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Supporters say the proposal will transform the core of Citrus Park into a more upscale, pedestrian-friendly area.
By JOSH ZIMMER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 2002
CITRUS PARK -- County planners Tuesday night urged residents to give the proposed Citrus Park Village Master Plan a chance to succeed.
Once again, the plan came under criticism from skeptics who feel the proposal would encourage too much downtown business and residential development. But during the second community meeting in two weeks, favorable sentiment for the project -- called a traditional neighborhood development concept -- remained strong.
"It'll work," Craig Mahlman of the Hillsborough Department of Planning and Community Development told about 50 residents at Citrus Park Elementary School. "You just got to let it happen."
Created over two years of often divisive discussions, the plan envisions combination developments with first-floor businesses and upper-floor living areas along Ehrlich Road, the village's main drag.
If it succeeds, planners and supporters say the plan will transform the core of Citrus Park into a more upscale and pedestrian-friendly area. With landscaping and a stretch of the Upper Tampa Bay running through the entire community, people will take advantage of the opportunity to walk from place to place instead of using cars, they say.
Still, questions linger about ripple effects. Some residents asked how the plan -- which covers much of Citrus Park -- would affect property taxes and utility bills. Meanwhile, waiting in the wings are property owners who hope to cash in on their land by selling to developers, leading to accusations of greed among some opponents.
For example, Henry Binder of Keystone purchased 1.6 acres on Ehrlich Road in 1983. A developer already has offered to buy the land in hopes of building an upscale retail and residential unit, he said. "We've got a letter of intent in our hip pocket," he said.
County zoning administrator Paula Harvey said the only way to achieve the plan's goals is through a massive rezoning. If the county has a firm plan, developers who are not in tune with community desires will have much more difficulty pushing through other ideas.
Changing the plan "is intended to become a difficult process because our goal is to implement what you want," she said.
The plan could be finalized by next January after going for approval before Hillsborough County Commission in November, she said.
Harvey acknowledged that by making properties more desirable the rezonings could increase property taxes. The department, she said, is still waiting for an analysis from the county Property Assessor's Office.
"What we do know is this," she said. "They're not immediately going to go up. It takes them (property appraisers) awhile to get through the entire county."
Some people asked whether they would have to change their home styles to comply with new, stricter architectural standards, which resident Jim Horton likened to the arrival of "Big Brother."
Harvey said they could keep their current styles. Even if an accident were to occur, forcing them to rebuild, she said they probably would not have to adopt new styles.
Some residents also wanted to know if they would be forced to hook up to new public water and sewer lines -- and pay the connection fees. Harvey said the county wants central water and sewer systems in urban service areas, but she added that residents will not have to hook up unless their wells and septic systems are bad.
The meeting was more civil than last month's contentious gathering, at which residents argued over downtown building heights. At the end of the April 23 meeting, people voted resoundingly for a proposal to limit heights along Ehrlich to 45 feet but not restrict the number of stories in an effort to encourage upscale residential development.
Richard Wolfe, who owns 10 acres north of Ehrlich, told county planners Tuesday that most people think the plan is Citrus Park's best hope for maintaining a small town feel. "To me, the plan protects us," he said.
-- Josh Zimmer covers Keystone, Citrus Park and the environment. He can be reached at 269-5314.