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Proposals could alter landscape

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Proposals could alter landscape

By CATHERINE E. SCHOICHET and MICHAEL VAN SICKLER, Times Staff Writers
Published January 3, 2008

Comp Plan Amendment 07-23
Comp Plan Amendments 08-11, 08-12


What it is? A request to allow more homes around man-made lakes under certain circumstances..The first change would allow denser development on 58 acres near Gunn Highway and Van **** Road. The second would allow the extension of water and sewer service into rural areas for mixed-use projects.
Who wants it? Borrow pit partners Dennis Carlton and Lee Pallardy. They hired planner Steve Allison to help. Property owner Thomas Shannon Jr. of Odessa, attorney Vincent Marchetti and planning consultant Michael Horner.
Why they want it? It allows more waterfront properties around dirt pits like one proposed on 97 acres near Wimauma that Carlton and Pallardy own. If county commissioners approve the amendment, 30 homes could be built around this proposed pit - three times what rules now allow. The changes would allow Shannon to build up to 110,000 square feet of retail and up to 174 homes. The family wants to protect its future interests, Horner said, but has no plans to build there now.
Their case for having it? Artificial lakes help the environment and provide aesthetic and recreational benefits. Those who create water-filled pits should be rewarded for not leaving them dry and creating wading bird habitat. The borrow pits will be there anyway.
Why not create a bonus to make them nicer? The changes would encourage developers to use existing water and sewer lines, promoting efficient growth. They would also eliminate the need for wells and septic hookups, protecting groundwater and nearby wetlands. The changes would apply only to properties that meet certain restrictions.
Why county planners don't like it? Most borrow pits fill up with water naturally through rainfall, so that's not something humans can claim credit for doing. Planners say borrow pits don't support as much aquatic and plant life as natural lakes, and they can exacerbate evaporation. The proposal contradicts the Keystone-Odessa Community Plan, which aims to preserve Northwest Hillsborough's rural character. It could encourage sprawl and undercut the planning process by making the availability of water and sewer drive land use decisions.
What it could mean? Landowners may dig more pits because they would be more profitable. Hillsborough's Agriculture Economic Development Council says that would erode the remaining 136,000 acres devoted to agriculture outside the urban service area - a number that has already declined by 11 percent in the past seven years. Countywide policies preventing utility lines from spurring more growth would no longer exist. More intense development could pop up in rural areas if water and sewer lines are already there.


By Catherine E. Shoichet and Michael Van Sickler Times Staff Writers


An invisible line splits Hillsborough County. On one side, dense development is allowed. Planners call it the urban service area, where publicly subsidized roads, schools and utility lines exist to support growth. On the other side, rural areas still rely on wells and septic tanks. ¶ Planners say this line of demarcation is the county's best hope for managing growth and preserving rural areas. But some large landowners say the line infringes on their rights to do what they want with their properties. They want county officials to overlook the boundary for particular projects. ¶ Below are two of the proposals to change Hillsborough's Comprehensive Land Use Plan: To see two more of the proposals, see story, 8B


Comp Plan Amendments 08-06 , 08-07
Comp Plan Amendments 08-09, 08-10


What it is? The first request would allow denser development on 94 acres near Interstate 4 and McIntosh Road. The second request would add "economic development" as a reason for extending utility lines beyond the county's urban service area. The first request would allow denser commercial development on 37 acres near the Suncoast Parkway in northwest Hillsborough. The second request would remove 305 acres, including the 37-acre site, from the Keystone-Odessa Community Plan.
Who wants it? ML Carter Development of Orlando, the developer's attorney, Marchetti, and planner Kevin Mineer of the Genesis Group.The property owner, Stephen Dibbs, and his attorney, Marchetti, and consultants Allison and Hung Mai.
Why they want it? The changes would allow the developer to build up to 175,000 square feet of commercial and up to 564 homes on the property.The Florida Department of Transportation is planning a new Suncoast Parkway interchange at Lutz-Lake Fern Road. This would allow the developer to build shopping plazas, office parks, 577 more homes and much more near the interchange.
Their case for having it? The project "would provide significant job opportunities within the eastern Hillsborough County I-4 corridor." Existing county policies stand in the way of the warehouse, light industrial and commercial development the company wants to build there. The developer would pay the cost of extending water and sewer lines.Plain and simple, commercial development like this is convenient to have at highway off ramps. Past regulations are outdated because of the planned highway exit. There's nearby infrastructure that can support it, such as sewer and water facilities in either Hillsborough or Pasco counties.
Why county planners don't like it? Phrases in the proposal, like "significant transportation corridor" and "economic development" are too ambiguous. It contradicts county policies and would allow piecemeal, unplanned development throughout the county. And the developer may pay the cost for extending utility lines, but the county would have to maintain and operate them.This area is not as primed for development as Dibbs and his team say it is. For instance, Pasco can't extend its utilities into Hillsborough. This request is out of character with the surrounding rural area and promotes growth outside the Urban Service Area. Dibbs bought the property in 2004, three years after commissioners approved development rules for Keystone-Odessa, so he should have known this property had limited development potential.
What it could mean? The change could allow the construction of any project in Hillsborough County that generates new jobs and sits on a major road, even if an area is designated as rural.Residents throughout Hillsborough have spent hundreds of hours working with county officials to craft strict development guidelines for their communities. This could undermine those plans, in Keystone-Odessa and beyond, by allowing developers to exempt their properties from following these rules.

[Last modified January 3, 2008, 00:17:04]

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/01/03/Hillsborough/Proposals_could_alter.shtml
 
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