Top county planners gave preliminary approval Thursday to earmark a 3-mile stretch of land at State Road 54 and Little Road as the county's future western urban hub, with homes, shops and office parks, under a new county land-use classification. The 1,159 acres, mostly owned by the pioneer Mitchell family, includes 20 parcels and encompasses areas east and west of the intersection on the south side of SR 54. County officials said the move came after examining the area and seeing a hodgepodge of entitlements that weren't good fits with the surrounding area. The new designation would not change those land uses but would merely reshuffle them. The new classification also allows uses to be shuffled around without state approval. County officials see that flexibility as critical as they someday hope to build a light rail system linking Pasco with points south. The proposal will ultimately need approval from county commissioners.