HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — The Board of County Commissioners voted to transmit to state review a privately initiated proposal to expand the urban service area and change future land use on a roughly 470.9-acre tract north of State Road 674 and east of Baumwamama Road in the Waimama area.

Planning commission staff Alexis Myers presented HCCPA 25-08, the urban service area expansion request, and HCCPA 25-07, the associated future land use amendment to Residential 4. Staff said the site is in the rural area within the South Shore Areawide Systems community plan, includes wetlands, and is partially in FEMA flood Zone AE. Under Agricultural Rural 1 to 5 the site could be considered for about 94 dwelling units; under Residential 4 the gross-acre calculation would allow up to about 1,883 dwelling units — staff and the applicant both noted developable acreage is substantially less than the full 470.9 acres and that realistic buildout numbers are lower.

Jake Kramer, representing the applicant, said the property is currently used in part as a borrow pit that supplies material for road construction and that conservation easements and preserved agricultural land flank portions of the site. Kramer and land planner David Smith said the application aims to provide a transition from employment- and industrial-focused growth approved nearby to the property’s edge while preserving conserved acreage.

Public comment was mixed. Donald Campbell, a nearby resident, told commissioners he supported the applications and said the landowner has been a longstanding, engaged presence who helps the local community. Buddy Harwell, representing the Balm Civic Association, opposed the expansions and argued the increase in density and the urban service area boundary change are too large and that notice and outreach had been insufficient.

Commissioners discussed the history of the urban service boundary and whether conserved land creates a reasonable edge for expansion. Commissioner Cohen moved approval of HCCPA 25-08; Commissioner Whistell seconded. The motion to transmit HCCPA 25-08 passed 6–0. Commissioner Whistell moved approval of HCCPA 25-07; Commissioner Cohen seconded; that motion also passed 6–0. The board then moved to transmit the amendments to state agencies for review; the transmittal motion passed 6–0.

Planning staff noted that agency reviews and subsequent rezoning, PD and site-plan processes will be required before any subdivision or other development occurs. The applicant’s team said the parcel likely would not yield the full theoretical density calculated from gross acreage and estimated a more conservative build-out of roughly 630 to 800 units or, in another part of the record, approximately 800 units; the applicant also noted that conservation easements limit developable land.

The board’s votes send the proposals to state and regional reviewers; any future rezoning or development applications will return to the county for site- and technical-level review including traffic, drainage and school capacity.