By Matt Wiley
Homebuilder/developer M/I Homes has spent months preparing a new Development Order (DO) to add more than a thousand additional homes to the K-Bar Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI) in northeast New Tampa, and after two continuances, representatives finally have set a date to present their case to the Tampa City Council on Thursday, July 23, 6 p.m.
During the City Council meeting on June 11, M/I Homes representative Scott Steady asked Council members for a little more time to iron out some final details of the rezoning that will allow for the construction of an additional mix of 1,400 single-family homes, condos and townhouses, as well as 20,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and nearly 60 acres of land for a city park. The company applied for the rezoning in December of 2014.
“The Development Order we’re working on, we’re real close,” Steady said at the June 11 meeting. “We should be able to finish in the next couple of weeks.”
Steady requested that the rezoning hearing be rescheduled for June 25, but the agenda for that meeting already was loaded with public hearings about alcohol permits, which typically are a slow process. Several residents of the K-Bar community who attended the June 11 hearing (to voice concerns about the rezoning) opposed holding the hearing that soon, including Cyndi Dyson of Easton Park.
“We have a petition out there on Change.org and there have been a lot of neighbors that have emailed this Council about this request for a rezoning application by M/I Homes,” Dyson said at the meeting. “There are many concerns that (residents of) Easton Park have that M/I Homes has not addressed and we’d request a continuance to July so you have more time to hear from the neighborhood.”
Several other K-Bar residents voiced their support of the continuance, agreeing with Dyson that it would give the Council time to hear from more residents about the impact the rezoning could have on the community and so it would be less rushed.
According to the petition (which had 351 signatures at our press time), some residents believe that the infrastructure in the community’s existing five neighborhoods needs to be updated before more growth should be allowed.
For example, the petition says that Bassett Creek Dr. is the only way in and out of the Bassett Creek neighborhood and increased traffic from construction vehicles during development could put the safety of children at risk, especially those near Richard F. Pride Elementary, located nearby on Lions Den Dr.
The petition draws attention to the fact that connections of the future east-west K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. are scheduled for too far into the future to have anything but a negative effect on the K-Bar Ranch DRI and the quality of life of the residents.
A western connection at Kinnan St. isn’t expected until after more development begins and an eastern connection at Morris Bridge Rd. isn’t scheduled until 2020. Petition signers want a Kinnan St. connection first before more homes are built, in order to provide some traffic relief.
The petition also cites concerns about noise and other types of pollution during construction and concerns about schools becoming overcrowded as more families move into the communities.
According M/I Homes’ pending DO, more development comes with transportation requirements that must be met as those new homes are constructed. The DO does take into account whether or not Pasco County comes to an agreement with the City of Tampa and M/I about connecting Kinnan St. to Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe to the north (on the west side of K-Bar) and extending Meadow Pointe Blvd. south to K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. (on the east side). Once the developer gets to certain numbers of building permits, if the required improvements aren’t met or under construction, the DO says development will have to come to a halt.
What do you think about the potential K-Bar rezoning? Let the City Council know at the public hearing at Tampa City Hall (306 E. Jackson St.) in downtown Tampa on July 23 at 6 p.m.
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