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County Line Farms Gets Unanimous OK

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

Items of interest from the commission meeting Jan. 28 include:

•The final platting of the 420-acre County Line Farms was unanimously approved. The proposed subdivision west of County Line Road and south of Amberjack Boulevard will be divided into five tracts and feature 177 single-family homes, lots for 330 town houses, areas for commercial and industrial development and a conservation area, according to a planning and zoning staff report. A plat is a map showing how a piece of property is going to be divided.

•The developer of a proposed industrial park on a site once targeted for the Lakeside Station development continues to seek special state designation for the property, and commissioners scheduled two more public hearings on the matter this month.

Steven Schafer, president of Michigan-based Schafer Development, plans to build warehouse distribution centers, other light industry and workforce housing on 1,260 acres adjacent to the demolished Coronet Industries phosphate processing facility but is seeking special status under Florida's Brownfield Redevelopment Act.

The state statute describes brownfields as land that "may be complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination." Schafer said the designation would give him liability protection. He believes the soil on the property south of U.S. 92 and east of Park Road is not contaminated but there is an old landfill on the site. The designation also offers incentives for companies to build and create jobs on brownfields.

Sunrise Homes has abandoned plans for Lakeside Station, a subdivision of 2,600 homes and stores, and Schafer said he is in negotiations with the company to buy the land.

The public hearings on the brownfield designation will be held during the commission's next regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday at city hall, 302 W. Reynolds St. and at 6 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Trinkle center at the Plant City campus of Hillsborough Community College, 1206 N. Park Road.

•Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution that allows the city to enter an agreement with e-commerce business PayPal. The city is planning to offer online payment of utility bills and PayPal, which specializes in payments and money transfers via the Internet, will be the primary way in which those payments can be made, according to a city staff report.

It will take about 90 days for the system to be worked out with PayPal, City Manager David Sollenberger said. The city will pay the Internet company $249 in set up costs, $59.95 per month for service and 10 cents per transaction, according to a city staff report.

The agreement with PayPal complements the city's efforts to redesign its Web site, www.ci.plant-city.fl.us, Sollenberger said. The retooled Web site is expected to be complete by April and will boast easier navigation, more user-friendly features and improved graphics, Sollenberger said.

Ray Reyes

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