With Plant City undergoing a growth spurt, how does the City of Plant City Planning and Zoning Department approve site plans?
Growth has been a major theme for 2016 in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. From booming new businesses to expanding residential developments, Plant City is quickly becoming known for more than just farms full of bright red strawberries.
Earlier this year, Central Florida Development announced plans for a 72-acre business park on County Line Road. It has already built the County Line Commerce Center, which is leased to Fitlife Foods and SparkleSkirts.
Additionally, North Park Isles and Walden Woods, two housing developments in Plant City, recently adjusted their site plans to allow for more housing units and different setbacks.
But the process of getting things approved by both the City of Plant City and multiple agencies throughout Hillsborough County requires more than a quick once-over of site plans.
About Rezonings
City Commissioners frequently review and vote upon rezonings, the changing of a parcel of land from one zone to another, at their biweekly Monday meetings. But before a parcel of land makes its way to the City Commission agenda, an applicant must first meet with Planning and Zoning Principal Planner Phillip Scearce.
“First we determine the future land use and the current zoning,” Scearce said. “Then we give them a guide of what they’ll need (to change it). We try to look at all aspects of site developing, but sometimes we miss things, or we don’t know the area as well as the people that live there do.”
Though City Commissioners do frequently approve rezonings, it’s not always a guarantee. All rezonings must go through a public hearing process, both at the Planning Board level and later at the City Commission level.
Typically, a rezoning takes about four to six months, based on complexity. Larger projects, such as the 2006 approval of North Park Isles, take longer. North Park Isles took almost a year to be approved, partially because larger projects require a transportation analysis.
Agency Review
Once an application for a rezoning is submitted, it undergoes a staff review. The City of Plant City’s Planning and Zoning Department and external agencies, including TECO, Verizon, the Florida Department of Transportation and the Planning Commission, review the rezoning application.
External agencies are allowed to make comments and raise concerns if there are major issues with the rezoning, such as a TECO pole going through a site. After adjustments are made, if any, the proposal goes forward to the public hearing process, first at the Planning Board level and then at City Commission.
If the Planning Board recommends against the wishes of the applicant, the applicant can choose to withdraw their request and reapply, or the applicant can choose to go forward to the City Commission.
“We try to address concerns prior to the first meeting,” Scearce said. “We will put something on hold until the applicant can get it done or make (it) a condition of approval. Our goal is to try to address all those issues during the review.”
Public Hearings and Commission Approval
Whether they realize it or not, residents have more input than they may think in whether or not site plans and rezonings are approved. Both the Planning Board and the City Commission allow for public comment on such items.
Most recently, there was a proposal to rezone a lot at James L. Redman Parkway from the R-1A Single Family Dwelling District to the R-2 Multiple-Family Dwelling District. R-1A allows for single family homes, which can be found throughout the area, and R-2 other would allow for duplexes.
The City Commission ultimately denied the rezoning — even after the Planning Board recommended approval — after hearing from residents at a hearing.
The residents said they believed the duplexes would contrast too much with the existing character of their community.
“We can’t take it personally,” Scearce said. “We have a public hearing process. We never know what’s going to be brought to a public hearing.”
Issues that can come out during public hearings, especially from adjacent property owners, include everything from existing traffic problems to flooded streets.
The Development Phase: Horizontal before Vertical
Detailed plans must later come back to Planning and Zoning for approval.
Last year, City Manager Mike Herr had a vision to have an open and expedited review process. Herr created the Development Review Committee, which is made up of everyone in the City of Plant City who reviews the site plan as well as external agencies, including the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission and the Florida Department of Transportation.
The purpose of the Development Review Committee is to shorten the review process, which can be viewed as an incentive to developers.
In this process, a sketch of the engineering plans are given to the committee. Comments are then made on the plans, and concerns are addressed.
“It makes the whole review process faster,” Scearce, who serves as the point of contact for the committee, said. “That’s been Mr. Herr’s vision since he got here. We’ve always prided ourselves on a fast review and friendly customer service. We’ve refined the process.”
Plans from the Development Review Committee then go back to Planning and Zoning. After, a review is done within 15 working days.
Once the civil plans are reviewed, City Engineer Michael Schenk authorizes a letter for development. Inspections are completed on the building as it is being constructed before a certificate of occupancy is issued.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
