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Valrico Leaders Look At Community Plan

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By LAURA FRAZIER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 29, 2007

VALRICO - Jeff Ames, president of the Mason Oaks homeowners association, received one of 70 invitations extended to community leaders this month by Hillsborough County Planning and Growth Management staff to discuss community-based planning options on the table for Valrico.

Ames and his wife, Julie, were among five Valrico residents and two from Brandon who turned out to discuss the issue Dec. 19 at Bloomingdale Regional Public Library. He was curious to see how his neighborhood of about 50 homes off Lithia-Pinecrest Road south of Bloomingdale Avenue would fit into the community plan puzzle.

Surveying Valrico boundary maps on display at the meeting, Ames was taken aback.

"Mason Oaks is in Valrico, but we're not even on these maps," he said.

Planning and growth management representative Bill Lamboy said preliminary boundaries for the Valrico plan, like plans under consideration for Brandon, Seffner and other portions of the county, were determined by census data and are a work in progress.

The community-based planning program was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in 1998 to develop a hyperlocal consensus of residents' priorities on matters such as growth, transportation, development and county services. Community plans are under way for Brandon and Seffner. Plans are completed and in effect for Thonotosassa, the University of South Florida area, Brandon Main Street, Northwest Tampa/Citrus Park and several communities in south Hillsborough County.

Maps at the Dec. 19 meeting identified the boundaries of the Valrico Community Plan with a border that starts to the north at Sydney and Valrico roads, runs south on Valrico to Lithia-Pinecrest Road, then southeast on Lithia-Pinecrest to the River Hills subdivision. The border then loops north, east of River Hills, then loops west and ends at Dover Road.

Lamboy said once residents reach a consensus about boundaries and a vision for their communities, the plan will be finalized and brought before the county commission for approval. The process could take 18 months to two years.

The detailed plans, he said, give planning staff and county commissioners a microscopic look into the vision of stakeholders and provide insight that is helpful to officials faced with decisions that affect residents.

For instance, Lamboy said, "Transportation is a major issue in this area, perhaps more than in any other part of the county."

Julie Ames said she is willing to get involved in the community plan process but is not convinced the effort will make a difference in the long run.

"We already have all these comprehensive plans and restrictions in place, but the county commissioners just keep going around them. There has been a lack of willingness by the BOCC to adopt rules and then live by them."

When all is said and done, Ames asked, "Are we still going to be like the child that's ignored?"

Lamboy said community plans serve as an extra layer to clarify the vision and objectives of residents in each area. Once approved, the community plan becomes part and parcel of the county's comprehensive plan.

Kevin Dorsey, president of the Buckhorn Homeowners Association, said he learned Dec. 19 that Valrico residents can create their community plan rather than being part of Brandon's. His initial reaction was positive.

"Valrico probably has more single-family homes and fewer apartments than Brandon, and our vision is probably different," Dorsey said.

Residents asked Lamboy whether the county supports an informal proposal to include Valrico in the Brandon plan or would recommend an individual plan. He said it is up to the residents to decide.

"We're not taking sides here," he said.

Community Plan meetings will be scheduled monthly until a consensus can be reached. For information, call (813) 272-5920.

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at lfrazier@tampa trib.com or (813) 657-4523.

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