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Commission approves Tampa General’s Citrus Hills hospital plan; board adds buffer condition
Summary
The board unanimously approved an amendment to the Citrus Hills DRI (PUD 3064) to allow Tampa General Hospital to locate a phase‑one hospital and future expansion on 53 acres near County Road 486, conditionally allowing a helipad for medical transports and requiring Type C buffers where nonresidential uses abut residences.
The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners voted 5‑0 on April 8 to approve PUD 3064, a master‑plan amendment to the Citrus Hills Development of Regional Impact that clears the way for Tampa General Hospital to acquire 53 acres adjacent to its Crystal River emergency center and build a phased full‑service hospital and related medical office buildings.
What was approved: the ordinance amendment updates the Citrus Hills land‑use atlas and master plan to: (1) permit a hospital campus and medical office uses in Parcel A; (2) allow a medical helipad limited to hospital use and requiring FAA/FDOT approval; (3) increase nonresidential development intensity consistent with modern standards (a reduced net increase agreed with staff from an initial 2,000,000 square‑foot request to 1,300,000 sq ft and hospital capacity expressed by bed count); and (4) allow internal outparcels and internal access where intersection and traffic‑access management are approved by county engineering.
Why it matters: Tampa General proposed a two‑phase project that would begin with a roughly 120‑bed hospital and supporting medical office space and could be expanded ultimately to a 400‑bed facility with additional offices and parking. TGH officials said the site is centrally located to serve growth in Citrus Hills, Beverly Hills, Pine Ridge, Tuscany Ranch and other nearby developments and argued the county lacks adequate acute‑care capacity in its geographic center.
Public comment and conditions - County planning staff and the Planning & Development Commission recommended conditional approval. PDC added a condition requiring a Type C landscape buffer where new nonresidential uses in Parcel A would abut existing residential zones; the commission and staff said the buffering standard addresses neighborhood transition concerns. - Tampa General representatives described patient load at the existing Crystal River emergency center and said helipad access would be used sparingly for critical transfers but is important for time‑sensitive trauma and stroke care. Officials said many current patients in the freestanding ER require admission or higher‑level care that would be easier to provide at a full hospital campus closer to the county’s population center. - Public commenters supported the hospital for improved access, while others asked how the county would manage traffic at peak hours near schools and residences; staff said internal access and traffic‑access management standards would be required prior to final site permitting and that the county would evaluate road improvements as part of the review and permitting process.
Vote and next steps The commission voted unanimously to approve the ordinance amendment and instructed staff to incorporate the PDC‑recommended Type C buffer condition into the final approval language. Project proponents and county staff will return for required site permitting work, traffic‑access reviews and any required FAA approvals for the helipad before construction.
Ending: Tampa General said it intends to work with county staff on traffic and stormwater design, and commissioners said they welcomed the hospital’s interest while urging careful attention to buffer, traffic mitigation and permitting conditions.
