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Owner Seeks Change To Land-Use Plan

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 26, 2007

Updated: 12/22/2007 04:44 pm

SEFFNER - A landowner is asking county officials to change the county's comprehensive land-use plan, a move that would open the door for intense residential and commercial construction on 94 acres off U.S. 92 near McIntosh Road and Interstate 4.

The landowner also wants permission to hook up new construction to county water and sewer lines, even though the land is outside Hillsborough County's urban service area.

Some residents in the surrounding area, much of which is rural, plan to fight the changes.

Terry Flott, the leader of the Seffner Community Alliance, said the change would allow development too intense for the Seffner area and cause even more traffic congestion in an area that already suffers from failed roads.

"We're opposed to it because it essentially increases densities plus adds so much traffic and additional square footage for commercial," Flott said.

The 94-acre tract, located west of McIntosh Road, is designated as Residential 1, meaning it can have no more than one house per acre, or 94 homes total. Under the Suburban Mixed-Use designation the owner is requesting, it could have 564 dwellings. Instead of 30,000 square feet of commercial space, it could have up to 175,000 square feet of commercial space if the landowner's request is approved.

Gordon Commee, who lives near the property, said he worries wetlands will be destroyed. He also has concerns county officials won't take enough time to determine how much development is too much.

"I used to have a horse ranch next door to me," Commee said. "Now I have two huge car lots. They need to look through clear eyes, not money eyes."

The same landowner is asking for a change in policy that would allow water and sewer lines in rural areas under certain conditions to promote economic development.

Attorney Vin Marchetti, representing landowner Thomas Shannon Jr., will present the proposed changes to the Planning Commission during a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14 on the second floor of the County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Boulevard, in Tampa.

Marchetti said the county is losing huge economic potential by not re-designating the corridor along I-4 for commercial use. Plant City and Lakeland are taking advantage of the potential, he said, but Hillsborough County is not.

Marchetti also is expected to present a proposed amendment on behalf of another landowner that would allow water and sewer hookups in rural areas designated for mixed-use development anywhere in the county if:

•The parcels are 50 acres or more and are at the intersections of two main arteries

•The parcels have a minimum frontage of 1,800 feet on a major roadway

•The parcels are within 500 feet of existing water and sewer lines
With some exceptions, county water and sewer hookups have been reserved for land within the urban service area, which is reserved for more intense urban, suburban and commercial development.

Flott believes the requested change would render the urban service area useless.

"Essentially, they want to expand the urban service area without saying that's what they're doing," she said. "We will oppose anything that would do that."

A larger umbrella group known as United Citizens' Action Network, or U-CAN, also is expected to oppose the proposals. U-CAN is a network of citizens who live within rural and suburban areas throughout the county who want to have a say in how growth proceeds in their areas and preserve the line that separates rural and urban areas.

Marchetti disputed Flott's claim, saying if he had wanted to extend the urban service area, that is what he would have asked for.

"The county needs to recognize that agriculture is an inappropriate use for land lying next to an interstate," he said. "The county needs to be the ones who look at that entire corridor out there. They are losing out on tremendous economic potential."

Stephen Griffin, with the Planning Commission, said his staff has not finalized its recommendations.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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