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Landowner Faces Hurdle For Change

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By B.C. MANION, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2007

KEYSTONE - A landowner's wish to carve a chunk of land out of the Keystone-Odessa Community Plan is meeting resistance from county planners.

Stephen J. Dibbs wants to remove about 305 acres - including the site of a proposed borrow pit - from the community plan regulations.

But county planners object to that request and say Dibbs was advised to seek the change as part of a community planning process, rather than as a plan amendment.
County planners also object to a proposal by Dibbs that would increase the development potential on a 36.6-acre tract within the 305-acre tract.

The 305 acres are on the north side of Lutz-Lake Fern Road, just west of the Suncoast Parkway.

Planning commission members say the proposed amendment on the 36.6-acre tract would increase the development potential from seven houses to as many as 219. It would boost commercial potential from a maximum of 30,000 square feet to 175,000 square feet.

Planners with the county's planning and growth management staff say the proposed intensity is inconsistent with surrounding uses. They also note that the tract is within the rural service area, which does not have adequate infrastructure to support the increased densities.

They also claim the increased density is out of sync with the Keystone-Odessa Community Plan, which calls for maintaining a rural character with densities no greater than one per 5 acres, except where current land-use already allows for higher densities.

The county planning staff's recommendations were among various agency reports outlined during a Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission workshop on Monday. The planning commission staff has not formulated its recommendation. No public testimony was taken at Monday's workshop.

The planning commission advises the Hillsborough County Commission on changes to the county's long-range plan.

It has scheduled a public hearing for 5:30 p.m. Jan. 14 to consider proposed changes to the land-use plan. The county commission has set its public hearing on the changes for 6 p.m. Feb. 7.

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

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