Victory for Now

Hillsborough County Commissioners voted 6-0 yesterday to deny a developer's application to waive the rules for building on the commercial parcel next to us. The developer can come back with another proposal for the property or, as its lawyer threatened, sue the county.

But, for now, we win.

While sympathetic to the Barclay Group's right to develop the property (as were we in our presentation), commissioners heard from us a now common thought among their constituents: People want development that does more than make their communities another in the long line of strip malls that populate too much of our state.

We also tried to impress on commissioners that the unusual proximity between the commercial development and ours meant that the developer had an obligation to build something that was compatible with hundreds of homes so close by.

Commissioners seemed open to changing the Riverview Uptown Overlay District that rules what developers can build in the 4-acre plot next to us, and we'll need to stay involved in any process that could alter the overlay district, and to see what the developers come back with.

This will be one topic of discussion when we have our next HOA meeting next Tuesday, January 22, at the usual location. Time is 7 p.m. Map to the location is below.

River of Life Christian Center
6605 Krycul Avenue
Riverview, FL 33569


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Commercial Development - Your Help Needed

Help us. And help yourself, your quality of life, and your property values.

Regarding the commercial development at the entryway to our community, it the County's Development Services Department supports the developer's request to waive a number of the design rules for the parcel.

The County's Planning Services Commission opposes the request.

The difference could come down to you when Hillsborough County Commissioners hold a hearing this coming Tuesday, January 15, and decide whether to grant the developer's request.

Please call your County Commissioners and let them know you object to PRS 12-0600 and that you support the Riverview Uptown Overlay District. 

 Al Higginbotham - 813 -272-5740 (Our District Representative)
Kevin Beckner - 813-272-5730 (Countywide)
Mark Sharpe - 813-272-5735 (Countywide)
Ken Hagen - 813-272-5725 (Countywide)
Les Miller - 813-272-5720
Victor Crist - 813-272-5452
Sandra Murman - 813-272-5470

You can also write a letter to County Commissioners asking them to reject the application. Send it to the planner with Hillsborough County Development Services that is leading the review of this application. Her name is Isabelle Albert. Her email is AlbertI@hillsboroughcounty.org.  Again, be sure to refer to application number is PRS 12-0600.

If you want details about the developer's plans, and why they're bad for St. Charles Place, find background here, as well as a copy of the letter I wrote to commissioners. Read more details on this page.

Strategy Session Tuesday

Several HOA board members (perhaps all of them) will meet at the pool area Tuesday, Janauary 8, at 7 p.m. to plan our approach to convincing county commissioners to deny a waiver of development rules for the parcel of land next to our property.

If you live in the community, you are welcome to attend, even if you cannot appear at the hearing itself, which happens at the county building in Tampa the following Tuesday, January 15.

The board believes that granting the waiver for developers of the land between Dartmouth Hill Road and US-301 would do great harm to our community. We believe the rules in place (the Riverview Uptown Overlay District, if you want to do some research on it, or just look through previous entries on the blog here for details) allow the developer plenty of latitude to develop the land in a way that honors its right to develop it, while protecting the rights of the people who have to live in very close proximity to it.

We have some ideas already on a multi-pronged strategy that will illustrate our story for commissioners. But if you have something to add, even if it's simple silent support, please join us.