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Seffner residents mixed on community plan

TRIBUNE PHOTO BY YVETTE C. HAMMETT

Chandrika Broos, left talks with Seffner-Mango Community Plan committee member Marcia Curl about the need to protect hardwoods and wetlands in the eastern Seffner area, a goal in the draft plan for the community.

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BY YVETTE C. HAMMETT

yhammett@tampatrib.com

Published: September 2, 2009

SEFFNER - Before the 6 p.m. open house even officially opened Aug. 27, members of the Seffner community piled in to the Mango Recreation Center to get a glimpse of what their community might look like in the future.

A committee that has worked for two years to devise the future look of the area spoke with residents about the priorities set for the community, the highest of which they ranked protection of the environment.

The plan also calls for commercial overlay districts on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and on U.S. 92, requiring landscaping and other improvements for any new or renovated businesses. Compatibility with a proposed Interstate 4 Green Corridor, an enhanced residential area and improved transportation are other goals set forth by the committee.

"I'm concerned with encroachment on our property" if Martin Luther King is widened, said Vicki Welch, who lives just north of the arterial road through Seffner. "It's one of the main reasons I wanted to get here tonight."

Already, traffic is a problem for residents trying to access MLK, she said.

Jose De La Fuente, who owns a business on the same road, said he likes the idea of the overlays. "We spent a lot of money fixing up our building hoping it would spur other businesses to spruce up," he said.

"Seffner's like the old little community that never developed. What we lack is we don't have many of the national chains wanting to move in here," De La Fuente said. While he likes the overlay concept, he opposes limiting commercial signs to 15 feet. "It's a business killer," he said.

Chandrika Broos said she moved to Seffner because of its natural amenities and was happy to see the committee made protecting natural areas a priority.

"We love nature and live near the wetlands and I am concerned about protecting them."

Committee member Marcia Curl, who has been involved in wetlands protection for about 40 years, said if the community and the county don't protect the area's wetlands and hardwoods, water quality and wildlife will suffer.

The committee will meet again Thursday night to discuss public comments and possibly tweak the plan to include some of the concerns.

The meeting will be at the Hillsborough County Extension Office at 6 p.m. The office is at 5339 S. County Road 579, Seffner.

Once finalized by the committee, the plan will go to the Hillsborough Planning Commission, then the county commission for final approval.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 627-4763.

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