Hillsborough commissioners approve series of comprehensive-plan amendments expanding South County urban service area; residents urge pause

TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday voted 5-0 to approve a package of privately initiated comprehensive-plan text and map amendments that extend the county's urban service area across multiple parcels in South County, including large areas in the Waimama community and a small commercial conversion in Gibsonton.

Planning commission staff recommended the amendments as consistent with the unincorporated Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan, noting that the proposals would add hundreds of acres to the urban service area and require future developments to connect to public water and sewer. Alexis Myers, planning commission staff, said agency reviewers raised no objections and that off-site impacts would be funded through mobility fees and impact fees.

The most contested items were several Waimama-area amendments (HCCPA 2409/2408, 2413/2412, 2411/2410) that together represent thousands of potential future homes on parcels now designated for lower-density uses. Planning staff described wetlands on some sites and placement in FEMA Flood Zone AE; the staff recommendation emphasized that on-site impacts would be the responsibility of the developer and off-site impacts would be addressed through county mobility and impact-fee mechanisms.

Residents and Waimama Community Plan Advisory Council members urged a different course. "We are not against new development, but desired control of development," said John Regan, a Waimama resident and CPAC member, urging commissioners to "pause voting on the four Waimama applications'until a comprehensive infrastructure study is performed and mitigation strategies identified." Augie Grace, another CPAC member, similarly asked the board to include Southwest Florida Water Management District and FEMA in any flood-studies and to ensure impact fees stay in the communities where they are collected.

Applicants and their counsel pushed back that the amendments are long-range planning actions that do not authorize immediate construction. "This is a long range plan that you're approving. This doesn't happen overnight," said Cammie Corbett, attorney for several applicants, arguing that the county is required to plan for growth and that subsequent rezoning, permit review and market conditions would shape buildout.

Commissioners acknowledged the community concerns but said substantial infrastructure investments are already underway in South County. "Tampa Bay Water is spending somewhere between $700 million and $800 million to build a new pipeline to supply the South County region," Commissioner Cohen said, a point he used to argue the county is programming resources for growth. Commissioner Welsall (speaker identified in the record) said he intends to ask colleagues to adopt a policy that directs impact and mobility fees collected for urban service area expansions to be spent within the expansion areas.

Where the board voted on items, motions were moved and seconded and recorded as "Motion carried 5 to 0." The approvals included the large Waimama-area amendments (HCCPA 2409/2408; HCCPA 2413/2412; HCCPA 2411/2410) and a small-scale map amendment in Gibsonton (HCCPA 2429) that would allow SMU-6 uses for an existing small trucking business, Milo Trucking. The board also granted a continuance to four other applicants to the Feb. 13, 2025 comprehensive-plan hearing.

The decisions leave open multiple implementation steps. Staff and applicants noted that rezoning, development agreements, PD (planned development) processes and construction-permit reviews remain to produce specific community benefits, traffic mitigation, stormwater systems and school siting. Residents asked for clear, county-led, cumulative analyses of traffic, flooding and school capacity before rezoning or before approvals that would effectively raise land value and development potential.

The meeting concluded with unanimous approvals on the listed items and adjournment.