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Commercial Project Plat OK'd

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 16, 2008

Updated: 02/14/2008 07:55 pm

Items of interest from Monday's commission meeting include:

•Commissioners unanimously approved the final platting of Alexander Oaks, a six-lot commercial development near Alexander Street and Mendonsa Road. A plat is a map that shows how a property will be divided. The 8-acre site features a mix of commercial and office space.

•Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution that recommends a new courthouse include architectural elements, such as red brick, frequently used in the nearby historical downtown district.

The resolution recommends keeping the existing name, the Plant City Courthouse, according to a staff report. County officials told commissioners during a Jan. 28 presentation that the new courthouse complex is expected to be completed by 2011.

The 60,000-square-foot building would be built on a grassy parking area across from the current courthouse at 302 N. Michigan Ave. The old building, which has parts dating to the 1950s, will be demolished and converted into a parking lot, county officials said.

•City Manager David Sollenberger approved a purchase order of $23,700 to bolster the police department's canine ranks. Four 2-year-old male German shepherds were purchased from a Pennsylvania kennel and arrived in Plant City this week. The dogs - Alen, Maty, Bodo and Melano - are in training and will join at least four other police dogs on the force, officials said.

•The city is soliciting bids from consultants to develop building codes for midtown, an 85-acre sector south of the historical downtown district.

Concepts for midtown include a mixed-use community featuring town houses, sidewalk cafes and boutique stores that encourage pedestrian traffic. Midtown currently is dominated by light industry and businesses.

Consultants awarded the contract are expected to develop codes that are in line with the conceptual plans, according to a city staff report.

The city will select a consultant and award a contract by March, the report said.

•A city staff report on drainage in the Laura Street area will be completed by the commission's Feb 25 meeting, Sollenberger said.

The report was spurred by the concerns of resident Johnny Cooper, who said the area floods after heavy rain. Sollenberger maintains drainage improvements, including work on Samuel W. Cooper Lake, have solved the area's flooding problems.

"The system is working the way it's designed to work," Sollenberger said.

Laura Street and surrounding areas were under water after the hurricanes of 2004, Sollenberger said.

•Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution to replace two outdated portable generators at the city's utilities operations plant, 705 N. Alexander St.

The new generators, purchased from Alternative Power Sources of Sebring, cost $53,069 and will replace units that are about 20 years old, according to a city staff report.

Ray Reyes

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