Jobs, economic development, better access to the coast and recreation, a U.S. 19 with sidewalks and a riverwalk coursing through New Port Richey and Port Richey.

Those are part of a wish list of improvements and concerns county officials garnered from a series of meetings with the public and surveys, all part of an effort to improve the western and most densely populated part of Pasco County.

Public meetings in the spring and fall showed the public’s main concerns about the county from Aripeka to the southern county line and east as far as Little Road, an area that includes more than 200,000 people and covers 84 square miles.

The major need for improvement was economic development followed by urban design, then open space and recreation, said, Quanlin Hu, a county planner.

The effort is called the West Market Redevelopment Infill Plan that commissioners will review this coming spring and begin refining the public’s suggestions. Under the county’s current schedule, a final plan should emerge next year.

“Once we identify the prioritized areas, we can focus on the area and go into more detail,” Hu said.

One of the main ideas emerging from the portion of the plan looking at the area from Ridge Road to State Road 54 is to create a riverwalk from New Port Richey to Port Richey.

The idea would include better access to the river such as to let people launch kayaks or canoes and to promote tourism, Hu said.

In all, 92 percent of the residents who commented supported the idea of river walks, while 90 percent said there should be better public access to the coast and its recreation.

People said areas around the Cotee River through both cities were a major asset and had a mix of urban and suburban development, Hu said.

The overall vision included an aquatic activity center and improving gateways into New Port Richey and Port Richey.

The public also wanted to be able to walk to parks, more bike paths and more efforts to preserve habitats and natural areas.

Paying for those amenities, though, is an unresolved issue.

Part of the survey asked people whether they would prefer to use taxes, user fees, both or neither to pay for parks, trails and community centers. The top selection was both with about 40 percent preferring to combine taxes and fees.

But the second choice was neither, with 35 percent of the people picking that option.

A riverwalk would also enhance urban areas and be a draw for tourists, Hu said.

Improving and making use of the river through downtown New Port Richey would also dovetail with concerns about the urban environment.

The majority of participants wanted to do away with strip centers and their massive parking lots, and want to revamp Gulf View Square and other strip retail along U.S. 19.

People also said there is a strong need to develop blighted properties and vacant or rundown buildings. The county study identified improving vacant buildings as one of the top short-term strategies.