Planning staff briefs commissioners on proposed urban service area expansion at 1620 South Dover Road

Planning commission staff briefed the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners on a privately initiated proposal to expand the urban service area and change the future land use for about 31.83 acres at 1620 South Dover Road.

The request, presented by Jillian Massey of planning commission staff, would move the site from the Residential 1 category to Residential 4 and add the parcel inside the urban service area boundary. "If the expansion is approved, the neighborhood directly to the west, which is the Dover Woods subdivision, would remain in the rural area but would be surrounded by the urban service area," Massey said. She added that the expansion would "require at a minimum connection to public water and sewer."

The nut graf: the amendment would increase the site's residential development potential and introduce a requirement to connect to county water and sewer if included in the urban service area. Under the current Residential 1 designation the site can be considered for up to 31 dwelling units; changing to Residential 4 would increase potential density to 127 dwelling units, staff said.

Massey described the parcel's location on the east side of South Dover Road, south of State Road 60 and north of Durant Road. Surrounding uses are primarily single-family homes to the east, west and south, with land designated as an Energy Industrial Park to the north and northeast. She noted the site is in the rural area and not within a community plan. "This is a privately initiated text amendment to expand the urban service area to include approximately 31.83 acres that is currently designated Residential 1," Massey said during the briefing.

Staff emphasized that approval of the map and plan amendments would change the land-use category and the service-area boundary, and that water and sewer connection would be required at minimum if the urban service area expansion is approved. Commissioners did not take action at the briefing; staff presented the item for initial consideration and indicated it will return for later public hearings with agency comments and additional analysis.

The presentation included an aerial showing the existing urban service area line in blue and the subject site outlined in pink; Massey said the Dover Woods subdivision west of the site would remain Rural by designation but could be surrounded by the expanded urban service area. She closed by answering no questions at the briefing and moving the meeting to the next item.

Looking ahead, the planning staff will include agency comments and public hearing materials when the amendment returns to the board for formal hearings.