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Zoning

Proposal revamps Park Creek's access

By ANDREW MEACHAM
Published November 18, 2005

The last time developers tried to rezone 70 agricultural acres west of U.S. 301 and south of Tucker Jones Road, the county denied their rezoning request. David Speyerer and Jaime Speyer, trustees of Dormes Real Estate Investments, are hoping that changes to the earlier 2003 plan will soften opposition from residents who turned out the first time.

The proposed Park Creek development would contain 330 homes on either side of a creek running through the center of the property. On the creek's north side, there would be 8,400-square-foot lots. Houses on the south side would sit on 5,500-square-foot lots. A homeowners association would maintain a proposed 20-foot buffer along Tucker Jones Road.

The plan eliminates access from Tucker Jones Road that fueled resident opposition two years ago. The current plan routes vehicles into Park Creek from U.S. 301 and several other proposed entry points to the south and west.

If approved, builders would begin work on Park Creek within six months, with a goal of finishing the project by 2010.

The project heads to the zoning hearing master Jan. 17 for a recommendation, and to the County Commission on Feb. 28. (PARCEL 05-2168)

A 7-acre parcel in Brandon south of Watson Road could turn into a townhome development, if the County Commission approves. Property owner Cheryl Schilller is asking for a zoning change, from agricultural to a planned development, to make way for 43 townhomes on a parcel 1,300 feet east of Providence Road.

The project would exude a suburban character similar to other homes in the Bloomingdale area, planners say, blending with closely packed residences to the south and the 749-unit Winthrop Village to the north. Drawings show a stretch of property the size of a narrow city block. There are no wetlands on the site, which is currently vacant, and many of the existing oak, pine and palm trees will be spared.

Plans cite an anticipated completion date of December 2007. The project heads to the zoning hearing master Jan. 17 for a recommendation and to the County Commission on Feb. 28. (PARCEL 05-2188)

Developers for Highland Estates, a one-stop, living-and-shopping project planned for the Balm area at the southeast corner of County Road 672 and U.S. 301, are tweaking their design. Property owner Russell Shabla and agent Highland Cassidy LLC are seeking a land use modification for part of the project, from office use to commercial.

In 2003, the County Commission approved plans for 1,600 homes on 487 acres just east of U.S. 301, along with space for shopping center and office space. That design changed a previous unfulfilled plan for a retirement community launched in 1980.

That community, envisioned as Eden South, never got off the ground. Its zoning remained, however, and in 2003 the commission changed 8 acres of motel zoning on the undeveloped site to office space.

Now Shabla wants to replace that office space with more retail, a different zoning classification. The first phase of the project, with 627 homes, is under construction. A second phase containing the rest of the homes has not gone through the permitting process yet.

The zoning hearing master hears the case Jan. 17; it goes to the County Commission on Feb. 28. (PARCEL 05-2211)

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.

[Last modified November 17, 2005, 08:14:05]