Building projects introduced to commission

City commissioners were presented with plans for two building projects at different locations during the Plant City Commission meeting Monday, Jan. 26. The locations are considered “hot spots” in Plant City. The projects consist of a commercial and industrial development on County Line Road and a new governmental building downtown.

Jeff Lucas from Central Florida Development briefed the commission on the County Line Commerce Center, a new development that will be located at U.S. Highway 92 and County Line Road. There will be six buildings at the commerce center, the two largest of which will each be about 97,000 square feet.

Central Florida Development owns a number of sites at the location, and Lucas said they will likely be used for restaurants, gas stations, offices and warehouse distribution.

“We think the sites are perfect for those types of uses, and we think the location is as well,” Lucas said.

Central Florida Development also has plans for a 100,000-square-foot speculative building in the same region, but north of Interstate 4. The company has filed for permits and expects to start turning dirt this week.

The investment for this project will be between $20 million and $25 million.

“We wouldn’t do that in a place that, frankly, wasn’t good to do business in,” Lucas said.

Lucas expects the speculative building to be complete in June, and it will hold one to six customers. After the building is leased or mostly leased, work will begin on the commerce center.

Commissioners also showed support for a new building that will be located along Mahoney Street, just across the street from the courthouse: the Hillsborough County Regional Service Center.

This two-story building will house the clerk of circuit court, health department, property appraiser, sheriff, social services and other county-level offices. It is currently in the conceptual design stages, and project manager Bill Hand said it would blend well with the surrounding downtown architecture.

The building will cost $8 million to complete, which will come from CIT funds and state grants.

City Commissioner Mike Sparkman said he would like to have permitting services at this service center. He said he often hears complaints from Plant City residents about having to drive to downtown Tampa to get a permit.

Hand said the building might be able to house permitting services at some point in the future, but probably not at the onset.

In Other News

• There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Midtown Village Green at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 6.

• The first of two public hearings regarding the prohibition of bars and liquor stores in the Midtown District occurred Monday night. The second public hearing will be at the commission meeting Monday, Feb. 9.

• Cody Talbert Distribution, a leading wholesale RV parts and accessory supplier for dealers, service centers and campgrounds, has announced that it will be moving its headquarters from Kissimmee to Plant City. City Manager Mike Herr has promoted this type of economic development since he started his position September 2014.

Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.