KASS CIRCLE

REVITALIZATION PROJECTA VISION FOR COMMUNITY GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

PLANNING

DEPARTMENT

FLORIDA CENTER FOR

COMMUNITY DESIGN +

RESEARCH

&

SCHOOL OF PUBLIC

AFFAIRS

PROJECT OVERVIEW& OBJECTIVES

Engage community residents, business and

property owners and local officials in

developing a long-term vision for revitalizing

the Kass Circle area and transforming it into a

vibrant community center

The project is also intended to:

• Identify opportunities for enhancing local

economic development

• Generate ideas for reversing the decline of the

Spring Hill Shopping Plaza and transforming it

into a viable community asset

• Help create a “sense of place” in the Kass Circle

area

• Address ways to improving the area’s public

realm, pedestrian safety, access and walkability

• Identify ways of enhancing the area’s visual

character and identity

• Enhance the livability standards of the larger

Kass Circle community

• Evaluate whether area would benefit from

creation of a Community Redevelopment Area

Spring Hill Plaza Shopping Center

Spring Hill Drive

Typical Neighborhood Street

PROJECT AREA

PROJECT MILESTONES

• December 2013 – Hernando

County documents existing

conditions

• January 2014 – Community

planning processes

commences, led by Hernando

County in partnership with the

USF Florida Center for

Community Design & Research

• Spring 2015 – USF Masters of

Urban and Regional Planning

students conduct research to

support development of a

Finding of Necessity for project

area

COMMUNITY DESIGN PROCESS /

PUBLIC WORKSHOP

IDEA GENERATION BREAK-OUT SESSIONS

MASTER PLAN VISION

PHASING

PHASE 1 (1-5 YEARS)

PHASE 2 (5-10 YEARS)

:

PHASE 3 (10-15+ YEARS)

SPRING 2015 LAND USE PLANNING COURSE

• Graduate students conduct

research to fulfill a “finding of

necessity” in accordance with

the Community Redevelopment

Act of 1960, Chapter 163, Part

III, Florida Statutes; required as

part of process of evaluating

designation as a CRA

• Students conducted research

from February – May 2015 and

produced draft findings report

• Summer 2015 – Hernando

County works with community

to finalize Finding of Necessity

• July 2015 – Hernando County

recognizes student work with

proclamation

Student Experience

Aggregate assessed values of real property in the area for ad valorem tax purposes.

Resources used:

Hernando County Property Appraiser’s

websiteFlorida Dept. of Revenue’s

website Coordination with fellow

colleagues

Learning Experience: From this project, I have gained some applicable real-world knowledge into

the professional world of planners.

• Communication • Technical skill-set

• Collaboration

Sheriff’s substation added

Abandoned structure demolished

Additional transit route will reduce headways

The Neighborhood Is Motivated! Two annual neighborhood cleanups held

Sidewalk added at plaza

Accomplishments in the First Year

34 streetlights added

Transit system benches added Code enforcement sweep

www. hernandocounty.us/plan/KassCircleProject.asp

Next Steps

Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)

Beautify Spring Hill Drive medians and landscaping

Design and program capital projects for Spring Hill Drive:●Pedestrian/bicycle ●Transit ●Traffic calming

Design logo/brand

Pursue neighborhood organization and events

Pursue public-private partnerships

Create revised development and design standards

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

HERNANDO COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Wayne Dukes - Chairman

Nick Nicholson

Diane Rowden

Dave Russell, Jr.

Jim Adkins

HERNANDO COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT

Ronald Pianta - AICP, Assistant County Administrator

Paul Wieczorek - AICP, Senior Planner

David Miles - Planner

Omar DePablo - Planner

Patricia McNeese - AICP, Planner

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA - FLORIDA CENTER FOR COMMUNITY DESIGN + RESEARCH

Theodore Trent Green, RA - Project Manager/Urban Designer

Eric Pohlman - Urban Designer

Kendall Ahlberg - Urban Designer

Omar Maach - Architectural Designer

Jessica Daha-Mata - Urban Designer

Abbey Sharabyani – Assistant

USF SPRING 2015 LAND USE PLANNING COURSE

Evangeline Linkous, PhD, AICP – Assistant Professor

Mariann Abrahamsen, Robert Boyd, Tia Claridge, Thomas Danaher, Patrick Dougherty,

Matrell Everett, Steven Fernandez, Mara Latorre, Monica Martin, James McDevitt, Kimberly

Middleton, Molly Murphy, Leilani Paxton, Camilo Soto, Wenonah Venter, Bryan Winter

THANK YOU & CONTACT INFO

• Ronald Pianta, AICP, Assistant County Administrator, Planning & Development, Hernando County – Rpianta@co.hernando.fl.us

• Theodore Trent Green, RA, Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, USF – trentgreen@usf.edu

• Evangeline Linkous, PhD, AICP, Assistant Professor of Urban & Regional Planning, USF – elinkous@usf.edu

• Matrell Everett – Graduate Student, USF Urban & Regional Planning – matrell@mail.usf.edu