County adopts Energy Industrial Park changes, adds environmental safeguards and a limited residential pocket

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners on Thursday adopted multiple text amendments that revise the county’s Energy Industrial Park rules, add environmental testing requirements and create a narrowly defined allowance for residential uses in one portion of the site.

Planning Commission staff described the package as three related privately initiated text amendments that together would allow more flexibility in the Energy Industrial Park while also requiring additional environmental oversight. Melissa Linehard, planning commission staff, told commissioners the proposed amendments would change some geographic language in the EIP rules, allow retail and commercial uses beyond one-half mile of Turkey Creek in portions of the site, and (in the amendment that proposes limited residential uses) require coordination with state and federal environmental agencies, pre-construction radiation sampling, mitigation…