Next Monday night is sure to be a busy one as commissioners have stacked the agenda with a long line of public hearings.
One issue scheduled for next week regards a proposed townhome development site at the southeast corner of East Sam Allen Road and North Wilder Road. The site is approximately 32.79 acres and, as a result of annexation, the land needs a future land use designation change to conform with the Imagine 2040: Plant City Comprehensive Plan. The applicant is requesting the land use be listed as Residential-9 in lieu of the current planned land use scenario of Residential-4.
The townhomes the applicant hopes to build on the site would have a primary access point via Sam Allen Road. The Master Plan does envision significant residential growth in the area and the city noted that the site is less than a quarter of a mile to the east of the proposed new home of South Florida Baptist Hospital. Because of the closeness to the hospital, city staff needed to reevaluate the planned residential densities in the area. If approved, the amendment would allow for the consideration of up to 295 dwelling units.
The transmittal public hearing will be held on April 26 and the public is invited to attend and take part.
There will also be a transmittal public hearing that night for a map amendment located south of Knights Griffin Road, east of North Wilder Road. The applicant is requesting a future land use designation of approximately 30.59 acres to Residential-4. The parcel currently “has a future land use designation (Agricultural Estatel-1/2.5) that reflects the rural residential character of this part of unincorporated Hillsborough County.” However, the site is located near several suburban scale development entitlements including Varrea.
City staff said the applicant’s request appears to be reasonable with the intent to bring the property into Plant City. If approved, the total development potential would be approximately 122 dwelling units.
A pending annexation has also led to the need for a public hearing on a map amendment for 6.66 acres south of South Frontage Road and west of North Wiggins Road. The area needs a future land use designation from Plant City and the applicant is requesting an industrial future land use designation so that, if approved, the land can be incorporated into the Eastland Industrial Planned Development (Zoning) District.
The applicant is also requesting the parcels be included in the I-4 Tech Corridor Overlay like the rest of the Eastland Industrial Planned Development (Zoning) District lands. The purpose for the overlay is “…to designate areas and corridors within the municipality, which have been determined to have qualities that promote development and redevelopment of target industries in and around the City of Plant City. The purpose of this overlay is to diversify and expand the employment base in the municipality in ways that increase median income and high-quality employment opportunities that achieve the economic development, environmental and sustainability objectives…”
Staff reviewed the proposal and said no conflicts are expected with the surrounding lands. Access to the site is planned to be along Charlie Taylor Road so the potential development won’t “degrade North Wiggins Road.”
This public hearing is also set for April 26. A public hearing will also be held that night to incorporate and rezone 21.29 acres into the existing Eastland Industrial Planned Development (Zoning) District. The applicant is requesting to incorporate additional lands into the existing Planned Development and also to “modify the building layouts to better preserve the wetlands on site.”
The Eastland Industrial Planned Development (Zoning) District is currently approved as a 209.22 acre large-scale industrial development. The district is approved for 3,000,000 square feet of industrial use at this time and the agenda report read that there are no “changes being proposed to the square feet currently approved, nor modifications being requested to the conditions, development standards, or other elements of the PD.”
An interesting public hearing, also to be held April 26, could see more homes brought into an already approved planned development district close to the interchange of North Park Road and I-4. The applicant for the 18.2 acres has an approved PD for 180 dwelling units that has access to both Maryland Avenue and North Park Road. However, the applicant now wants to increase the residential entitlements on the parcels, citing a market analysis as his drive.
He is requesting to increase the current land use designation from Commercial and Residential-6 to Residential-20. This would allow for “the consideration of up to 19,819 square feet of commercial/office uses or 364 dwelling units (or some combination thereof).”
There is also a public hearing set on April 26 for a modification to the Park Square Planned Development District. The applicant wants to change the name, change the residential use from townhomes to multi-family apartments, increase the number of residential units from 180 to 340, increase the potential commercial square footage from 5,000 square feet to 17,227 square feet and change the site layout to include proposed recreation areas. The applicant also wants commissioners to allow a specific approval that permits 30 feet between buildings, which is 10 feet under what the code requires.
Outside of map amendments, commissioners will also sit over a public hearing regarding a section of the Plant City Code that deals with utilities disconnection. The proposed ordinance will create new sections of the code that will essentially provide for the termination of any water or sewer service on properties that have been deemed unsafe and condemned by the Building Department.