OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Planning Commission Meeting: July 13, 2026 - Urban Expansion, Land Use Amendments, and Policy Updates

Hillsborough County Archive View Page — Monday, July 13, 2026
BodyHillsborough County, Florida
SessionHillsborough County Archive View Page
DateMonday, July 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:08:18

Transcript — Verbatim
2:04

Welcome to a meeting of your planning commission, the official local planning agency for the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plan City, and unincorporated Hillsboro County.

2:16

The Planning Commission provides innovative leadership and long-range vision that contributes to the creation of a thriving, prosperous community that offers opportunity, fairness, and choice in how we live, move, learn, work, and play.

2:35

For more information about the planning commission, please call eight one three-two seven two five-nine four-zero.

2:45

Follow us on social media or visit our website at Planhillsborough.

3:20

Planning Commissioners should unmute themselves to indicate that they would like to speak to speak.

3:24

Please be sure to state your name at the beginning of your remarks for the benefit of the clerk.

3:35

Please wait until the chair calls on you to begin speaking.

3:38

State your name at the beginning of your comments and adhere to the time limits.org.

3:52

For action items, the meeting will be conducted as follows.

3:54

The agenda item will be introduced.

3:56

Staff will give their presentation with a fifteen-minute time limit.

3:58

The applicant will be given the opportunity to make a presentation with a fifteen-minute time limit.

4:02

Following presentations, members of the public may address the planning commission when recognized by the chair.

4:07

Public comment will be heard for three minutes per person.

4:10

The applicant will be afforded a three-minute period for rebuttal response.

4:13

Planning commissioners will ask questions.

4:15

Public comment will be closed, and upon a motion, a second and discussion of what will be taken.

4:19

That introduction, I'd like to ask Commissioner Sink to please lead us in invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.

4:36

During this month of June, as communities across the country recognize pride and my reminded that the places we plan and shape should reflect the dignity, safety and belonging of all people.

5:00

Let our discussions be guided by fairness, integrity, patience, and a shared commitment to build a stronger, more inclusive global value.

5:09

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

5:25

Thank you, Commissioner Sink.

5:28

All right.

5:29

Next up, I'll have the clerk please call role.

5:33

Bowden, Cardenas, Kona, Jemison, Kugler.

5:41

Here.

5:42

Lincos.

5:45

Lauk.

5:47

Seaben.

5:55

Oh.

5:56

Here.

5:57

Lincoln.

5:58

Seban stepped out for a moment, but she's here.

6:02

Sink.

6:03

Here.

6:05

Orton.

6:06

Renee Cayman sitting in from Michelle Orton today.

6:09

Tony Roderick S.

6:11

Here.

6:12

Chair Joseph.

6:13

Here.

6:13

You have a quorum, sir.

6:14

All right.

6:15

Thank you very much.

6:16

We are going to swap agenda items really quick because one of our planning commissioners had to step out, so we don't actually have the voting quorum just yet.

6:24

So we will start off with agenda item 4A.

6:28

It's a presentation that we do not have to take action on.

6:32

And for that will be urban expansion area planning study, I-4 corridor corridor, and Little Manatee South status update.

6:39

And the presenter will be Sophia Garantila.

6:49

There we go.

6:54

All right.

6:56

So again, uh, thank you, Commissioner Sophia Garantiva, Planning Commission staff here presenting a status update on the urban expansion area study for the Little Manatee South and I-4 corridor study areas.

7:08

So since our December update, uh existing conditions and the market analysis work has been completed for both study areas and public engagement efforts have continued.

7:19

There is a lot of information that I'm going to be going through that was taken from the technical reports, so I'll just be highlighting the key findings and takeaways.

7:28

And for those interested in reviewing the reports in a little bit more detail, they are available through the links provided in the agenda item summary.

7:36

And then before I get started, uh I think it's helpful to go ahead and briefly revisit how the study originated.

7:42

So this process started with the unincorporated Hillsborough County's future land use update, which updated the urban service area or USA growth management policies.

7:52

It was during that effort that staff noted projections indicated the policy of accommodating 80% new growth and redevelopment within the urban service area.

8:01

Excuse me, would be would not be met by 2050.

8:05

So this led to the board's uh 2030 uh 2023 uh direction for staff to identify areas for potential expansion of the USA.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Strategic Planning██████████████████████████26%
Urban Planning████████████████████20%
Zoning███████████████████19%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Procedural████████8%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████7%
Public Engagement█████5%
Personnel Matters███3%
Disability Rights██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Planning Commission Meeting: July 13, 2026 - Urban Expansion, Land Use Amendments, and Policy Updates

The Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission met on July 13, 2026, at 9:00 AM at the County Center in Tampa. The meeting covered a range of topics including an urban expansion area study update, land development code amendments for Temple Terrace, revisions to Planning Commission policies, a discussion on next steps for evaluating the urban service area, and briefings on several comprehensive plan map amendments.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of minutes from April 13, 2026 (regular meeting, unincorporated plan amendments hearing), and May 11, 2026 (regular meeting, City of Tampa plan amendments hearing, unincorporated plan amendments hearing). Approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Urban Expansion Area Study Update: Sophia Garantiva presented status updates for the Little Manatee South and I-4 corridor study areas. The study aims to provide recommendations on whether and where to expand the urban service area. Public engagement rounds are underway, with Round 1 complete and Round 2 beginning. Key findings include: Little Manatee South (10,213 acres) is predominantly agricultural with environmental sensitivity along rivers and creeks, no county water/wastewater service, and limited public facilities. The market shows demand for residential, office, industrial, and retail uses. The I-4 corridor (37,000 acres) has diverse land uses, good regional transportation access, and strong demand for industrial development. Public priorities for Little Manatee South were protecting natural resources (ranked #1) and maintaining agricultural land (#2). For I-4, maintaining agricultural land ranked #1, followed by protecting natural areas. Commissioner Sink requested future reports include rural vs. urban land use category ratios. Chair Joseph noted the importance of leveraging I-4 and interjurisdictional coordination with Plant City.
  • Temple Terrace Land Development Code Amendments: Two text amendments were presented.
    • Section 12-827 (Stormwater/Drainage Easements): Proposed revisions clarify owner responsibilities (mowing, vegetation control) and city access rights. Planning Commission staff found the amendment consistent with the Temple Terrace Comprehensive Plan. Approved unanimously.
    • Section 12-40 and 12-81 (Recovery Residences Reasonable Accommodations): Establishes a process for requesting accommodations for certified recovery residences under the Federal Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. Sets a 60-day review period for applications, with deemed approval if the city fails to meet the deadline. Staff found consistency with the comprehensive plan. Approved unanimously.
  • Revisions to Planning Commission Policies: Sean Collins presented revisions removing the diversity and contracting section due to state law changes, adding a small business enterprise focus, updating protected classes, and streamlining reporting. Approved unanimously.
  • Urban Service Area Options for Next Steps: Melissa Dickens presented timing and approach options for further evaluation of the urban service area. Timing options included: (A) following BOCC direction, (B) at this time, (C) following completion of UEA studies (early 2027). Approach options were: (A) facilitated discussions among commissioners to refine key issues, (B) stakeholder facilitation (focus groups/interviews) with developers, agricultural community, rural residents, (C) public participation workshop, (D) attending UEA community meetings. After debate, the commission voted to move forward with timing option B (at this time) and approach options A and B (commissioner facilitation followed by stakeholder facilitation), with the goal of first crystallizing issues through facilitated discussion before stakeholder outreach. The motion passed 6-0.

Briefings

  • HCCPA 26-02 & 26-03 (Williams Road/Bessie Dix Road): A large-scale map amendment to expand the urban service area (81.9 acres) and change land use from Residential-1 to Residential-2 and Residential-4. The site is north of I-4, east of Williams Road. Associated with the April 2026 cycle.
  • HCCPA 26-13 (2909 Durr Road): Small-scale amendment to change land use from Residential-1 to Residential-2 (1.12 acres). Would increase density from 1 to 2 dwelling units per acre.
  • HCCPA 26-14 (15640 Carleton Lake Road): Small-scale amendment from Agricultural-Rural 1-5 to Agricultural-Estate 1-2.5 (9.57 acres). Would increase density from 1 unit per 5 acres to 1 unit per 2.5 acres.
  • HCCPA 26-15 (1908 Front Street): Small-scale amendment from Residential-4 to Residential-12 (0.26 acres). Would increase potential from 1 to 3 dwelling units.
  • HCCPA 26-16 (12401 North 22nd Street): Small-scale amendment from Residential-20 to Residential-35 (13.83 acres, senior living facility). Would increase potential from 276 to 484 dwelling units, and non-residential square footage from ~451,000 to ~602,000.
  • HCCPA 26-18 (Causeway Boulevard Sub-area A): Large-scale public-initiated amendment from Residential-6 to Neighborhood Mixed Use-6 (73.12 acres), based on a 2024 FSU capstone study. No increase in allowed density (438 units maximum) but allows higher non-residential intensity (from ~796,000 to ~1,100,000 sq ft).

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Minutes from April and May 2026 meetings approved unanimously.
  • Temple Terrace LDC Amendments: Both found consistent with comprehensive plan and recommended to City Council. Approved unanimously.
  • Planning Commission Policy Revisions: Adopted unanimously to align with state law on DEI, add small business enterprise provisions, update protected classes, and streamline reporting.
  • Urban Service Area Next Steps: The commission directed staff to proceed with timing option B (at this time) and approaches A (commissioner facilitation) and B (stakeholder facilitation), with commissioner facilitation to occur first. Motion passed 6-0.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to a meeting of your planning commission, the official local planning agency for the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plan City, and unincorporated Hillsboro County. The Planning Commission provides innovative leadership and long-range vision that contributes to the creation of a thriving, prosperous community that offers opportunity, fairness, and choice in how we live, move, learn, work, and play. For more information about the planning commission, please call eight one three-two seven two five-nine four-zero. Follow us on social media or visit our website at Planhillsborough. Planning Commissioners should unmute themselves to indicate that they would like to speak to speak. Please be sure to state your name at the beginning of your remarks for the benefit of the clerk. Please wait until the chair calls on you to begin speaking. State your name at the beginning of your comments and adhere to the time limits.org. For action items, the meeting will be conducted as follows. The agenda item will be introduced. Staff will give their presentation with a fifteen-minute time limit. The applicant will be given the opportunity to make a presentation with a fifteen-minute time limit. Following presentations, members of the public may address the planning commission when recognized by the chair. Public comment will be heard for three minutes per person. The applicant will be afforded a three-minute period for rebuttal response. Planning commissioners will ask questions. Public comment will be closed, and upon a motion, a second and discussion of what will be taken. That introduction, I'd like to ask Commissioner Sink to please lead us in invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. During this month of June, as communities across the country recognize pride and my reminded that the places we plan and shape should reflect the dignity, safety and belonging of all people. Let our discussions be guided by fairness, integrity, patience, and a shared commitment to build a stronger, more inclusive global value. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Commissioner Sink. All right. Next up, I'll have the clerk please call role. Bowden, Cardenas, Kona, Jemison, Kugler. Here. Lincos. Lauk. Seaben. Oh. Here. Lincoln. Seban stepped out for a moment, but she's here. Sink. Here. Orton. Renee Cayman sitting in from Michelle Orton today. Tony Roderick S. Here. Chair Joseph. Here. You have a quorum, sir. All right. Thank you very much. We are going to swap agenda items really quick because one of our planning commissioners had to step out, so we don't actually have the voting quorum just yet. So we will start off with agenda item 4A. It's a presentation that we do not have to take action on. And for that will be urban expansion area planning study, I-4 corridor corridor, and Little Manatee South status update. And the presenter will be Sophia Garantila. There we go.

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