Landscape Architects Pasco County
Licensed Landscape Architecture, Land Planning & Irrigation Design for Pasco County and the Greater Tampa Bay Development Market
Pasco County is in the middle of one of the most sustained development booms in Florida. The US 41 and I-75 corridors through Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes have become some of the most active master-planned community development zones in the entire Southeast. To the west, New Port Richey and Holiday continue to absorb Gulf Coast growth pressure. And across the county’s interior—from Zephyrhills to Dade City—agricultural and rural lands are converting to residential and mixed-use development at a pace that Pasco County’s planning and development review infrastructure is working hard to keep up with.
That growth creates real opportunity—and real complexity. Pasco County’s landscape sits across water management district jurisdictions, contains some of the highest concentrations of jurisdictional wetlands and karst sinkhole terrain in the Tampa Bay region, and operates under a Land Development Code and Site Development Manual that is actively evolving to keep pace with the county’s rapid expansion. For architects, civil engineers, land developers, and design-build contractors working in this market, having a landscape architect who understands the county’s specific regulatory and environmental landscape from day one is a project delivery necessity.
Evergreen Design Group is a Florida-licensed landscape architecture firm (FL License 6666711) that has been delivering land planning, landscape architecture, and irrigation design for development projects since 2005. We work directly with professional development teams across Pasco County—from large master-planned community programs in the Wesley Chapel corridor to commercial, industrial, and civic projects throughout the county’s diverse markets. We don’t design projects for homeowners.
What Shapes Landscape Architecture in Pasco County
Jurisdictional Wetlands and SWFWMD Oversight
The majority of Pasco County falls under the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), which administers the Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) program governing stormwater management and wetland impacts for development projects. What this means for development projects is that stormwater management, wetland impact mitigation, and water use permitting are governed by SWFWMD requirements, and the landscape architect plays a direct role in stormwater pond littoral zone planting, wetland buffer design, and ensuring that landscape infrastructure supports—rather than conflicts with—the stormwater system’s long-term function and SWFWMD maintenance requirements.
Pasco County also contains an exceptionally high concentration of jurisdictional isolated wetlands—cypress domes, seasonal ponds, and forested upland-wetland systems that dot the county’s interior landscape. Identifying these systems during the land planning phase, designing appropriate buffers, and structuring the site layout to minimize wetland impact and mitigation costs is one of the most consequential early decisions on any Pasco County development project.
Karst Topography and Sinkhole Terrain
Pasco County sits directly over the Floridan Aquifer System—a karst limestone formation that makes the county one of the most sinkhole-active areas in the United States. From a landscape architecture standpoint, karst terrain affects grading strategy, drainage design, plant selection in areas of subsidence risk, and the specification of hardscape materials and base preparations in sinkhole-prone soil zones. Our land planning work in Pasco County accounts for karst conditions at the site analysis stage—coordinating with geotechnical engineers when appropriate.
Sandy and Hydric Soils Across Varied Topography
Pasco County’s soils vary considerably across its geography. The county’s upland areas—including the Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills corridors—are dominated by sandy, well-draining Entisol soils with low nutrient-holding capacity. In low-lying and transitional areas, hydric soils associated with wetland systems require specific plant selection and drainage strategies. Coastal areas in western Pasco County carry additional salt exposure considerations. Our planting and irrigation specifications are calibrated to actual site soil conditions—not generic Central or West Florida assumptions.
Gulf Coast Storm Surge and Coastal Flooding
Western Pasco County’s Gulf of Mexico coastline is among the more vulnerable stretches of Florida’s west coast to tropical storm surge. For development projects in coastal western Pasco County—particularly around New Port Richey, Port Richey, Holiday, and Hudson—landscape design needs to account for flood tolerance in plant selection, hardscape elevation and drainage, and the long-term performance of site features under coastal storm exposure.
Pasco County Land Development Code and Evolving Development Standards
Pasco County’s Land Development Code (LDC) and Site Development Manual establish the landscape and tree requirements that apply to development projects throughout the county. As Pasco County has experienced accelerating growth—particularly in the Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes areas—the county has actively updated its development standards to manage growth impacts. Ensuring compliance with Pasco County’s LDC landscape requirements, including tree mitigation ratios, buffer standards, and open space requirements, is an ongoing professional responsibility that our team takes seriously.
The Scale of Pasco County’s Master-Planned Community Pipeline
What distinguishes Pasco County from most other fast-growing Florida markets is the scale and sophistication of its master-planned community development. Projects like Angeline (the 6,200-acre master-planned community anchored by MOFFITT Cancer Center’s planned research campus), Epperson Ranch (the nation’s first Crystal Lagoon community), Mirada, and the broader Connerton community represent the kind of large-scale, multi-phase development programs that require landscape architecture firms capable of delivering consistent documentation across hundreds of acres and multiple concurrent development phases. Our program management capabilities are built precisely for this type of engagement.
Landscape Architecture Services in Pasco County, FL
Evergreen Design Group provides a complete scope of landscape architecture and related design services for development projects throughout Pasco County. We operate as a single-source partner—one firm accountable for the full landscape scope, from initial land planning through permit-ready construction documents.
We evaluate site topography, wetland boundaries, karst terrain conditions, soil profiles, drainage patterns, utility corridors, zoning requirements, and adjacent land use to develop land plans that support your project’s development strategy and move efficiently through Pasco County Development Review and SWFWMD ERP permitting. For larger master-planned community programs, our land planning work establishes the spatial and regulatory framework that all subsequent design phases build on.
Pasco County’s LDC establishes tree protection and mitigation requirements for development projects across the county. Professionally prepared tree disposition plans are a standard component of the permit application for virtually any project involving site clearing. We document existing trees, identify protected species and size thresholds, establish mitigation calculations, and develop preservation and removal strategies that satisfy Pasco County Development Review requirements—structured to minimize mitigation costs where feasible.
Our Pasco County planting plans are developed around species that perform in the county’s varied soil and climate conditions—natives and adapted varieties that tolerate sandy flatwoods substrate in upland areas, hydric conditions in transitional zones, and salt and wind exposure in coastal western Pasco County. We coordinate directly with your civil engineer on grading, drainage, and stormwater infrastructure, and deliver construction documents at a level of detail that supports contractor bidding and field execution.
Our licensed irrigation designers develop complete, code-compliant irrigation systems calibrated to Pasco County’s climate, soil conditions, and SWFWMD water use permit requirements. Reclaimed water irrigation is widely available across the developed areas of Pasco County, and our irrigation designs are routinely developed to meet Pasco County Utilities and SWFWMD reclaimed water system requirements. We address backflow prevention, zone-by-zone coverage, seasonal scheduling, and soil-appropriate application rates as standard components of every irrigation construction document package.
From pedestrian plazas, pool decks, and trail systems to resort-quality amenity centers, recreation facilities, and entry features, our hardscape designs are specified for Pasco County’s climate and terrain conditions. For the master-planned community and active adult segments that represent a major share of Pasco County’s development pipeline, amenity design quality is a direct driver of project positioning and market differentiation.
Project Types We Support in Pasco County
Master-Planned Communities and Large-Scale Residential Programs — comprehensive land planning and landscape architecture coordination for multi-phase, multi-hundred-acre community programs across the Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, Zephyrhills, and Dade City corridors
Multi-Family Residential — apartments, condominiums, build-to-rent, and townhome communities across the county’s rapidly urbanizing core and transitional suburban fringe
Active Adult and Senior Living Communities — accessible landscape design meeting both regulatory requirements and the livability expectations of Pasco County’s substantial and growing 55-plus development market
Commercial and Mixed-Use Developments — retail, restaurant, medical, office, and mixed-use projects requiring code-compliant landscape design aligned with Pasco County’s LDC landscape buffer and planting standards
Industrial and Logistics Facilities — functional, low-maintenance landscape design for warehouses, distribution centers, and light manufacturing sites in Pasco County’s expanding industrial corridors along US 301, SR 56, and the I-75 interchange areas
Civic and Institutional Projects — schools, parks, municipal facilities, and county government buildings in one of Florida’s fastest-growing public-sector development markets
Working with Evergreen Design Group in Pasco County
We understand that Pasco County development projects—particularly in the county’s high-growth corridors—move fast, and that development review timelines and SWFWMD permitting schedules can create real pressure on the design team. Our documentation process is built to support efficient submittals: complete, well-organized landscape permit packages that give reviewers what they need without requiring back-and-forth to fill gaps.
Our team works as a collaborative extension of your project team—coordinating directly with architects, civil engineers, and contractors, attending project meetings, responding to RFIs, and keeping landscape documentation moving at the pace your schedule demands. For larger programs with multiple concurrent phases or multiple active sites across the county, our program management capability gives you consistent documentation standards and a single point of accountability for the full landscape scope. As a national firm licensed in 44 states, we can also support your development pipeline beyond Pasco County as your projects expand.
Frequently Asked Questions — Landscape Architecture in Pasco County, FL
Yes. Florida Statute Chapter 481 requires that landscape plans for commercial, multifamily, and certain other project types be prepared and sealed by a Florida-licensed landscape architect. Pasco County’s Land Development Code establishes additional landscape requirements for development projects throughout the county, including buffer planting standards, tree mitigation requirements, and open space provisions.
The majority of Pasco County falls under the jurisdiction of the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD), which administers the Environmental Resource Permit (ERP) program for stormwater management and wetland impacts. Development projects that exceed certain impervious surface thresholds, impact jurisdictional wetlands, or require stormwater management infrastructure typically require a SWFWMD ERP before Pasco County development permits are issued. The landscape architect’s role includes littoral zone planting design for stormwater ponds, wetland buffer planting specifications, and ensuring that landscape infrastructure is compatible with stormwater system performance and maintenance access requirements.
Pasco County’s karst limestone geology makes it one of Florida’s most sinkhole-active counties. For landscape architects and the broader project team, this means that site analysis should include assessment of karst conditions—particularly in areas with known sinkhole history or geological mapping indicating shallow limestone depth. From a landscape design standpoint, karst terrain can affect grading strategy, drainage routing, hardscape base preparation specifications, and plant selection in subsidence-prone areas. We coordinate with geotechnical engineers when karst conditions warrant additional investigation during the land planning phase.
Pasco County’s Development Review Division has been managing a significantly elevated volume of development applications. Complete, well-organized submittal packages—including landscape plans that fully address the county’s LDC requirements on the first submittal—are the most effective way to minimize review cycles and keep project timelines on track. Our team is familiar with Pasco County’s submittal requirements and structures our landscape permit packages to address county comments proactively rather than reactively.
Yes. Large-scale master-planned community development is one of the primary project types driving Pasco County’s growth, and it requires specific capabilities: program-level coordination across multiple design phases, consistent documentation standards across hundreds of acres, and the capacity to manage concurrent amenity design, planting plan, tree disposition, and irrigation design packages across multiple active phases. Our program management practice is built around exactly this type of engagement.
We serve every area of Pasco County—including Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, Zephyrhills, Dade City, New Port Richey, Port Richey, Holiday, Hudson, and the unincorporated areas throughout the county’s interior and coastal zones. We also regularly work on projects in adjacent Hillsborough County (Tampa, Brandon, Riverview) and Hernando County as part of broader Tampa Bay region development programs.
Let’s Talk About Your Pasco County Project
If you’re working on a development project in Pasco County or the greater Tampa Bay region and need a landscape architect with local market knowledge, Florida licensure, and the capacity to deliver at any project scale, we’re ready to help.
Contact Us— or call us directly at (800) 680-6630.
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