County staff propose adding Fort Hamer interchange to corridor preservation map

Hillsborough County planning staff proposed adding a Fort Hamer Road interchange to the county’s quarter preservation plan map, saying the change is intended to protect future right-of-way and align the county map with the Transportation Planning Organization’s long-range plan.

Katrina Quirker, planning commission staff, told commissioners the proposed interchange, which would sit in the I‑75 right-of-way south of the Little Manatee River and north of the Manatee County line, “is not currently constructed, and it is proposed in the area south of the Little Manatee River and north of the Manatee County line on I‑75.” She said adding it to the quarter preservation plan map would bring the county’s map into agreement with the LRTP, where the interchange is listed as an unfunded need.

The proposal is a publicly initiated text amendment that modifies only the quarter preservation plan map, not the comprehensive plan’s policy language. Staff said the map entry is used to reserve right-of-way to prevent encroachment and to preserve options for future grade-separated interchanges or reconfigured connections as the county plans for growth.

Commissioners discussed the surrounding context and past map actions and asked for more detail about timing and implications for right-of-way acquisition. Staff said the interchange entry does not itself fund construction and that it functions as a planning placeholder to guide setbacks and future design, consistent with the county’s Land Development Code use of the quarter preservation plan map to protect transportation corridors.

The item will move to a public hearing with fuller mapping and supporting material provided to the board in advance. The workshop adjourned following that presentation.