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More than 50 area residents dressed in red and many gave passionate pleas about traffic jams and overcrowded schools to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)at its public meeting regarding Lake Hutto in late February. The meeting was the final step in the approval process for Pulte Homes planned 3,500 single and multi-family homesites at Lake Hutto on FishHawk Blvd.
But, the residents couldn't quite convince the commissioners to give up Pulte's offer of $64 million in roadway infrastructure improvements and donation of 20 acres of land for two needed schools. All of the offers are requirements of Pulte's application to rezone three parcels of land around FishHawk for 3,500 homes and more than 200,000 sq. ft. of commercial and office space.
The Land Use Map amendments, the rezoning and the proposed DRI Development Order, are scheduled to go back to the zoning hearing master who originally recommended denial of the application because he felt it lacked details on how the project would affect traffic and schools in the area. The commissioners asked for those points to be reintroduced to the hearing master with more detail and then sent back to the zoning master at a public hearing on April 4, 6 p.m. and to the BOCC on May 11, 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held at County Center, 601 E. Kennedy. For more information, call 276-8393 and refer to application RZ 05-1104BYT.
Commission chairman Jim Norman recommended to Pulte representatives, “If there is not more detail on timetable for improvements and help on Lithia Pinecrest Road, I will not support it.”
District 4 Commissioner Ronda Storms voted against giving Pulte a remand back to the zoning hearing master stating, “I still think Pulte should pay for construction of the schools.” In the current application, Pulte will donate 20 acres for an elementary and middle school and will pay for a $3 million addition to Newsome High to accommodate 600 students.
In addition, Pulte’s required impact on the local infrastructure called for more than $64 million in roadway improvements including widening Fishhawk Blvd to four lanes and Bell Shoals Rd. to four lanes. The widenings would have to be completed before 1,350 homes are completed or Pulte would receive no further Certificates of Occupancy beyond 1,350.
Attorney Rhea Law, representing Pulte, presented an idyllic master-planned development with a mix of single family, commercial and office uses surrounding schools, parks, playgrounds and lined with bike paths.
Residents argued that traffic improvements are too little too late and that even if started today would not be completed in the near future, leaving residents in gridlock for years to come and adversely affecting lives.
Mason Oaks Homeowners Association president Jeff Ames made a presentation against traffic improvements, citing that despite completion of Phase 1 of Boyette Rd. widening, there is currently no funding for Phase 2 and 3 widening. “Where is the money for these inadequate roadways?” The current application does not help fund any Boyette Rd. improvements.
FishHawk Dollar Store owner and FishHawk resident Dawn Chavez says that the school district used a flawed calculation of 0.438 students per household to calculate required schools and, “we estimate that that number will double.”
In addition to the speakers, FishHawk resident Michael Melanson presented a petition signed by 491 residents against the rezoning. For more information on the project, contact Sheila Blackwell, Pulte Homes, 841-2000.
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