RIVERVIEW: The zoning gods appear to be smiling upon the self-described patriots of Simmons Loop Road, who have been fighting to keep development out of their rural neighborhood.
After hearing testimony from residents in April, the Hillsborough County Commission denied a request from property owner Marlene Zembo to rezone 28 acres at the northwest corner of U.S. 301 and Simmons Loop Road. Developers want to put 125 single-family homes on the parcel. That fight may not be over. Zembo is appealing the decision at a special hearing in June.
But Monday, the Simmons Loop battalion scored another victory when zoning official John Crislip for the second time denied a request from land planners Burcaw and Associates to rezone 40 acres on the south side of Simmons Loop Road at U.S. 301. The request asks for a change from agricultural zoning that allows one home per 5 acres to planned development to allow 187 single-family homes, or about 41/2 homes per acre.
Crislip previously recommended denial of a rezoning request in February that would have allowed 209 homes on the corner. The County Commission was scheduled to rule on the request March 23, but the petitioners asked to instead go before Crislip again with a fine-tuned plan.
Zembo was one of two people who spoke in support of Burcaw's revised petition at a hearing April 26. The two pointed out that residential development in the neighborhood makes sense in light of the homes and retail establishments slated for U.S. 301 at Big Bend Road.
But eight people spoke against the rezoning request and presented letters and petitions from another 55 residents. They said that a reduction of 22 homes did not significantly change the impact of the proposed development on their rural neighborhood, where people like to ride bikes and horses. They said they'd like the project reduced to about 100 homes.
"We're very aware of the proposed development in the area," said David Middleton, who lives on Grace Sweat Road, a dead-end that connects to Simmons Loop. "It's all on 301 and Big Bend Road. We know about the proposed shoping center and townhomes and grocery stores. We knew this when we first started this process. We know we can't fight every battle on 301, but we can fortify our neighborhood and defend it."
In his recommendation for denial of the request, Crislip noted that most of the home sites surrounding the land in question span one-half to several acres. The "area has an identity, as expressed by its residents, which should be recognized and, for the present, preserved," he wrote.
The County Commission is scheduled to make a final decision on the request June 8. (Petition 04-0056)
RUSKIN: Ruskin residents did not fare as well as their Riverview counterparts.
Crislip on Monday recommended approval of a request from M/I Homes to rezone 186 acres on the north side of Shell Point Road between Fourth Street NW and 14th Street NW to planned development. The company wants to build 617 single-family homes and 300 townhomes on the property. The land currently is in several zoning categories. Some is already planned development, but other parts are approved for either one home per acre or six homes per acre.
Five people spoke against the zoning request at a hearing April 26, saying that the proposed lots, which range from 5,000 to 7,000 square feet, are too small. They also think the subdivision was too close to the Little Manatee River and would spoil the small-town character of Ruskin.
But three people spoke in support of the request, saying that the businesses in Ruskin need more residential development to keep them functioning.
The County Commission is scheduled to make a final ruling on the request June 8. (Petition 04-0568)
When and where
Hearings of county zoning hearing masters and land-use hearing officers, and land-use meetings of the County Commission are held on the second floor of the County Center, 601 E Kennedy Blvd. All hearings before a zoning hearing master begin at 6 p.m. on Mondays or Tuesdays; commission meetings begin at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Both are televised on government access channels. Land-use hearing officer hearings, which are not televised, begin at 9 a.m. every third Friday. Basic information about each petition is available online at http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/pgm/zoning/hearings.html For information, call 276-2058.
