At the recent Plant City City Commission meeting on June 27, two proclamations were presented.
Director Julie Garretson of the Plant City Parks and Recreation Department was present to receive the accolade from the commission. It was given in recognition of the Plant City Partks and Recreation Department providing a safe space for the community, organizing youth activities, and providing educational programs.
The commission then presented Rev. Maurice Wilson with a proclamation announcing June 19 as Juneteenth in Plant City.
This comes as Plant City celebrated the federal holiday with a weekend filled with events, including the Juneteenth Parade. The functions took place from June 17 to June 19.
Lykes Sound Wall Plant subdivision
The commission approved a waiver for the relief of sidewalks as well as a dead-end street that exceeds 1,500 feet. There is a guideline that requires sidewalks internally in all subdivisions, but was exempt for this project.
Another guideline that the commission waivered was the requirement of a cul-de-sac at the terminal end of a roadway.
This restriction is put in place to protect the city’s emergency vehicle and solid waste trucks so they have a safe place to turn around.
The cul-de-sac radius is constructed in a unique way to provide that easement for vehicles. The roadway for this particular project will head into a parking lot which will allow room for turning without the need of a cul-de-sac.
The applicant of the property also requested and was granted a preliminary plot approval for a 3-lot non-residential subdivision. The lots vary in size with the smallest being over 7 acres. Its front yard setback is 35 feet for the interior lot and 35 feet for the corner lot. For the rear yard, the interior lot is 25 feet and the corner lot is 25 feet.
The side yard to the lot line, is 25 feet and the corner lot is 25 feet. The side yard to the right-of-way has a corner lot of 35 feet.
The property is located at the southeast corner of Turkey Creek Road and Lykes Road and spans approximately 47.25 acres.
The plat of land was initially approved by the Plant City Planning Board.
Robyn Baker, the senior planner for the Plant City Planning and Zoning Department was present to go more in depth with the project.
“As we all know, Turkey Creek in this area is being widened currently, and as we were exploring this project, we reached out to Hillsborough County who did state for the record that they would not be requiring sidewalks along Turkey Creek Road in this area, which is generally why we require sidewalks within the subdivision like this, to connect pedestrians to the external roads to the project,” she said. “The other reason would be that this is a very heavy, industrial type use, where you don’t really see as much pedestrian activity in this type of area, and so Hillsborough County gave the okay to not provide sidewalks along Turkey Creek in this area.”
An initial analysis report verified that it is consistent with the Imagine 2040: Plant City Comprehensive Plan.
According to the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, there are wetlands in the area and it objects to this project because of any wetland impacts.
The developer will be responsible for connecting to existing water and wastewater lines. Water, sewer, and reclaimed water needs to be connected to existing lines along Turkey Creek Road.
Turkey Creek Road is a Hillsborough County corridor. Any access to Turkey Creek Road has to go through Hillsborough County. The city’s engineering staff reviewed the preliminary plat and the internal streets and had no objections.
On May 25, the planning board approved the plan by 7-0, forwarding the waiver request to the city commission.
Lakeside Station Planned Development
The commission also approved the developer’s modification proposal of the Lakeside Station Community Unit District, located south of E. U.S. Highway 92, east of Park Road, and west of S. Wiggins Road.
The district was already approved as a mixed-use development requiring a combination of residential, commercial, and industrial uses.
Modifications that can now be made are
• Changing the name from Lakeside Station Community Unit District to Lakeside Station Planned Development District
• Removing a portion of the boundary on the site plan that was mistakenly included on the original Community Unit Plan that is not in city limits and is not in the legal description
• Including a potential external cross access location
• Including residential uses to Village 2 as an allowed use
• Including industrial uses to Villages 4 and 8 as an allowed use
• Including a 150-foot-wide enhanced buffer along the eastern side of Village 8
On May 25, the planning board approved the request by 7-0 for modifications made by the developer.