There Must Be A Better Way To Keep Track Of Developers
Oct. 19 I ran a column titled, “In Search of the Responsible Parties.†Today’s column is an update to that.
The person – persons or companies – I’ve been searching for are the ones responsible for building the north-south roads within the new developments that front the east side of U.S. 301 in Riverview.
All the developers were required to leave room and right of way for these roadways. And if you drive through each development, from South Fork north almost to Rhodine Road, you can see that they line up in a such a way that they could be easily connected.
That would certainly relieve U.S. 301.
The problem is that nobody seems to be able to say exactly who must build what, where or when.
My quest began when I noticed that the address of my granddaughter’s school, the new Leroy Collins Elementary in Panther Trace, is 12424 Summerfield Blvd. But the school isn’t in Summerfield, or anywhere near Summerfield Boulevard, which ends at a wide field by Smokethorn Drive.
After at least 10 telephone calls to my regular sources for my Oct. 19 column, I got word from Kevin Howe, a senior manager with the county’s 911-Streets and Addresses, that his department had assigned the address because of a map sent to him by Hillsborough County’s Planning and Growth Management office.
He e-mailed me a copy and it clearly shows an extension of Summerfield Boulevard north-south in the exact area I’d been asking about – South Fork to Rhodine Road.
I soon found, however, that the road existing on Kevin’s map did not exist on the county’s 2025 Transportation Plan.
Did that mean private interests were building it? And had they been told to do this in connection with their permits?
This sounds like an easy question for county officials to answer, but so far, it hasn’t worked that way.
Calls to County Commissioner Ronda Storms’ office created a blitz of e-mail asking county officials to find an answer for me. And finally I interviewed Jo Ann Heron, a professional engineer in the department of planning and growth management, who said she has only been on the job a few months but seemed to do her best to find answers for me.
“U.S. Home donated the right of way for the section through Summerfield north of Collins elementary,†she said. “All the way to the Martinez tract. Then, when that tract is developed, there will be a park just north of the school that will also be on Summerfield Boulevard.â€
She went on to say that when the site plan was approved for Summerfield, the developer was required to “build roads within the development as they are needed.†Neither county commissioners nor the zoning hearing master attached any timetable so this could be when the last permit for the development is pulled, or perhaps – well, never, unless a “need†is proven, she said.
I soon found a second problem with this answer: Summerfield is south of Collins elementary, not north, so this meant we were talking about two completely different plots of land.
At this point, JoAnn advised that I ask Dennis Kline, the county’s principal planner, who was, she said, very knowledgeable about the U.S. 301 developments.
But not on this subject.
Dennis suggested (almost immediately) that I go to Tim Plate of Heidt & Associates, an engineering firm based in Tampa, because they were more familiar with the specifics and conditions than he was.
Now I don’t know why private industry should be more familiar with zoning conditions than our own county government, but Tim told me the only tract (in the area I was inquiring about) where zoning conditions have not already been set in stone is the Martinez tract, a 344-acre former dairy farm that extends north from Panther Trace to Rhodine Road.
Public records show that Transcend Development Corp. is requesting a rezoning of the Martinez tract to create a new development called Villages at Heron Lake. Transcend plans to build 1,134 single family homes and townhouses surrounding a 90-acre lake.
There’s still time to ask that the zoning hearing master make that section of north-south road a condition of its permit.
As for the section of land that contains the dedicated right of way in Panther Trace, building a road there is up to the “whim of its developer, RRG Big Bend based in Fort Pierce,†Tim said.
He said that he was certain that even though the right of way was dedicated, there was no requirement for RRG to build any road.
I want to know why these conditions aren’t being put on as a requirement of their permits, or perhaps when site plans are presented.
It’s true that a lot of South Shore’s zoning was established nearly 20 years ago. We may not be able to downgrade the number of homes that have already been allowed by previous county officials, but we can certainly ask our county commissioners to make planners put conditions on everything new that comes across their desks.
u I’d like to hear your comments on this, and other, issues. I realized I’ve done all the raving this week, which has left me no space for your letters. So next week we’re going to have a different kind of Road Raves, filled with comments from letters and e-mails I’ve received these past two weeks. And there’s still time to get your questions and comments in. Send them to 3036 College Ave., Ruskin, FL 33570 or e-mail them to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with “Road Raves†in the subject line.
Penny Fletcher is the editor of The Sun and the South Shore News.
If weekly commutes bring you anywhere near the Platt Street bridge, you’ve probably seen the damage by now. A large-scale wastewater cave-in along the center lane of Platt Street has shut down the thoroughfare from Plant Avenue east to Bayshore Boulevard.
Repairs began around Nov. 7, and are expected to be complete sometime around Nov. 10 ... hopefully. If not, through traffic will continue to be detoured north on Plant Avenue to Kennedy Boulevard. Access to local businesses will be available via Plant Avenue to Cardy Street.
City representatives said the collapse was caused by failure of a 24-inch wastewater pipe. No wastewater overflowed from the cave-in and the wastewater system in the area is functioning properly.
Back in August, drivers felt a similar pain when part of Bayshore Boulevard caved in after leaky joints in an underground stormwater culvert box loosened dirt below the road’s surface. The road was shut down for days while crews worked diligently on repairs.
In a previous interview, Stormwater Director Chuck Walter said cave-ins occur on about a monthly basis throughout the city. We don’t hear about these collapses with much frequency because they often occur in backyards or other private areas.
Because of roadway and pipe system age, neighborhoods like South and West Tampa see the greatest stability problems. This summer, a wastewater pipeline cave-in near the intersection of Rivershore Drive and Sligh Avenue in central Tampa required the replacement of some 140 feet of pipe, spanning the entire width of Sligh. The original pipe was more than 50 years old.
Walter said the city’s stormwater department is developing a program to address citywide cave-in issues. It definitely seems to be time – if things continue in this manner, our system won’t make it past middle age.
My recent column on safety issues surrounding the crosswalk at the foot of the Davis Islands bridge spurred a healthy response from locals, most of whom were crying out for a new solution.
Resident Linda Misner, who said her husband crosses that intersection daily while walking to and from work, feels the crosswalk’s placement is not the only problem – just the most obvious. “There is a bigger problem with drivers that speed over the bridge,†Misner wrote via e-mail. “These two things together create a huge safety issue. Currently there is nothing to slow these drivers down as they enter the island.â€
She suggested adding speed humps similar to those on the Harbor Island bridge. They make speeding near impossible on the entrance to that island, and hump placement forces motorists to stop at crosswalks.
Omar Medina of South Tampa offered a similar but slightly less imposing solution: rumble strips. In his e-mail to the South Tampa News, Medina said traffic at the bridge base “far exceeds posted speed,†and felt the strips could slow drivers down and alert them to possible dangers.
Signage dedicated to that purpose does exist on the inbound bridge. A yellow flashing light and two arrow signs indicate the upcoming crosswalk, allowing attentive motorists a chance to perk up and use caution.
William Porth, traffic analysis supervisor with the city of Tampa, was involved in the crosswalk installation project at this site in October 2004. He explained moving the crossing closer to the bridge base increased safety, marking a strong improvement over the previous crosswalk, a stretch that sat some 150 feet south at Adalia Avenue.
My new apartment building is aptly named: “Island Paradise.â€
It’s hard to argue with that while stepping out the door to enjoy cool breezes off the water, parks and restaurants within walking distance, and the generally quiet streets of Davis Islands.
I say “generally†because the new digs are relatively close to the island’s business district, which brings in outside motorists and gets noisier on weekends, when bands sometimes play in courtyards along the strip.
There is traffic trouble in paradise, too, at times. On-street parking, carefree pedestrians, speeding commuters and perilous crosswalks along Davis Boulevard all offer obstacles to the neighborhood tranquility.
Allow me to introduce myself. Maybe you’ve seen me around.
I’m a writer who spends long hours on the road, cruising the city for stories. I’m a car-lover raised in a commuter’s purgatory, singing at top volume with the windows down.
Tucked among the pages of the South Tampa News, my weekly Traffic Stop column offers discourse on everything from speed tables to road rage. Personal observations from my own daily driving experience are mixed in with reader comments and concerns about South Tampa traffic.
I even work to track down people handling city and county transportation issues and ask them the questions you want answered. Sometimes I report, sometimes I rant. Hope you’ll come along for the ride.
Visit me in the South Tampa News every Wednesday, or check back with this blog each week to talk traffic, get project updates and read snippets from the cutting-room floor.
Got something to say about local traffic? Send me an .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) anytime. Until then, I’ll see you on the streets.
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