Odessa primed for upscale development with first project already in the pipeline

Back in the day, the southwest corner of State Road 54 and Gunn Highway was known for its massive flea market overflowing with everything from produce and fishing gear to jewelry and furniture.

But Pasco County leaders have been working on a new plan for the spot, one of the last large swaths of undeveloped property in the area, turning it into a mixture of apartments next door to businesses where residents can shop, eat and work.

This week, the County Commission approved a change in their long-term development plan creating the Odessa Town Centre, 86 acres in three distinct “villages” tied together with a road and trail system. Those separate areas would be geared toward high-density residential, commercial and industrial uses.

Also on Tuesday, they approved the first major portion of that development, the Gaeto project, which will include 12,000 square feet of commercial and office space on the ground floor and apartments on the upper floors in the entrance buildings.

Indoor and outdoor amenities are also planned. There will be 320 apartments in the development spread over approximately 17 acres. The development plan includes multiuse trails along the western border from that development south to Interlaken Road, with another leg of the trail running east to connect in the future with Gunn Highway and eventually tie into other trails in the area.

The project is in Commissioner Kathryn Starkey’s district. She said she did not want that large land area along a major roadway become just another stretch of strip commercial centers and fast food restaurants.

In the works for the last two years, the planning district was developed with help from those involved with the Gaeto project and through a series of meetings with many of the approximately 20 local land owners. While the development plan will guide future projects, it will not require existing owners to do anything until they are ready to change the existing use of their property.

Herbert Heap, who owns nearly 12 acres in the area on Old Gunn Highway, said he was concerned that the county’s plan for the district included two new roads running through his property. He said he has had dozens of interested buyers reach out to him to make offers.

To create a cohesive project, the planning district designates three areas of development. The first, to the far western side of the zone, is set aside for a mixture of uses like the Gaeto project. The middle section is focused on employment-generating uses, and the eastern side along Gunn Highway for light industrial.

The large corner parcel where the flea market used to be is slated for a Lowe’s Home Improvement store. Starkey said she wished that the development zone had been set up before then so that the parcel could have also been included in the overall district.

Joel Tew, representing the project, said that the developer is Altis Cardinal, an upscale building development company based in Miami that has been building similar projects throughout the region. The Gaeto project will be the first in Pasco County. He said the hope is that the first project will “be a kind of catalyst” to get the planning district started.

Tew also defended the developer’s requests to reduce the amount of land set aside for parks and to remove the distance requirements between land uses that provide alcohol and schools and churches.

Starkey said that the idea of the project is to create a village atmosphere with multifamily residences rather than single-family homes, with nearby businesses to attract the residents to enjoy outdoor seating areas and activities.

Starkey said Tuesday that her advice to the developer was, “You need to build a place I can go hang out on a Saturday night.”