Hillsborough County is considering whether to bring roughly 190 acres along Lithia Pinecrest Road into its Urban Service Area, a move that would allow a 280-home community on land that today could support only about 37 homes.
The property sits north of Dorman Road and west of Browning Road in southeastern Hillsborough County, where agricultural land and low-density residential development remain common. County officials are reviewing amendments that would move the site from the Rural Service Area to the Urban Service Area, allowing residential development not currently permitted on the property.
County planning staff found the proposal consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, while Development Services staff recommended approval subject to conditions. Staff reports describe an area where rural and residential uses already meet, with lower-density development to the south and east and established neighborhoods to the north and west.
That setting helped shape the proposed site plan, which uses wetlands, open space and landscape buffers to separate future homes from neighboring properties. The development would include up to 280 single-family homes, according to application materials.
As county agencies reviewed the proposal, schools and transportation emerged as two of the primary considerations. The Hillsborough County School District found capacity available at the elementary and middle school levels but identified insufficient capacity at the high school level under current conditions.
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Transportation staff estimate the development would generate about 2,500 vehicle trips per day and require roadway improvements that include a roundabout at the project’s entrance on Lithia Pinecrest Road.
Those improvements would be supported in part by an estimated $6.65 million in mobility, school, park and fire impact fees generated by the project, including more than $3.6 million designated for transportation improvements and about $2.3 million for schools.
Environmental reviewers raised no objections to the proposal. The site contains wetlands, surface-water protection areas and significant trees that would remain subject to environmental permitting requirements as development plans advance.
HBWB Development Services is seeking the rezoning and companion Comprehensive Plan amendments needed to advance the project. The rezoning request is scheduled for consideration by the Zoning Hearing Master on June 22. The companion Comprehensive Plan amendments are scheduled for an Aug. 13 hearing before the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners.
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