Hillsborough County City County Planning Commission Regular Meeting - January 12, 2026

The Hillsborough County City County Planning Commission held its regular meeting on January 12, 2026, at 2:00 PM. The meeting included the swearing-in of a new commissioner, approval of prior meeting minutes, a historic landmark designation vote, informational briefings on sign code, redistricting, and comprehensive plan amendments, the executive director's report, and committee reports. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 4:00 PM, with a public hearing scheduled for 5:30 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the following meetings: November 10, 2025 (regular and City of Tampa Plan Amendments), December 8, 2025 (regular, City of Plant City Plan Amendments, and City of Temple Terrace Plan Amendments).

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comments were submitted for the meeting. One individual (Elle Alfonso) signed up for the landmark designation item but did not appear.

Discussion Items

• Oath of Office for New Commissioner: Gerald Barry was sworn in as the new Planning Commission ex officio appointee representing MacDill Air Force Base, replacing former Commissioner Tony Rodriguez. A plaque of appreciation was also presented to former Commissioner Karen Crest for her service from April 2017 to November 2025.
• Historic Landmark Designation – 6012 & 6014 Adina Street (Waimama Memorial Cemetery): Staff presented the landmark report for the 4.75-acre cemetery, dating to the early 1900s and located in a historically African American neighborhood. The cemetery meets multiple county landmark criteria, including being over 50 years old. The property is owned by the church but includes unmarked graves identified by ground-penetrating radar. The commission voted unanimously to find the request consistent with the comprehensive plan (motion by Commissioner Lauk, second by Commissioner Kugler).
• Temple Terrace Land Development Code Amendment – Section 12-984 (Signs): Marissa Robinson from the City of Temple Terrace presented a proposed amendment to allow a second wall sign on corner lots meeting specific conditions. This was a briefing item; no action was taken.
• City of Tampa Redistricting 2026: Yaser Gonzalez presented the redistricting process for the four single-member city council districts. Four alternatives were shared, with the goal of reducing population deviation from 8.36% to under 5%. Alternative 2 (moving one precinct) ranked highest in the online survey. The commission will hold a public hearing in February 2026 and a final vote in March 2026. No action was taken.
• Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment – 3602 West Euclid Avenue (TACPA 25-18): Megan McCarthy presented a small-scale, privately initiated amendment to change the future land use from Residential-20 to Community Mixed Use-35 on a 0.29-acre site in South Tampa. This was a briefing item.
• Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment – MOSI Site (TACPA 25-19): Quinn Steele presented a publicly initiated amendment to unify the future land use of the MOSI site (11.25 acres) from Light Industrial and Public Semi-Public to Public Semi-Public. This was a briefing item.
• Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment – 11315 North 46th Street (TACPA 25-20): Emily Phelan presented a publicly initiated, regular-scale amendment (63 acres) to change the future land use from Light Industrial, Heavy Industrial, and Public Semi-Public to Urban Mixed Use-60 and Community Mixed Use-35. The applicant recently amended the request to include a CMU-35 parcel to address compatibility concerns with adjacent residential areas. This was a briefing item.
• Executive Director’s Report: Melissa Zornita reported on meetings with county staff regarding the Causeway and 78th Street redevelopment, the finalization of the City of Tampa future land use update draft (to be released January 16), upcoming joint meeting with Plant City on January 26, and the scheduling of a planning commissioner retreat. She noted that four county plan amendments were moved to February to manage workload.
• Committee Reports: A commissioner reported on the December 10 TPO board meeting, which included approval of the I-4 express lanes TIP amendment (with two dissenting votes) and a Brightline station area study. The next TPO meeting is January 13-14. The joint meeting with Plant City is scheduled for January 26.

Key Outcomes

• The commission unanimously approved the minutes from five prior meetings.
• The commission voted unanimously to find the historic landmark designation for Waimama Memorial Cemetery consistent with the comprehensive plan.
• No action was taken on briefing items (Temple Terrace sign code, Tampa redistricting, or plan amendments TACPA 25-18, 25-19, 25-20). These will return for formal public hearings at future meetings.
• The executive director noted that the Tampa redistricting public hearing will be held on February 9, 2026, with a final vote on March 9, 2026. The City of Tampa future land use update draft will be released January 16, with public outreach on February 3 and 4.
• The commission will hold a joint meeting with Plant City on January 26, 2026, from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM at the Trinkle Center.
• A planning commissioner retreat is being scheduled; commissioners were asked to respond to a poll via email.