is the director of Planning for Pasco County Schools. He says the county planning commission presented them with figures for the Wildcat Bailes Project and then the school district did an impact analysis. He says they have plans to address the influx of new students.
“We have charter schools that have opened and charter schools that will be opening in the next 2-3 -4 years,” Williams said. “In addition to the K-8 schools that we’re opening. We’ve also been proactive about buying land for the future. So, we have land available to build additional schools when the time comes.”
While many understand development is inevitable, they believe there’s a better way of going about it.
“It needs to be responsible. Everything is going to be developed. There’s no stopping the development,” McCarthy said.
“We’re not against development or progress, the biggest issue we have is how do we make that happen co-existing with the people who already live here,” Leppla explained.