Former Charter School Land Still Up For Grabs In West Meadows

By Matt Wiley

As work continues on the Legacy at Highwoods Preserve assisted living facility along Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. in New Tampa, a big red sign decorates the land to its north at the intersection with New Tampa Blvd. in West Meadows

The 7.34-acre parcel of land (of which 2.5 acres) is being sold by the Tampa-based Eshenbaugh Land Company and has remained dormant for years, following a failed attempt to build a charter school on the site in 2012. Currently zoned for three, 2,500-sq.-ft. office or medical office buildings, Eshenbaugh broker Nancy Surak says that the corner is a prime piece of real estate.

“It’s a great location,” Surak says. “And, there’s already been some site work done,” including some retention ponds. Surak says that only 2.5 acres of the land is developable because the rest is conservation and wetlands. 

“We haven’t found the right buyer, yet,” Surak says. “We’ve had some verbal offers, but none have come to an agreement. One was an office developer.”

Surak says that she expects a lot more interest in the land once the Legacy opens in July and begins to fill up. The land currently is listed at $300,000.

Surak says that the city has indicated that it wouldn’t be impossible to rezone the land for a different use, but that it would be subject to the rezoning process and community approval, which has played a huge factor in the site’s development in the past.

In December 2011, the Hillsborough County School Board (HCSB) approved plans for 10 new charter schools in the District, one of which could have been built on the same land at the corner of Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. and New Tampa Blvd., which remains for sale. For the school to be built, the Tampa City Council would have had to grant a re-zoning permit for the Advantage Academy of Hillsborough Inc., a charter school company, to build the school. The land previously was zoned for multifamily housing or a church, but was rezoned for the Legacy project.

The plan was met with opposition from residents of Richmond Place and West Meadows who argued that a new school that would have the capacity for 1,000 students would create a “traffic nightmare” in the communities. West Meadows already is home to Dr. Harold H. Clark elementary, located on Wood Sage Dr. The plan was shot down by the Tampa City Council after more than four hours of debate and public comment.

For additional information about the available land, please visit TheDirtDog.com.