NEW PORT RICHEY — Downtown New Port Richey has undergone a transformation, and longtime residents like Angel Cook say they have loved watching it unfold.
“I’ve lived here all my life but I’ve lived in the city the last five years. But I’m very involved in the community, and in the last 10-12 years, the boom has been incredible,” said Cook, an insurance broker with Leaders Insurance Agency.
Amy Tull heads up Pasco’s planning department and says the county is looking to expand that boom by making improvements to one of main thoroughfares into downtown, Grand Boulevard.
She says they are looking at establishing what’s called a form-based code.
“The building footprints need to look the same. You have to prioritize your open spaces, sidewalks, walkability within these uses so you can activate all different types of experiences within the Grand Boulevard study area, said Tull.
The county is hosting public workshops to gather community feedback on how to enhance Grand Boulevard.
“Probably landscaping would be the number one. Clean it up a little bit. You gotta a lot of different businesses around here, so they all have to co-exist,” said Carl Mowry, whose Mowry Group businesses is involved in hospitality and real estate.
“There’s no walkways. There’s no bike lane. It’s one lane each way,” said Andrew Hewitt, who owns Caliper Wellness in downtown New Port Richey.
“Being able to clean up the businesses along Grand Boulevard. A lot of these businesses are older, and some grant money would be fantastic for them to use to be able to bring up the landscaping, the exterior, to where you’re coming from, the county into the city, you don’t even realize that there is an end and a beginning,” said Cook.
The county says they’ve looked at similar areas in Tarpon Springs, Clearwater, Bradenton, and Dunedin. But this would be a first for Pasco. They say studies show these kinds of changes can also increase property value.
There are two additional workshops, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Elfers Senior Center, 4136 Barker Drive, New Port Richey, on May 7 and June 4. Registration is not required.
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