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City, developers reach deal on two projects
By John Balz TAMPA -- Two plans for new home construction in New Tampa are poised to go ahead after the city of Tampa and developers reached a compromise on the remaining differences. The City Council approved plans Thursday for Grand Hampton in north Hillsborough County. The city also reached an agreement regarding a pair of gates in Heritage Isles, although the council did not officially approve it. Heritage Isles' developers want to build an additional 433 homes, but the city's transportation department objected to two gates -- one manned and one unmanned -- that blocked cars from traveling on public roads. The compromise directs Heritage Isles to post guards at the gates, have them operate via an automatic trigger that would open when cars approach, or leave them open all the time. Donna Feldman, an attorney representing Heritage Isles, said her clients were working on a long-term solution that would transfer ownership of the public road to the private homeowners association. As proposed, the Grand Hampton development will be about 1,600 homes on more than 900 acres. It will include 106 acres of upland habitat instead of an 18-hole golf course as originally envisioned. According to the agreement, 39 of those acres will be part of the Grand Hampton property. The Sierra Club had filed a lawsuit charging that the golf course would disrupt a natural wildlife corridor. In addition, the developers will pay the city about $428,000, which it will use to purchase an additional 68 acres of protected land in the Tampa Palms area. The developer is also setting aside about 234 acres that will buffer the conservation areas in Grand Hampton. "This has been a long and arduous process, but we've all come together to produce a win-win situation for everyone," council member Shawn Harrison said. -- John Balz can be reached at (813) 269-5313 or at balz@sptimes.com .
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From the Times |
