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Landfill Rezoned For Motor Coach Park

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

PLANT CITY - Items of interest from the May 27 Plant City Commission meeting include:

•Commissioners unanimously agreed to rezone a former landfill site to accommodate a motor coach park.

The 139 acres on the north side of Sparkman Road, a half-mile east of James L. Redman Parkway, will be developed as Grande Horizons Luxury Motorcoach Resort.

"We've been working on this since 2006," Mayor Rick Lott said of the rezoning.

The need to create a new zoning category to accommodate a 499-pad motor coach resort is partly to blame for the timeframe, Commissioner Bill Dodson said. "I think it's pretty innovative," he said of the planned conversion of an old landfill. "I think it will be very suitable for the community."

The zoning requires the park have roadways at least 12 feet wide. Additionally, an individual coach may not remain in the park more than 179 days in any calendar year.

The developer is listed as DH Cattle Co. LLC, owned by businessman David Hawthorne.

•Commissioners adopted the Northeast Plant City Master Plan, intended to guide and create cohesive growth in the area mostly north of Interstate 4 where the greatest growth has been experienced.

The plan for roads, schools and other infrastructure, and how to pay for it, is the goal of the document, Mayor Lott told the half-dozen residents who turned out for the brief discussion preceding unanimous adoption.

"When it's all done, at least we can say we did our best to do it right," avoiding piecemeal development and other growth problems like those in areas such as Brandon and Carrollwood, Lott said.

"There has to be a level of trust," Lott told residents. "We're on your side."

The leader of a residents' group said she hopes the plan can reach its goal.

"We all know how much this area of the county is growing," Charlotte Butler-Nelson told commissioners.

"What we're hoping is the vision turns into viable land-use rules," said Butler-Nelson, president of the Alliance of Rural Citizens, a group of northeast Hillsborough County residents interested in preserving their rural lifestyle.

The city will next meet with Hillsborough County commissioners to request the two governments negotiate a joint planning agreement for the area, much of which lies outside the municipal limits.

•During a special meeting, commissioners agreed to have the city staff prepare a proposed ordinance identifying a water reserve area.

The ordinance similar to those used by Clermont and Winter Park will identify areas beyond the municipal limits to which the city could conceivably provide utility services.

Designating the reserve area allows the city to prohibit competing utilities from offering services there and allow it to require mandatory connections to some municipal utility services.

A legal description of the proposed area will be prepared and brought to commissioners for approval in about a month.

•The commission is seeking residents interested in serving on the library board.

Tom Sparkman, on the board since July 2005, has indicated he does not wish to serve another term. His term expires July 1.

Three residents have applications on file. The vacancy is posted in the city Web site: plantcitygov.com, listed under the documents center tab for the city clerk's office.

The seven-member board meets at Bruton Memorial Library at 9 a.m. on the third Thursday monthly.

George Wilkens

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