LITHIA - A community called Lake Hutto could bring 3,560 single-family homes and 365,000 square feet of office space to an increasingly congested corridor along FishHawk Ranch Boulevard and Lithia Pinecrest Road.
Pulte Homes is seeking to rezone 1,127 acres in three parcels from residential with two units per acre to planned development. The community would include land for a school and 28 acres of community parks. The developer recently sold to Hillsborough County's environmental land protection program about 1,100 acres adjacent to the project and Lithia Springs Park.
Pulte Homes proposes to place the school adjacent to a park and the town center on the south side of FishHawk Ranch Boulevard. Residences would fill the rest of the southern parcel. Pulte Homes also is requesting approval for 200 multifamily units, which could be used for condominiums or apartments.
A northwest tract, off Lithia Springs Road, would feature a mix of homes and a "village center" with neighborhood businesses, offices and some residences. A similar hub would sit on a small parcel off Lithia Pinecrest Road. Benches, bicycle racks and planters would contribute to a pedestrian-friendly design in the town and village centers.
The bulk of Lake Hutto's homes would sit to the west and north of the FishHawk Ranch community. Transportation concerns along Lithia Pinecrest Road, FishHawk Ranch Boulevard and Boyette Road are likely to come up in discussions about approving the development. Due to its size, Lake Hutto will receive scrutiny from both county and regional planners.
A zoning hearing initially scheduled for Monday has been continued, while regional planners assess the plan. It likely will be rescheduled for the early fall. (PETITION 05-1104)
RUSKIN: The northeast corner of State Road 674 and 18th Street SE is being eyed for a mixed-use development with offices, a sit-down restaurant and townhomes.
The development, called Mango Bay, would feature 76 townhomes and 4,000 square feet for a sit-down restaurant. Land use attorney Michael Horner's proposal includes 10,000 square feet of office space and 6,000 square feet for specialty retail.
Horner is applying to rezone the nearly 20-acre property from agricultural uses to planned development. People could reach the businesses from State Road 674 and Third Avenue SE. The developer also proposes a driveway onto 18th Street SE, a street with single-family homes, and would take steps to buffer the mixed use development from neighbors.
A zoning hearing is scheduled for Monday. County commissioners would vote on the proposal on Aug. 23. (PETITION 05-1107)
SEFFNER: M/I Homes wants to raise 575 townhomes on nearly 58 acres north of Bryan Road, between Interstate 75 and Williams Road.
Site plans show two clusters of townhomes between existing borrow pits on the site. Residents would exit the proposed subdivision on Williams and Bryan roads.
M/I Homes is requesting to rezone the property from agricultural and residential uses to planned development. The 575 townhomes would nearly double the density currently allowed on the site. Surrounding properties are zoned for agriculture, mobile homes and a vacant planned development.
The proposal is scheduled for a zoning hearing on Monday. Commissioners would consider the rezoning on Aug. 23. (PETITION 05-1112)
RIVERVIEW: Genesis Group is pitching another 300 homes for the bustling U.S. 301 corridor.
The developer is requesting a major modification to zoning for about 281/2 acres on the west side of Foxworth Road, near the U.S. 301 and Interstate 75 interchange. Chaparral Mobile Home Park currently occupies the property. The site has zoning permitting 180 mobile homes.
The modification would allow Genesis to develop 300 residences on the site. Most likely, it would build townhomes. Surrounding properties are zoned for a mix of offices, an industrial park and residences. Genesis proposes this project as a transition for the industrial and residential uses.
A zoning hearing is scheduled for Monday. County commissioners would vote on the request on Aug. 23. (PETITION 05-1089)
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 For information, call 276-5920.
