Two Rivers Ranch Aims To Preserve Land While Planning For Future Growth

Robert Thomas, owner of Two Rivers Ranch, a working cow/calf cattle ranch, is seeking to apply a land-use framework he helped create nearly two decades ago to 7,944 acres the family has stewarded and preserved for nearly a century.

The Thomas family, with leadership from patriarch Wayne Thomas, Robert Thomas’ grandfather, has long been known for its environmental stewardship and philanthropic land donations. Over the decades, the family has donated land for public parks, conservation and community uses, including land that helped establish Hillsborough River State Park and Camp Dorothy Thomas for the Girl Scouts. Additional donations have supported historical preservation efforts such as the restoration of Fort Foster, as well as Scouting America camps and other community institutions. 

But now, as the largest private landowner remaining in Hillsborough County, Robert Thomas would like to create a legacy that will continue environmental stewardship while embracing the inevitable growth of the county.

While touring his property in Thonotosassa recently with its cow/calf spring calving season in full swing, the pride of ownership is easy to see.

Robert Thomas explained that through Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPA) 25-37, he is asking Hillsborough County to apply the Planned Environmental Community – 1/2 (PEC 1/2) designation to the property, which allows up to one home per 2 acres overall.

The CPA does not approve construction, site plans or building permits. If approved, separate rezonings would still be required before any development could occur. Those rezonings would involve detailed site plans, traffic studies, environmental review and additional public hearings.

Robert Thomas said the amendment’s timing reflects generational planning considerations. The PEC 1/2 designation was created in 2005, and he said he wants it applied to the ranch before future ownership transitions.

“This land’s been under our family’s care for nearly 100 years,” he said. “We want to be proactive and ensure PEC 1/2 is locked in for the future.”

If applied, PEC 1/2 would require at least 40 percent of the site to remain open space and mandate clustered development rather than lot-by-lot subdivision. The designation requires an environmental management plan and centralized potable water and wastewater service before development can proceed. It also increases wetland setbacks along the Hillsborough River and Blackwater Creek areas.

Under the ranch’s current future land-use designations, the maximum gross residential potential is approximately 706 units.

Under PEC 1/2, the theoretical maximum increases to 3,972 units. After accounting for wetlands and environmental constraints, the applicant estimates roughly 3,279 units could ultimately be developed.

“This isn’t about just adding houses,” he said. “It’s about providing a framework for the future of how the land changes.”

For comparison, more conventional residential categories could allow higher densities, with roughly 8,000 units at one home per acre or about 32,000 units at four per acre. Any such development would still require rezonings and approvals.

Speaking from a wood bridge over Blackwater Creek on the property, Robert Thomas explained that the Army Corps of Engineers actually built the bridge in the 1930s, and he added that a portion of the ranch currently carries an Agricultural/Mining designation under the comprehensive plan. Under the existing policy, mining-related activities are allowable, subject to permitting requirements.

PEC 1/2 would remove mining as an allowable future land use and prohibit certain industrial activities. Robert Thomas said the family has no plans to pursue mining and instead wants the long-term land-use designation to reflect residential and open-space framework. If the amendment is denied, the current future land-use designations, including Agricultural/Mining, would remain.

Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission voted to find CPA 25-37 inconsistent with the comprehensive plan in February, citing rural preservation policies and river corridor protections. The planning commission’s recommendation is advisory, with the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners making the final determination.

Two Rivers Ranch spans land that includes native pasture, preserved wetlands, the Hillsborough River and Blackwater Creek and a permitted 977-acre wetland mitigation bank regulated under state and federal oversight. The Thomas family also owned the Crystal Springs property and established the Crystal Springs Foundation in 2005 to support conservation and education.

In 1934, Wayne Thomas donated approximately 500 acres that helped form Hillsborough River State Park. In 1944, the family donated land that became Camp Dorothy Thomas, now part of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. Additional acreage later supported the restoration of Fort Foster. Wayne Thomas also donated almost 500 acres in Lithia to the Boy Scouts for Camp Alafia in 1973 and later relocated elements of the camp to the ranch property. He also said the family donated land for Jesuit High School in Tampa.

Whether county commissioners view PEC 1/2 as a long-term planning framework for the property or as an increase in residential density within the rural service area will shape the future land-use policy for the site.