Tampa council denies planned townhome development on North Rome Avenue after hourslong debate over wetlands, trees and flood risk

Tampa City Council on Thursday denied a developer's request to rezone 6111 North Rome Avenue from Residential-10 to a plan development allowing attached and detached single-family units (file REZ2499). Council members approved a motion to deny the rezoning after more than two hours of public testimony and technical presentations that focused on wetlands, stormwater and the loss of mature trees.

Neighbors and environmental groups told council the site contains a wetland that is hydrologically connected to Capons Creek and the Hillsborough River, and that the project’s plan to import large amounts of fill and remove dozens of mature trees would worsen flooding, increase runoff to nearby streets and the river, and degrade habitat. Hank Kramer, president of the Riverbend Neighborhood Civic Association, cited maps and neighborhood field observations and said the wetlands and a local creek are part of the neighborhood’s drainage system and should not be filled.

Planning commission staff…