Community Corner
Citrus Park Village Now Separate From Northwest Community Plan in Hillsborough
County Commissioners agree new plan will allow for greater focus and detail in Citrus Park development.
The Board of County Commissioners agreed Monday that Citrus Park Village will be considered an individual entity and enjoy specific attention in community planning.
Until now, the 820 acres of Citrus Park Village was regarded as part of the Northwest Community Plan in Hillsborough County, which covers an area of about 35 square miles, bordered by the Veterans Expressway, the Pinellas County Line and the urban service boundary.
Community plans are updated every 10 years. The inception of the Citrus Park Village plan occurred after the Northwest Plan was complete, and guidelines for Citrus Park Village were previously included as a component.
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Melissa Zornitta, group leader for the county planning commission, said Citrus Park Village will no longer be responsible for following the Northwest Community Plan guidelines.
“The new plan will not affect them negatively,” Zornitta said. “The Northwest Plan predominately provided guidance about creating more neighborhood activity centers, having connected roadways, enhancing mobility and creating connected ecosystems. The Citrus Park Village Plan took those concepts to the next level.”
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The new plan will feature details regarding how roadway connections will be made, how buildings will be developed to create neighborhood activity centers, and what portions of the environment will be preserved.
The community was extremely active in the development of the Citrus Park Village Plan from as early as April of 2001, according to the planning commission.
“They didn’t want anything that was happening in the Northwest area to affect what they had previously worked so diligently on,” Zornitta said. “They are comfortable with these changes.”
Citrus Park Village boundary lines have not changed. The difference is the way community planning focus will be applied, not in geographic area or shape.
Should there be any concerns, they can be addressed either by contacting the planning commission or by attending the public hearing with the Board of County Commissioners Aug. 3.
For information about the Citrus Park Village Plan, please visit: The Planning Commission - Citrus Park Village Plan or call the planning commission at (813) 272-5940.
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