At our October Planning Commission meeting, Cody Powell, took his oath of office representing Hillsborough County. He is a licensed broker and Vice President of Powell Realty. He has previously served on the Hillsborough County Land Use Appeals Board and is currently a Board Member on the American Cancer Society’s Associate Board of Ambassadors.
At our November meeting, Jennifer Willman took her oath of office. Appointed by the City of Tampa, she has professional experience in community planning, urban redevelopment, land use policy, land development regulations, multi-modal transportation planning, transit oriented development, community redevelopment areas, and public engagement. She is also President of the Palmetto Beach Community Association.
Elections were also held at the November Planning Commission meeting. Congratulations to our new officers: Chair – Mitch Thrower | Vice Chair – Jacqueline Wilds | Member-at-Large – Nigel Joseph.
Industrial lands were a hot topic at the November 19 Planning Commission Meeting. Trends and changes in the industrial market are an indicator of how the industrial market plays into economic development. Today, about 63% of industrial land holdings are in Unincorporated Hillsborough County. The City of Tampa and Plant City hold 21% and 15% of industrial lands respectively. Temple Terrace recently created this land use category in 2015, with only 85 acres accounting for less than 1% of industrial lands countywide.
Dr. Scott Paine on The HADOC Method for more productive discussion on polarizing issues
Florida League of Cities’ Director of Leadership, Development & Education, Dr. Scott Paine, took a deep dive into the difficult subject of finding common ground in a polarized world at our November 29 Info BBQ. His presentation highlighted these important guidelines:
Hear | Accept | Depersonalize | Own | Care Watch the presentation video. Read more about The HADOC Method in the Florida Leagues of Cities’ publication of Quality Cities (QC) Magazine, November/December 2018 issue on pages 14-16.
Sulphur Springs K-8 scores Safe Routes to School sidewalk grant
The Florida Department of Transportation has awarded a Safe Routes to School grant of $264,000 to Sulphur Springs K-8 Community School to fund construction of new sidewalks. “The grant is a wonderful example of the collaboration among the school district, City of Tampa, MPO, and FDOT to increase bike and pedestrian safety for both our students and the community as a whole,” said Amber Dickerson, AICP, MPO TAC Member and Manager of Planning and Siting for Hillsborough County Public Schools. “These safety upgrades will benefit students and families that principally rely on walking and bicycling for transportation, which ties back to one of our critical missions.” Data from the City of Tampa and School District was used to prioritize schools for the MPO School Safety Study and the grant application. Project design is slated for FY2020, with construction commencing in FY2023.
Weigh in on FDOT’s Tentative Work Program at Open House or Online Public Hearing
The Five-Year Work Program is FDOT’s plan for transportation system improvements programmed during the next five years including planning activities, preliminary engineering, right of way acquisition, construction and public transportation projects planned by FDOT and the Florida Turnpike Enterprise. The new Tentative Work Program includes funding for quite a few projects adopted as priorities by the MPO at a public hearing last June. See our December 12 Policy Committee agenda packet for an overview of newly funded projects!
Online Public Hearing: Beginning Monday, December 17 through Monday, December 31, you will be able to view the Tentative Five-Year Work Program documents, presentations, maps and submit your comments online at D7wpph.com.
Prefer to view plans and comment in person? Attend FDOT’s Open House from 9a – 6p on Thursday, December 20 at their District 7 office, located at 11201 N McKinley Drive in Tampa.
hillsborough river planning
River Board welcomes new member from Hillsborough County
In November, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) appointed Commissioner Stacy White to the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board. From 2010-2014, he served on the Hillsborough County School Board for the eighth largest school district in the nation. Elected to the BOCC in 2014, Commissioner White has served as Chaplain in 2015, 2017, and 2018, and as BOCC Chairman in 2016.
Join the Vision Zero Hillsborough Coalition, for a safety awareness event on Saturday, December 15, 10a – noon, at Cleveland Elementary School at 723 E Hamilton Avenue in Tampa. We’ll be painting a mural designed by a Cleveland Elementary School student on the street in front of the school. Refreshments and painting supplies will be provided.
Safe Routes to School National Conference & Gulf Coast Safe Streets Summit teaming up in Tampa November 2019
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what is plan hillsborough?
Plan Hillsborough provides value-added planning services through a diverse team of professionals working towards a thriving future for Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City, and Hillsborough County, and provides staff to the:
Promotes, coordinates, collaborates with, and facilitates the involvement of all people in comprehensive planning and visioning to improve economic development opportunities and quality of life in our community.
A long-range transportation policy-making board made up of local government and transportation agency representatives planning for more than $1.5 billion in state and federally funded multi-modal transportation investments in the first 5 years of each 20+ year plan.
Responsible for promoting collaborative planning, regulation, and development along the river corridor while ensuring the environmental health of the river running through Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa and Temple Terrace.
In accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other
nondiscrimination laws, public participation is solicited without regard
to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status.
Read more about our commitment to non-discrimination and other requirements.
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