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Planning board OKs new Spring Hill physician's buildingBROOKSVILLE, Feb 11, 2013 (Hernando Today - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Hernando County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved staff recommendations Monday to revise the county's Master Plan on property zoned as general commercial and the prospective project site of a physician's office on S.R. 50. "You had me at hello," said Planning and Zoning board-member Robert Widmar. The planning and zoning's recommendations will go before the county commisssioners who will consider adopting the resolution in light of several performance conditions laid out by planning and zoning staff. The project is still in its preliminary stages, and project applicants, Hafcortez 17, LLC, will need to obtain several permits before construction can begin. The potential physician's building site is planned for a parcel on the south side of S.R. 50, west of Mariner Boulevard between the HealthSouth building and Evergreen Woods. On May 5, 2006, county commissioners approved rezoning the land from Agricultural to General Commercial with setback reductions in order to develop the site with a 165,600 square foot retail center and three outparcels with a combined 60,000 square foot of retail space. However, since the approval no development has commenced. Now the project developer's current request is a master plan revision to develop the 10,000 square foot office building. Among the permits that may be needed for the project would have to come from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, since the project site is located on candler fine sand, which provides a habitat suitable for gopher tortoises. According to County data resources, the property does not contain wetlands, a Well Head Protection Area, or a Special Protection Area, but given the presence of the candler fine sand soils, gopher tortoise habitat and several other species have a moderate potential for occurring on the project site, including eastern indigo snake, Florida mouse, Florida pine snake and gopher frog. "Since Gopher Tortoise of Special Concern may be present, the site should be inspected prior to construction," a copy of the staff recommendations shows. "Due to the species' protected status, the destruction of their burrows constitutes taking under the law except as authorized by a specific permit and a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission permit may be required prior to site alterations." Other performance conditions pending county commissioners' adoption of the P&Z's resolution to revise the Master Plan on property zoned General Commercial, includes: --Obtain all permits from Hernando County and other applicable agencies and meet all applicable land development regulations, for either construction or use of the property, and complete all applicable development review processes. --Provide a reverse frontage road across the rear of the property, at no cost to the County, upon demonstration of need and demand by the County. --The project is approved for 171,000 square feet. A revision to the master plan shall be required prior to the second phase of construction in order to determine the site layout and to address large retail development standards. --The petitioner shall connect to the east via the existing Healthsouth connection. Additionally, a cross-access easement shall be provided. --Access along S.R. 50 shall be limited to right-in/right-out as depicted on the master plan. Access to S.R. 50 is contingent upon Florida Department of Transportation review and approval. --The petitioner shall provide a revised plan in compliance with all of the performance conditions within 30 calendar days of county commission approval. Failure to submit the revised plan will result in no further development permits being issued. ___ (c)2013 the Hernando Today (Brooksville, Fla.) Visit the Hernando Today (Brooksville, Fla.) at www.HernandoToday.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |