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County approves controversial development
After hours of opposition from longtime residents, a controversial development proposal in Lithia is moving forward. FOX 13's Blake DeVine reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - After hours of opposition from longtime residents, a controversial development proposal in Lithia is moving forward.
Lithia land development
The backstory:
Hillsborough County commissioners voted 5-2 on Thursday night to advance the project. The proposal calls for a 280-home community on roughly 190 acres near Dorman Road and Lithia Pinecrest Road.
Over a hundred Lithia residents attended the meeting, most affiliated with Preserve Rural Lithia, a grassroots community organization that has repeatedly mobilized residents to oppose development projects in the area.
Among them was Clinton Childress, who believes the proposed housing community would not fit with the surrounding properties.
Flood and compatibility fears
What they're saying:
"If you had 280 homes, that's one right after another," Childress said. "It's not contingent with the rest of the properties that you see there."
Childress also expressed concerns about possible flooding.
"If they build that property up and it starts running off, we're all going to flood out," Childress said.
The boardroom at the Frederick B. Karl County Center was packed Thursday night as commissioners heard nearly two hours of public comment.
For Lithia resident Michelle Brauner, continuing to show up and speak out remains important.
"Everybody wants to say you can't stop development, and we have stopped two of these projects so far," Brauner said. "It is all about the numbers, being respectful and giving them your opinion."
Developer zoning arguments
The other side:
The proposal from Homes by WestBay would increase the density of the property to allow up to two homes per acre.
Kami Corbett, the developer's attorney from Hill Ward Henderson, urged commissioners to allow their proposal to continue through the review process.
"Allow us to go through the zoning process to make determinations about how best to address compatibility concerns through the rezoning," Corbett said.
Commissioner Joshua Wostal supported moving the proposal forward. He says growth is inevitable and views the project as a lower-density approach to development.
"What's being asked is one of the lowest-scale density asks you could hope for," Wostal said. "At this point in time, you need to be willing to accept that."
State review
What's next:
This development proposal heads to Tallahassee for state review. After that, it’ll return to Hillsborough County commissioners for a final vote.
The Source: Information for this story came from statements from the Hillsborough County Commission, statements from Preserve Rural Lithia, interviews with Lithia residents and previous reporting on FOX 13 News.