Attempt to develop land in Hillsborough County fails

ODESSA, Fla. - A developer failed to receive multiple approvals he needed in Hillsborough County on Thursday to turn a piece of land into a neighborhood with commercial space.

What we know:

Stephen Dibbs wanted to build more than 100,000 square feet of commercial space and either 392 RV spaces or 392 single-family homes on more than 300 acres of land in North Hillsborough County near Odessa.

This plan failed on Thursday in the Hillsborough County Commissioners meeting when the members of that body decided not to change the Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan, which lays out allowable land use across the county.

The commissioners would have had to first vote to expand the Urban Service Area to include the parcel. Then, the members would have needed to vote to change the land use plan and allowed this piece of land to be designated as ‘Residential-4’ from its previous ‘Agricultural-Rural’ designation.

What they're saying:

The opposition to the project flooded the room on Thursday with around 150 people in attendance.

Brittney Barrie was one of the people against the project. She says she lives close to where the development would be.

"The developer in question bought their property after the plan was in place and is just trying to make an exception just for him when everyone with the plan boundaries wants a certain thing and he just happens to not," Barrie said.

The plot of land is north of West Lutz Lake Fern Road, south of homes on the Pasco and Hillsborough County Lines, west of the Suncoast Parkway and east of Barrie Acres Trail- a private road.

"The applicants' plans for a proposed r4 would use our personal driveway as an entrance to the proposed 1200 homes," Barrie said. "We choose to live in Keystone Odessa because of the plan that respects one home to five acres and preserves the rural character of a special part of rural Hillsborough County."

The other side:

Jim Porter with Ackerman LLP represents the developer.

"It's completely unrealistic to think this property will ever be developed as one unit per five acres," Porter said. "That's never going to be realistic. What you have is an opportunity to be certain of what's going to happen with this property and the rezoning."

The proposed new designation for the land would have changed the limitation of one home per five acres to up to four homes on every acre. 

"You heard from a lot of people with large lots in Keystone/Odessa area and, as we've shown you, this site is located at a distant corner, 500 feet from Veterans Expressway on a county arterial roadway," said Todd Pressman, another representative for the developers. "It's secluded and isolated. No one from Lutz Lake Fern Road would be able to see this site through acres and acres and acres of wildlife habitat."

What we don't know:

It's unclear if the same developers will bring back this proposition for another city commissioners meeting, but neighbors say they are prepared to fight against another attempt. 

Those against this development said while they are happy this is behind them, they know another attempt to develop the land could be in the future.