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Commission approves rezoning to Business Professional Office on Lithia Pinecrest over planning commission concern
Summary
The board approved a restricted Business Professional Office rezoning for a 2.58‑acre Lithia Pinecrest parcel 6-0 despite the Planning Commission and hearing master finding the request inconsistent with the Brandon community plan; debate focused on the legal weight of community plans.
Hillsborough County commissioners voted 6-0 on March 10 to rezone a 2.58-acre parcel on Lithia Pinecrest from ASC-1 to Business Professional Office (BPO) with restrictions on building size, height and buffering.
Todd Pressman, representing the applicant, said the site is effectively part of a corridor with existing nonresidential and quasi-public uses and that the restrictions proposed would ensure a residential appearance and adequate buffering. Development Services staff supported the rezoning with conditions; the Planning Commission and the Zoning Hearing Master recommended denial on compatibility grounds with the Brandon community plan’s Garden Estates character district.
Board discussion focused on how much weight the community plan's policies should carry in the county’s regulatory decision. Commissioner Joshua Wostal noted community plans provide vision and policy guidance but asked staff to clarify their regulatory effect for future cases. Several commissioners said the decision to approve in this case recognized changed conditions along Lithia Pinecrest and the site-specific restrictions proposed.
The motion to approve, moved by Commissioner Wostal and seconded by Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda, passed 6-0. Commissioners signaled they intend to follow up with a discussion about the legal and policy status of community plans.
What happens next: The rezoning was approved with conditions that limit building size and ensure a ‘residential appearance.’ Further community-plan legal clarifications are expected to be scheduled for the board to review.
