Developer tries again to get rezoning for 1,599 homes

At issue is land that the developer would set aside as mitigation for the environmental disturbance the project would cause.

By MICHAEL SANDLER

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 7, 2000

WEST MEADOWS -- A Pennsylvania developer has submitted a second proposal to build more than 1,500 homes on land that includes a protected wildlife preserve in New Tampa.

Attorneys for Toll Brothers Inc. are scheduled to go before Tampa City Council on July 13 and 27, where they will request a change of zoning to begin building Grand Hampton on 645 acres just south of County Line Road and north of West Meadows, between Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Interstate 75.

The new proposal was submitted on June 30. Plans show the community would include up to 1,599 homes and 80,000 square feet of general commercial space. The land, owned by The Giunta Group Ltd., was annexed into the city in late 1998 and is zoned for agricultural use.

Included in the proposal is an offer to pay $673,299.20, or $6,328 per acre, to save upland habitats outside the property so the company can build on the property, an option called "off-site mitigation" recommended by the city. The city rejected the developer's initial proposal to set aside the majority of land on the site.

"As far as I know, it's still on the agenda," said City Council member Shawn Harrison, who represents New Tampa. "I am aware of the project basically through newspaper articles and discussions I've had with staff. This is a zoning matter and I usually don't discuss zoning matters outside the public forum."

Before the zoning change can be approved, the developer must meet Tampa's Upland Habitat Protection ordinance. The property includes more than 453 acres of upland habitat, of which the developer must set aside 106.4 acres -- on or off the property.

This time the developer is offering to protect upland habitats elsewhere, a policy called "off-site mitigation." Originally, the developer proposed setting aside 97.4 acres on site and nine acres off site. City officials rejected the plan in May, calling it "too fragmented."

"They came in with a plan that we did not think made a whole lot of sense, and we denied it," said Ron Rotella, a special consultant to Mayor Dick Greco. Rotella said Greco sought advice from biological and environmental experts before the city adopted the ordinance in 1999. "They advised us and, in this case, the city would be better in allowing 100 percent off-site mitigation, where we could do some meaningful restoration on another tract of land. We followed their advice."

In addition to the upland habitats, local environmental advocates and city officials -- including Greco -- oppose the golf course. Representatives from the Sierra Club said the property lies too close to the Cypress Creek Preserve, a watershed that empties into the city's drinking water supply.

The new plans do not indicate where the golf course would go. Joel Tew, a Clearwater attorney representing the developer, said plans for an standard, 18-hole course are being finalized.

Michael Sandler can be reached at (813) 226-3472 or sandler@sptimes.com.

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