BROOKSVILLE - With hardly a peep of protest, the County Commission on Wednesday approved the massive Lake Hideaway project that envisions 3,700 homes plus retail and office space spread over 886 acres of western Hernando County.

The board voted 4-1 to accept the Development of Regional Impact for the project, with Commissioner Diane Rowden casting the sole no vote. She argued that granting the development order was speculative.

With the housing market down, she noted, the order would allow developer Tommy Bronson to drag out the time to develop the site for years. "The people out there have said that enough is enough as far as these massive plans for growth," she said.

Commissioner Dave Russell saw the project differently. He asked several questions about the improvements the developer is willing to make, noting those upgrades would not be required if several smaller projects, and not one big one, were proposed instead for the same property.

The DRI process lets the county require a developer to do certain things related to roads, utilities and other impacts, affirmed Ron Pianta, county planning director.

The development plan proposes 2,400 single-family homes priced from $250,000 to $350,000 and 1,300 multifamily units priced from $150,000 to $250,000. In addition, 50,000 square feet of neighborhood commercial retail space and 150,000 square feet of office space are planned.

Eight access points into the community are planned along U.S. 19, Hexam Road, Weeping Willow Street and Star Road.

Joel Tew, the Pinellas County lawyer who represented Bronson's project, said he has seen three cycles of housing ups and downs during his nearly 30-year career. He said it might seem odd that he was seeking a DRI approval at such a low point in the housing market, but he was certain that the homes will again be in demand.

In Florida, he said, "We crash harder, but, believe it or not, we come back quicker."

He called the DRI approval process "the best long-term planning tool" and pointed out that the area where the development is planned was already designated in the county's Comprehensive Plan for residential development. The question to the commission, Tew said, was whether the development order got for the county the things county officials thought were appropriate.

But Tew also said that Bronson has been willing to give even in areas where legally he didn't have to yield. The developer, for example, had agreed to pay $370,000 in affordable housing mitigation even though the state formula that determines whether affordable housing mitigation is necessary found that it was not needed in this case.

Not counting transportation, Tew said Bronson is giving more than $1-million in mitigation and voluntary payments to the county for everything from fire protection to a public emergency shelter fund to parks.

In addition, 30 acres will be set aside for a new school site and 20 acres for a park. All totaled, Tew said more than 100 acres was to be set aside for various purposes including open space, right of way and a trail system.

"Mr. Bronson is happy to do that," he said. "He's from here...the man that's making the commitments is the man who owns the land and the man who has made a commitment to this county."

Tew also noted that Bronson is on the hook for $28-million in road improvements as part of the DRI. The improvements and construction involves a network of new and improved roads including Weeping Willow Street and Star Road and an improved frontage road system along Jacqueline Road.

Commission Chairman Chris Kingsley voiced appreciation that Bronson had agreed to those improvements and payments while Commissioner Rose Rocco noted that the project proposal had gotten many accolades from the Withlacoochee Regional Planning Council, which recommended the plan.

While she acknowledged that it will be awhile before the development is built out, she felt confident about the quality. "It's going to be a premier development, in my opinion," Rocco said.

"This process epitomizes responsible planning," Russell said, noting that the developer is on board with needed community elements ranging from schools to utilities to affordable housing.

"The bottom line," he said, "is that everyone benefits in this process."

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.