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Neighborhood Report

Fight ends; townhomes coming

Rezoning caps a battle over access to Stonebridge.

By STEPHANIE HAYES
Published December 15, 2006

John Bailey couldn't have imagined the roadblocks that lay ahead when he bought a patch of land behind Westchase. On Tuesday, things finally came to a close.

Hillsborough County commissioners voted to rezone the 5 acres on which Bailey plans to build 20 upscale townhomes. Construction should start in eight months to a year.

"I'm happy the deal got done," Bailey said. "It cost Westchase a lot of money to get right to where I offered from the get-go."

The official vote capped a nearly two-year fight with home-owners in Westchase's gated Stonebridge subdivision, a collection of 66 villas situated along a single road, Bridgeton Drive.

The road is the only way to Bailey's property. Homeowners in Stonebridge feared noise, traffic and construction damage in their neighborhood and crowding in nearby schools.

Westchase homeowners, some in nearby Fawn Ridge and members of the Upper Tampa Bay Alliance went on record with the county opposing the project. But it wasn't enough to sway commissioners.

"People keep complaining about the same things at all these zoning hearings - schools, roads, traffic, etc. - and the commissioners keep passing them along," said Timothy Lehmann, who lives in Stonebridge.

Before Bailey could even apply for rezoning, he found himself in the thick of a legal battle with Westchase.

Nearly two years ago, Bailey asked for a code to get through Stonebridge's gate. The Westchase East Community Development District, which owns the road and the gate, said no.

Bailey's company, John Bailey Inc., sued the CDD for access. It spiraled into months of mediation and ended with the CDD offering an agreement, which Bailey said is not unlike what he proposed in the first place.

The agreement caps development at 20 homes, and owners will have to pay to maintain Stonebridge's gate and road. Bailey has to pay for road damage during construction, and construction times will be limited.

In April, lawyer Steve Mezer filed to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of the Stonebridge Villas homeowners association. A judge turned down the request, and both parties signed the agreement.

It didn't sit well with residents who wanted to keep fighting.

"The biggest disappointment was Westchase," said Stonebridge resident Eileen Friedel. "Most of us believe that they sold us out by not going any further with it."

Friedel said many of her retired neighbors have moved out of the community, and younger families are coming in. She worries about child safety and traffic.

Other homeowners said they feel misled by Realtors and the homeowners association. The property was previously zoned for one single-family home.

"People bought these homes specifically with the understanding there would be one other single home put in there," said Stonebridge resident Duke Tully.

Bailey said he never intended to build anything substandard to the rest of the community. In fact, he owns a home adjacent to the property.

"It's a shame that we had to go through all the lawsuits to get to where we were from the beginning," he said.

Stephanie Hayes can be reached at shayes@sptimes.com or 813 269-5303.

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 07:48:32]