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Looking To The Future

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By ELIZABETH LEE BROWN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

CARROLLWOOD - A customized plan to guide the redevelopment of Carrollwood began Thursday with an introduction to the community-based planning process.

About 20 people attended the working committee's first in a series of meetings that will span 12 to 18 months to draft the Carrollwood Community Plan.

Most other communities in Hillsborough County have a community-based plan - a document that sets the area's visions and goals but also establishes architectural design standards and defines a main street or town center.

One of the county's first community plans was for the Keystone-Odessa area, and leaders of that community showed up to stress the importance of being invested in developing the plan.

"The community-based plan for Keystone is being challenged right now," said Tom Aderhold, president of the Keystone Civic Association. "The community-based plan we have is a wonderful protection for our area."

During the two-hour meeting at the Carrollwood Cultural Center annex, planners with the county's planning commission highlighted the survey results from a kickoff open house in December.

Residents said they would like to see more sidewalks, more recreation areas, bike trails and traffic calming. They also said Carrollwood is a nice place to live because it is safe, aesthetically pleasing, and close to shops, restaurants and good schools.

Some changes residents would like to see are improved roads, public transportation, and traffic management during rush hours, according to the survey results.

Many attending Thursday's meeting questioned the plan's study area, saying the boundary is too broad a definition for Carrollwood. The boundary includes parts of Northdale, Lake Magdalene and has a small area that juts down to Hillsborough Avenue.

Project manager Lisa Silva said part of the community planning exercise will be to define the Carrollwood area. Other community plans also have created regulations that address a region with more specific standards for special districts.

"It is purposely extra large, because it's easier to contract than to enlarge," she said.

For example, if an overlay district plan were in place along North Dale Mabry Highway, the recent redevelopment of Mission Bell plaza may have looked different, Silva said.

Planner Steve Griffin said the residents will create the document and develop the vision and goals. The final draft won't be forwarded for approval before building a community consensus.

"You have to have ownership of your community plan," he said. "We're not trying to make you into Brandon. We're not trying to make you into Town 'N Country and Thonotosassa. You are Carrollwood, and we want to reflect what Carrollwood is all about."

The group's next monthly meeting will be in February or early March.

Silva said they will try to hold future meetings at other venues to get a more diverse turnout.

Reporter Elizabeth Lee Brown can be reached at (813) 865-1502 or ebrown@tampatrib.com.

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