Analysis:

Existing Conditions:

The site is 1.52 acres located on the southeast corner of Grand Boulevard and Louisiana Avenue. The site contains three vacant buildings: a church, former fellowship hall and former parsonage. Access to the property is provided by Grand Boulevard and Louisiana Avenue. The site has mature live oak trees located along the eastern half of the frontage along Louisiana Avenue.   

Proposal: 

The proposal is to develop the site with a private Christian school serving special needs students who experience developmental, emotional and mental challenges. The applicant operates nine campus locations in Hernando, Manatee, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties. This would be its tenth campus.

The applicant is also seeking a special exception for an educational facility, which is predicated on the approval of the rezoning request. The special exception request is scheduled for public hearings before the City Council on November 7, 2017 and November 21, 2017.

The school is anticipated to serve a maximum of 60 K-12 students at this site. The former fellowship hall building will be reconfigured to accommodate six classrooms. The school year will follow the Pasco County School District’s calendar, running typically from mid-August though the end of May. 

The applicant estimates 30 of the 60 students will be transported by shuttle vans, arriving between 8:00 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. in the morning and departing in the afternoon at approximately 3:00 p.m. Approximately 15 parents will transport their children by vehicle, arriving between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. in the morning and departing in the afternoon between 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. The applicant proposes to extend the four-foot sidewalk across the property on the south side of Louisiana Avenue.

An administrative office for the multiple Esther’s School campus locations will operate in the building which formerly housed the parsonage. The applicant estimates a maximum of six employees in this building. The administrative office will operate throughout the year.

The church building has a current seating capacity of 70 and a maximum occupancy 130. The applicant indicates the church building is utilized by three congregations. One congregation has approximately 40 congregants and meets Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings; another has 15 congregants and meets Saturday mornings; the third has 15 congregants and meets Tuesday and Thursday evenings. A church is a special exception use in the R-3 and MF-30 districts. The staff has determined that the church use is a legally nonconforming use on this property.

Concurrency Review:

To ensure that the rezoning will meet concurrency standards, an availability and demand analysis is performed for the maximum potential development.  Concurrency is determined by comparing the available capacity of a public facility/service with the total demand of the subject site, which is measured by determining the potential demand minus the demand generated by the existing uses.

• Traffic:

  The Land Development Code requires a transportation study for proposed projects that generate more than 50 trips per day in the PM peak hour of operation. The school and office uses will generate less than 50 trips per day in the PM peak hour of operation.  The church uses will generate less than 50 tips per day on weekends. No traffic study is needed.

• Sanitary Sewer:

  Sanitary sewer treatment will be provided by the City’s wastewater treatment facility, which is designed to handle 7.5 million gallons per day (gpd).  From the 7.5 million gpd, Pasco County is allotted a capacity of 3.0 million gpd, which leaves the City with a capacity of 4.5 million gpd.  The total daily flow is approximately 5.0 million gpd, allowing for a 2.5 million gpd surplus capacity.  The proposed rezoning is expected to generate demand of 1,060 gpd with the 60-student school and administrative office and 267 gpd on the weekends with the church use, which is serviceable by the City. 

   

• Potable Water:

  The City of New Port Richey will provide water service and the City is supplied water by Tampa Bay Water.  The present design of the City’s water treatment facility is 11.1 million gpd.  The approximate average daily flow is 3.5 million gpd with a surplus of 7.6 million gpd.  The proposed rezoning is expected to generate demand of 1,060 gpd with the 60-student school and administrative office and 267 gpd on the weekends with the church use, which is serviceable by the City.   

   

• Solid Waste:

  The City does not provide solid waste service.  This is provided through franchise agreements with independent haulers.  The City has an interlocal agreement with Pasco County for solid waste disposal and the County is responsible for providing adequate dumping sites. A dumpster is located to the east of the eastern access to Louisiana Avenue. A condition of site plan approval will include a requirement that it be screened on all four sides. 

• Drainage:

  The City handles drainage demand through the development review process at the time such development occurs.  Post-development drainage patterns cannot exceed pre-development patterns. There is no increase proposed to the hardscape. A small portion of the parking will be removed to accommodate landscaping. The existing run-off from the site flows west to Grand Boulevard.

   

• Recreation:

  According to the adopted level of service for future recreation needs (Table 5, Recreation and Open Space Elements, Comprehensive Plan), the City of New Port Richey has a surplus of facilities for a population of 20,000 and over, depending on the type of facility.    

   

• Fire & Emergency Medical Services:

  Fire and emergency medical services will be provided to this property by Station #1 is located at 6333 Madison Street.  The Fire Department will continue to serve this property and the rezoning will not adversely affect fire and EMS service and response time. 

   

• Police:

  The City of New Port Richey administers police service.  There are currently 44 officers that offer police protection to the residents of the City.  Community policing service will be provided through the City’s zone system and officers in the field.

Compatibility with Comprehensive Plan:

The proposal will be consistent with the following Comprehensive Plan objectives and policies:

• FLU Policy 1.1.3 - Future development and redevelopment in the City shall be consistent with the requirements of the Future Land Use Map categories set forth in the companion table to this policy (see Table FLU 1.1.3). Only those land uses, densities and intensities specified for the Future Land Use Map category are permitted unless uses, densities and intensities specified in the zoning regulations are more restrictive. In such cases, the zoning regulations shall prevail.

• FLU Table 1.1.3 - Public/Semi-Public (uses are secondary uses in the High Density Residential Category) Maximum of 2.0 acres; otherwise, a FLUM amendment to the Public/Semi-public category is required.

• LIV Objective 1.9 - Integrate school facilities with surrounding neighborhoods in a manner that encourages pedestrian and bicycle travel and strengthens the development pattern and design integrity of neighborhoods.

• LIV Policy 1.9.1 - Encourage school design that is compatible to the existing or planned development pattern in the surrounding neighborhood.

• LIV Policy 1.9.4 - Encourage middle and elementary school design to accommodate drop-offs and pick-ups on site, without interrupting traffic flow on local streets.

• LIV Policy 1.9.7 - Connect schools to residential neighborhoods, parks and other community focal points through sidewalks and trails.

• LIV Objective 3.1 - Create walkable neighborhoods that are designed and oriented towards pedestrians while balancing motor vehicle traffic circulation needs.

• LIV Policy 3.1.3 - Locate sidewalks along both sides of all public streets, particularly along routes that attract high volumes of pedestrian activity such as those leading to schools, recreational facilities, centers and employment districts.