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Letter to the editor

City ends MacDill land use study

Residents living near the Air Force base worried about higher insurance rates.

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS Times Staff Writer
Published September 14, 2007

The city announced last week it would scrap a yearlong land use study that would have limited the density in neighborhoods surrounding MacDill Air Force Base.

The study stirred controversy in the Interbay, Ballast Point and Sun Bay South/Gandy neighborhoods when land use changes labeled areas "accident potential zones."

Residents questioned whether the study would cause property values to plummet and insurance to skyrocket if they were viewed as a plane crash liability.

But the joint land use study didn't meet state standards, and necessary additional research would have pushed the city beyond its deadline for the project, said Cynthia Miller, the city's director of Growth Management and Development Services.

So the city withdrew the plan Sept. 7.

Residents were relieved. They had formed the Ballast Point Homeowners Alliance solely to deal with concerns regarding the study. Alliance founder Gene Wells sent neighbors an e-mail last week, saying his work was done.

"Thank you, neighbors!" Wells wrote. "The outcome was influenced by each of your involvement. There is always strength in numbers."

Since announcing the study last year, the city worked to appease neighbors. For instance, "accident potential" zones were renamed "approach path zones." But some residents weren't satisfied. One local business sued.

Still, the City Council sent the study to the state Department of Community Affairs for review in April. But the state returned the study in July with objections.

The city's designated "clear zone" flight paths were inconsistent with those on record with the Air Force base, and noise data and height standards weren't sufficient.

But the city's efforts to limit density around MacDill aren't over. A routine update of Tampa's master plan will come up in less than two years.

"The city will continue to work with MacDill Air Force Base, surrounding neighborhoods and other stakeholders in the coming months," Miller said.

"Protecting our Air Force base from development encroachment is a priority of the administration."

City Council member John Dingfelder wishes all that work hadn't been wasted.

He said the city could have pushed some uncontested parts of the study through and dealt with unsettled issues, such as the "clear zones," later.

"The community has been through so much on this, and we finally came to a resolution. We might as well be done with it and settle it now so that the community knows what to expect," Dingfelder said. "This issue will continue to drag on through the next two years."

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 226-3354 or azayas@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 13, 2007, 07:52:14]