Staff seeks to add Fort Hamer Road to corridor preservation plan map

Katrina Corcoran, planning commission staff, presented a privately initiated text amendment to add a corridor for Fort Hamer Road to the County's Corridor Preservation Plan map. The item is a text amendment to the Corridor Preservation Plan map only; Corcoran said there are no proposed policy changes as part of this amendment.

Corcoran described the corridor as an unbuilt road in southern Hillsborough County that would run from U.S. 41 southward across I-75 to the county line, where Manatee County's comprehensive plan sets aside potential right of way for the roadway. The corridor preservation map indicates potential lane needs (colors on the map) and intersections or interchanges considered for grade separation or reconfiguration; the proposed Fort Hamer alignment was shown as preserved up to six lanes.

Corcoran noted the parcels along the proposed alignment are currently in agricultural use and under the control of a single property owner. The area is within the Little Manatee South community plan area and subject to an Urban Expansion Area (UEA) study directed by the Board of County Commissioners. She also clarified the proposed interchange location shown is conceptual and that the interchange itself is not part of this comprehensive-plan amendment.

Because the meeting was a workshop presentation, the board did not take action. Corcoran said the Corridor Preservation Plan map is coordinated with the Land Development Code for setbacks and future right-of-way protection during development review.

The board did not take a vote; staff indicated they are available to answer questions as the item moves through the public hearing cycle.