HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — The Board of County Commissioners voted to adopt a small-scale comprehensive plan map amendment (HCCPA 25-05) to change roughly 3.74 acres at 6920 East Chelsea Street from Residential 6 to Light Industrial Planned (LIP).

Planning commission staff presented the privately initiated application, which is inside the urban service area and within the East Lake–Orient Park community plan boundaries. Staff said the site sits north of East Chelsea Street, southeast of Interstate 4 and is adjacent to a mix of light commercial, heavy commercial and single-family neighborhoods.

Staff noted that under Residential 6 the property could be considered for about 22 dwelling units or roughly 40,728 square feet of nonresidential uses; the LIP designation would eliminate residential as an allowable primary use and could allow about 122,185 square feet of nonresidential uses, including processing, manufacturing, recycling, storage, warehousing and retail support uses.

Alexis Myers of planning commission staff said the county’s community and infrastructure planning department raised a concern that the applicant’s transportation analysis did not meet county standards. Planning staff nonetheless found the application consistent with the comprehensive plan’s economic development goals and policies and the planning commission unanimously recommended approval.

Elizabeth Keller Kelly, representing the applicant ProTech 304th Holdings LLC, said the planned designation is important because subsequent development would be subject to a publicly noticed site plan and that the planned status allows conditions to address compatibility.

Commissioner Bowles moved approval of HCCPA 25-05, and Commissioner Cohen seconded. The board voted 6–0 to adopt the map amendment.

Planning staff said there were no objections from reviewing agencies aside from transportation analysis comments and that additional, site-specific technical review will occur during zoning and permitting.

The board’s action allows future applications for industrial-typed nonresidential uses under a planned development review process; any detailed traffic, drainage and site design issues will be evaluated at the zoning and site-plan stages.