By joining a unique public-private partnership, home builders along the highway see the widening as a boon to getting their projects moving.
By LETITIA STEIN
Published July 15, 2005
Developers are lining up to join a public-private partnership created to widen U.S. 301 in South Hillsborough County.
Initially, 10 developers entered a unique contract with the county and state. The goal was to expand U.S. 301 from two to four lanes by 2008 - at least 10 years ahead of schedule. The developers were required to help fund the $57-million project, which includes adding sidewalks, trails and a shoulder for bicycles.
Expanding the clogged roadway cleared a path for future growth in the area. Now developers of seven more communities off 301 want to join the agreement to widen and landscape the road. The county is drafting a second phase to the 301 plan.
"It's just bringing more partners to the table," said Bob Campbell, director of transportation programs for Hillsborough. "There's a lot of development coming in at the same time, so there's a need for a lot of improvements."
In March, county commissioners approved an agreement to expand 301 from Gibsonton Drive in Riverview to State Road 674 in Sun City Center. The 10 developers involved have sent the county checks for $23.3-million. The county will contribute $5.7-million in impact fees. Hillsborough also will loan the state $10.7-million, which the state will repay when the money becomes available in 2008 and 2009.
Campbell expects to make up the difference with contributions from the second group of developers. The county is assessing their impact on 301 to determine how much each will pay.
The concept was an innovative solution to frustrations about conditions on 301. Though a major north-south thoroughfare, 301 is a rural, two-lane road. Accidents are common on the road, which winds past farm lands that are poorly lit at night and connects to dozens of new subdivisions.
At the same time, developers were concerned that the county would not issue permits for new developments and ones that were already on the books to start building until 301 could handle the traffic. By advancing the improvements, developers could begin their projects. The state was not scheduled to begin work on 301 until 2015.
"In the long run, it helps our project out and helps the people that live in our community have a better quality of life," said Amy Burcaw, president of Burcaw Properties, an affiliate of a development group that participated in the first partnership and seeks to bring four communities into the second round.
In the long-term, the 301 agreement could save developers money, because the county is constructing intersections and turn lanes that developers otherwise would have to build, Campbell said. The county and developers also get a better deal by bidding the entire project at once, rather than paying for piecemeal expansion.
Initial contributions came from the developers of Valencia Lakes, Highland Estates, Big Box Commercial, South Fork, Metro Creek, Sunshine Village, Medford Lakes, Shady Creek Preserve and Summerfield.
The second phase of the partnership includes Transcend Development, Wilson Trust, Shady Creek Phase II, and four Burcaw and Associates projects: Eagles Run, Foxtail, Shady Combo North and Shady Combo South. Additional builders still may sign up.
The county expects to begin approving the second agreement in August, with county commissioners voting in October or November.
With money from the first agreement in the bank, 301 construction is in planning stages. County officials expect to have plans to show residents in early 2006. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2007 and will last 18 to 20 months.
Information from Times files was used in this report. Letitia Stein can be reached at 661-2443 or lstein@sptimes.com
