1. Planning & Growth Management Department Consolidations and Closures

By: Charner Reese, Principal Planner

Brownfields are real property for which the expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by actual or perceived environmental contamination. These properties are usually abandoned or idled industrial or commercial sites.

Brownfields that are not rehabilitated by environmental remediation are an inefficient economic use of land and can contribute to community decline and blight, as well as result in premature expansion of urban development (urban sprawl). These areas are also a potential hazard to public health.

Therefore, it is in Hillsborough County’s economic, environmental and community interest to facilitate the environmental remediation and re-use of Brownfield sites.

In May 1999, the Board of County Commissioners established the Brownfields Community Redevelopment Program.  A brochure is available online which provides an overview of the program.
 
In compliance with the Florida Brownfields Redevelopment Act, Hillsborough County’s Brownfields program includes a Brownfield Area site designation process.  In addition, the County administers a Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund (BCRLF) through grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  These funds are available as sub-grants and loans to assist landowners with site cleanup.

To date, nine sites totaling 273.4 acres have been designated as Brownfield Areas in unincorporated Hillsborough County (see the location map of designated brownfields).  Of those, two sites totaling 76.8 acres (Walmart/Buckley-Shuler and Robbins Manufacturing) have been cleaned up since the program began.

Hillsborough County’s Brownfields program has spent $661,077 in BCRLF sub-grants and loans to clean up two Brownfield sites within the City of Tampa: a former tuberculosis hospital on Tampa Bay Boulevard and a former landfill near Spruce Street.  By the end of 2010, the program is expected to spend another $448,924 in revolving loan funds to complete remediation at the former landfill site.

2. Hillsborough County Web Site Offers Info On All-Things Chinese Drywall

Residents concerned about problems associated with Chinese drywall found in some homes can view a new online portal of resources on the County’s website. It includes links to federal and state agencies handling investigations and findings, information regarding tax breaks offered by the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Office, and recent news coverage about Chinese drywall.
 
The Web site also lists resources offered by the Planning & Growth Management Department. Expedited permits and inspections will be granted for those associated with the replacement of Chinese drywall. To make this request, a contractor may call 813-635-7300.

In addition, in an effort to reduce displacement from their community, residents whose homes are being remediated due to Chinese drywall problems may be eligible to install a temporary mobile home on their lot while work is in progress. To learn more about eligibility requirements or for application assistance, residents may contact a zoning counselor at 813-307-4739.

This online portal of resources is an initiative of Hillsborough County Commission Chair Ken Hagan.