Posted on 12/30/2004 1:49:36 PM PST by nickcarraway
RUSKIN - Mangrove marshes and wetlands rise gently to upland hammocks of live oak and pine in this wilderness area along the tidal flats of the Little Manatee River. Many Ruskin residents say the 167-acre tract is a natural wonder and should remain so. But without a lot of money and a little luck, the land is fated to be just another wild place leveled by bulldozers in Hillsborough County.
Little Manatee Bay Associates, a Fort Myers-based development company, wants to rezone the property in the Bahia Beach area for up to 538 single- and multifamily homes and up to 50,000 square feet of commercial space. The rezoning is slated to be heard Feb. 7 by the Hillsborough Planning Commission.
Hillsborough County conservation specialists agree with residents that the land should be preserved, and the county's land acquisition agent is putting it on his wish list. However, escalating land values, especially for waterfront property, may put the purchase price out of reach.
``It's a piece of property we'd like to see preserved. It has environmental as well as recreation potential,'' said Kurt Gremley, acquisition manager for the county's Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program.
``But in this market it's tough to buy real estate and easy to sell,'' he added.
County records show Little Manatee Associates paid $4.6 million for the property, which breaks down to almost $28,000 an acre. Gremley said the county has purchased property in the past that was more expensive.
``That [price] would not make it a prohibitive project,'' Gremley said.
Richard McGinniss, general manager for Little Manatee Bay Associates, said he could not comment on whether the owners would consider selling the property to the county.
Forming Wildlife Corridor
The county is interested in the property as a wildlife corridor. Otters, bobcats, foxes, skunks, ospreys and hawks make their home there. Gopher tortoises, which the state is expected to designate as a threatened species next year, have also been seen.
Plus, the land would connect county-owned E.G. Simmons Park and a county wildlife preserve to the north, with the river. The county also owns the islands offshore from the land.
``It's kind of the missing puzzle piece in terms of a corridor from Wolf Branch Creek to the mouth of Cockroach Bay,'' said Forest Turbiville, environmental supervisor in the county Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department.
Residents who oppose the development want the county commission to hold off on the rezoning until Ruskin's community plan is adopted, probably in May. Bruce Marsh, who helped draw up the community plan, said it calls for low- density, single-family homes in the area. Commercial development would be confined to downtown Ruskin, 2.5 miles from this tract, not spread out along the river.
``The rezoning would also violate the objectives of preserving our natural resources,'' Marsh said, ``and of dedicating as much waterfront as possible to low-impact public access, such as trails and small parks.''
McGinniss, Little Manatee's general manager, said the company plans on setting aside a third of the property for a nature and wildlife preserve. Home sites would be environmentally friendly, he said, by limiting turf area and planting native vegetation.
The company is taking its inspiration from St. Joe Co.'s WaterColor residential and resort community in Walton County. McGinniss said Little Manatee's homes will be neotraditional in style, with parking in the rear and front porches near the sidewalk.
``We think we're raising the bar for single-family homes in Ruskin,'' he said.
Community Meeting Ahead
McGinniss complained that opponents of the development are operating on misinformation. For one thing, the company doesn't plan to build 538 housing units and 58,000 square feet of commercial space. It would be some combination of the two, he said. The developers are actually giving up 200,000 square feet of potential commercial space they are entitled to under current zoning, he said.
McGinniss said he plans to hold community meetings next month to explain the company's plans.
``Hopefully when they see what we're going to do, their concerns will be assuaged,'' he said. ``We've actually taken into consideration a lot of the principles that they've articulated.''
County Commission Chairman Jim Norman said he supports community planning. But Norman said the commission can't impose a moratorium on development just because a community plan is pending. That wasn't done, he said, with the 14 plans that have been adopted in the six years since the county started encouraging residents to chart the direction of growth.
``We've discussed moratoriums here before, and the board was not inclined to support that,'' said Norman, a self- described ``property rights person.''
Commissioner Kathy Castor, who represents the Ruskin area, said she broached the idea of postponing rezonings in Ruskin until the plan was adopted, but her fellow board members weren't interested.
Castor said she is concerned about the helter-skelter pace of development in Ruskin, a community once more renowned for tomatoes than for rapid growth.
``It's a lovely area with a lot of character, and some of the development going in there has very little character,'' Castor said. ``I think the county and the developers can do a much better job of quality development than cramming houses in there.''
Meanwhile, environmental groups said they would prefer that the county buy the land and preserve it.
``This land should be maintained as a natural filter and buffer for the watershed, instead of being developed to add polluting runoff to our river and bay,'' said Mariella Smith, a Ruskin resident and Sierra Club member.
538 single- and multifamily homes AND 50,000 square feet of commercial space, on 167 measley acres?? Must be high rise condos. The way this article is written you'd think they were planning on paving Yellowstone. Sheesh. They need to get a grip.
How often do you have to explain to these people?
You want it to remain wild?
Then YOU buy it and leave it that way.
Wonder if your heirs will also?
Now I understand what they mean by "tidal flats"..
This area is a tributary runoff to the larger Tampa Bay.
Just looking at the map I can tell it is regularly flooded during wet weather..
Anyone that would build there is after money and nothing else..
Anyone that would buy something (anything) built there should be considered a fool..
Out here in Missouri ( and probably there in Texas as well ) this would be referred to as a "flood plain"...
More and more, such flood plains are being placed in the "uninsurable" category for property owners and home builders..
As much as I hate to sound like a "tree hugger", I think they are right in this instance..
Leave these tidal flats as park land, a safeguard against erosion, and a natural pollution scrubber..
It appears to be one of the few natural areas left around the bay area..
Everything around it is already built up, paved, and "urbanized"..
Let the Buyer Beware..
BTTT!!!!!!
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