PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — More than 100 people packed a town hall meeting on planned changes for Pasco County's Anclote River Park Monday night.

The big concern centered on a possible restaurant being built along the waterfront. Officials say there are no immediate plans for that, but residents say they're still concerned.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey says that the county found out last month that the restaurant owner who had been interested in building a 22,000-square-foot restaurant in the park agreed to a mutual termination of lease for that land.

She says there is still space included in the park's redesign plan for a 3,000-square-foot restaurant sometime in the future.

And that's something residents said is concerning.

Michelle Ravenscroft has lived in Pasco County her whole life. She was among those who packed into Monday night’s town hall meeting in part because she doesn't want to see a restaurant built in Anclote River park.

"I don't feel reassured, and I feel like they're going to do whatever they want to do," Ravenscroft said. "I've seen so many places get torn down, and I feel like they're building for, like I said in there, they're not building for public need. They're building for public desire. We don't need another restaurant taking up more spaces. We need more green spaces."

Officials say part of the goal of tonight's meeting was to clear up misconceptions about the park's redesign.

"I feel like when you meet people, their initial thought was that we were going to mass grade the entire site from line to line,” said Keith Wiley, Pasco County Parks, Rec, & Natural Resources director. “Honestly, from my background coming from the natural resources field, I was shocked."

Officials say the project will add much-needed boat access, as well as replacing pavilions and beach improvements.

"We're actually going to add some more trees back to the park, because it used to have a wonderful oak canopy, and a lot of that was taken out the last remodel,” said Starkey.

But residents told them they're concerned about what the project means for the future of a native American burial mound and Spanish Well on site, as well as wildlife.

Leaders told them steps will be taken to protect the environment and those spots of historic and cultural significance, features Ravenscroft said contributes to people's passionate response to possible changes to the park.

Plans for the redesign have not been finalized. 

Wiley says officials recently wrapped up the 30% preliminary site plan. The county and state agencies will have to review it.

And while Ravenscroft says the hope is that the county will get comments on the plan before next year, it could be 18 to 24 months before they get an actual permit.

"There is a cultural significance there with the Indian mounds," Ravenscroft said. “And they just don't want to see something else torn away from something that they love.”