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Reaching consensus among Brandon Community Plan Committee Members is proving to be a longer and more challenging task than anticipated. The Working Committee met for its fourth consecutive monthly meeting last month and the committee members still cannot get past the topic of defining its boundaries. Approximately 25 residents were in attendance at the meeting.
According to Victoria Moore, a 20-year Brandon resident and committee member, "It is discouraging [not reaching an agreement on the boundaries]. I wish we could have met with other areas to define the Brandon boundaries. I have the feeling we are being a bit territorial. We need to take into account other communities' desires. If we cannot work with other communities we will be divided and divided we [will] fall."
Working Committee Members and Brandon residents who attended the November meeting voted on the boundaries. Based on the initial votes, the western boundary of Brandon is U.S. Hwy. 301, the southern boundary is the Alafia River, and the northern boundary is the CSX Railway that runs along the Martin Luther King Blvd. and Broadway Ave. The votes were divided on the eastern boundary between Mt. Carmel Rd. and Valrico Rd.
According to Elaine Lund, a planner with the Planning and Growth Management Department, Valrico residents will have input regarding where the eastern boundary line of Brandon is drawn. Planners from her department have contacted the presidents of the 62 homeowner and civic associations registered with the Office of Neighborhood Relations to discuss the issue.
During the meeting, the committee designated a five-member group to work together with committee members from the Seffner Community Plan to determine the boundary between the two plans.
Another agenda item to be discussed at the Seffner meeting is whether there is enough interest in forming a wider Brandon Area Community Planning process.
Manager Joe Incorvia, of the Community Planning Section of the Hillsborough County Planning and Growth Management Department, says most communities want to define their boundaries before moving on with the process. "It is typical to grapple with boundary issues--especially in unincorporated areas without legally defined boundaries. However, it is not critical to define it all at the same time. It does need to be completed before presenting the final project to the Board of County Commissions which could occur in as early as 12 months. Other issues that need to be discussed are issues of land use, zoning, transportation, community organization, housing, public facility needs, and other needs the group identifies. While it is frustrating [not having defined boundaries], it is not abnormal."
According to Hillsborough County Planning and Growth Department, Community-Based Plans are designed to address community planning issues and protect the qualities and characteristics that define what is unique and special about a particular community. A community-wide consensus is established on an action plan that may include a vision, goals, objectives, policies, and strategies for guiding growth, regulating development and delivering public services consistent with the residents' priorities.
For more information, contact Eli Alvarado, project manager for the Brandon Community Plan, at 276-8347.
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