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Rezoning Hearing Set For Hotel

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 1, 2007

Items of interest from Monday's commission meeting include:

•A public hearing was set for Dec. 10 on a rezoning for a proposed hotel near North Park and South Frontage roads. If approved, the land will be rezoned to accommodate a four-story, 100-room hotel that will be managed by New Moon Hospitality, according to a city staff report. The public hearing will be during the city commission's 7:30 p.m. meeting.

•The second and final public hearing on limiting the height of new signs along Interstate 4 will be held at the commission's next meeting at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10. No one spoke at Monday's first public hearing on the proposal.

The city is considering a law that would ban new signs taller than 45 feet along the busy corridor. The proposed ordinance also would limit the size of signs to 350 square feet.

If the law is passed, the eight signs along the interstate that exceed the proposed height limit would be allowed to stay, unless they are destroyed by hurricanes or other disasters, according to city officials.

The McDonald's fast-food restaurant sign near the ramps at Thonotosassa Road and I-4 is the tallest at 130 feet and the Waffle House sign at that interchange is 125 feet. Other signs topping 100 feet include Starbucks, 120 feet, Outback Steakhouse, 110 feet, and Red Rose Inn and Suites, 110 feet.

Other tall I-4 signs include Carabba's, 84 feet, Fleetwood, 75 feet, and Bill Heard Chevrolet, 65 feet.

•Commissioners awarded a contract to Lane Construction Corp. to smooth over rough patches along Alexander Street. The Connecticut-based company will be paid $96,031 to repave portions of the road from about Timberlane Drive to about James L. Redman Parkway.

Crews patched the road over the summer but residents who frequently use that route called commissioners to complain about the bumpy ride, City Manager David Sollenberger said.

Strips of asphalt were repaved and were not evened out with the original grade of the road, resulting in a ride that felt as if vehicles were driving over a series of washboards, Mayor Rick Lott said.

The poor work was blamed on a machine that did not properly roll and flatten asphalt, Sollenberger said.
Lane Construction is expected to complete the project in about 30 days, Sollenberger said.

Ray Reyes

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