Lutz Citizens Coalition and the Hillsborough County Commissions roll over to the developers

An email from the President of the Lutz Citizen's Coalition:

Dear Coalition Members, and Lutz Friends,

 

At tonight's LCC meeting, we discussed why it is important for more people to learn the land development processes.

 

Well, how's this for an example?

 

While LCC members were being told by the County Planning Commission, at tonight's LCC meeting, about how important their input is to the County for long range land use planning, the BOCC was busy handing over even more keys to our County to developers.

 

The Commissioners quietly abrogated even more of their responsibilities today by passing a measure allowing developers to hire INDEPENDENT planners, etc., to sign off on projects stating that they meet all of the requirements (LDC, Comp Plan, and Community Plans). Who's going to be held accountable for those projects built only to find out that they DON'T meet those standards? The County? The developer? The independent planner? No one! And, once again, the community will be stuck with an inappropriately constructed or placed monstrosity.

 

REALLY? They just handed the regulatory process over to the developers too! Is this REALLY what we elected these Commissioners to do on our behalf? The vote was 6-0 to approve (Miller was not present). 6-0! Not one Commissioner is worth his or her weight in sand.

 

Next week, they will vote on a resolution to; a) reduce developer's fees by 60% for a year (shifting the estimated 12.4 MILLION dollar burden to the taxpayer), and  b) "streamline" the approval process for developers, making it easier to go straight through to construction.

 

Slowly but surely, the 31 pro-developer recommendations of the EPSC (Economic Prosperity Stakeholders Committee) are quietly being implemented, a few at a time. You know how to oil a frog?

 

If we all don't learn these processes and become involved, then NO ONE has any right to complain about the inappropriate projects (a mall, office building, pig farm, a 1,000+ student 180,000 sq/ft school, etc.,) that will be built in their quiet rural residential neighborhoods!! 

 

DO NOT EVER SAY THAT YOU WERE NEVER MADE AWARE OF WHAT IS GOING ON.

 

Anyone wishing to get involved, let me know. I, for one, have had enough.

 

Regards,

 

Mike White, President

Lutz Citizens Coalition

Gates High School will close.

As per the website, Gates Sr. High School will close (9th to 12 grade). The school was originally planned to be built on a site off Sunset Lane, next to Nye Park raising concerns about traffic and environmental impact. This is no longer going to occur. 

The Lutz Citizen's Coalition which fought the proposed location has stated in an email "we are CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, and are proceeding forward in all of our endeavors (Lawsuit, Public Records Requests, etc.). The letter is extremely vague about their future plans for the property on Sunset Lane." 

There is an article in the Lutz Community News on the closing. 

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Full text of letter from the Gates High School website: 

"Please be aware that this announcement only impacts the families of 9th and 10th grade students. While grades 7 and 8 met at the same physical location, they are not part of the GATES Senior High School charter. Grades 7 and 8 will continue to be held at the Florida Ave campus of Learning Gate Community School. 

Letter from GATES Chairman 

Dear GATES High School Parents, 
"It is with an extremely heavy heart that I am writing this email. When I accepted the opportunity to join the board of directors for GATES I felt that this was a difficult yet solvable problem. With the two schools working in cohesion together the resources and brain trust was available to help the schools grow, Learning Gates had been thriving for over 10 years and both schools had obtained high performing school status within Hillsborough County. I still feel as though we could have made it work but the obstacles that continued to be presented by the board of LGCS pushed us to far down the road. The failure to prepare for another property and lack of planning on behalf of the boards has put the schools in a position where there was not enough space to house the two schools without some modification. Having said that it is the determination that we are going to have to close the High School for the upcoming school year, which will cause the charter to be cancelled by Hillsborough County. 

Many of you have hung in there while we tried to figure out a possible solution and I am very grateful for your faith and support. Like you I am now forced to analyze my children’s schooling options. I also realize some of you have waited past the choice deadline and now have to scramble to find a school for your high schoolers, many of you will have questions and concerns that I will have limited experience in answering. What I am going to work on this week are resources to aid you in the transition. I will follow up this email with details as to what resources we can provide to help answer questions and direct you to any available resources. 

I wish all of you the best in the coming years and regret that we will not be able to fulfill the vision of the GATES High School. 

Respectfully, 

John Leaver 
Chair"