TAMPA, Fla. — In the neighborhood of Twelve Oaks in Town ‘n’ Country, there are about 10 acres of green space. Developers from Maq Sports Club, LLC and Maq Isle Community, LLC hope to build there. Residents are fighting it.
What You Need To Know
- Residents of the Twelve Oaks subdivision in the Town 'n' Country area of Tampa are fighting developers that want to build on a 10-acre green space
- The green space used to be a landfill that was used for all sorts of waste
- Hillsborough County Commissioners approved of the development as long as the landfill is cleared and there is regular environmental monitoring
- Twelve Oaks Civic Association leader Susan Pritchard has launched a petition against the development
“We want them not to build, it’s pretty simple,” said Susan Pritchard, head of the Twelve Oaks Civic Association. “We don’t want to disturb the area. Just leave it alone.”
The property begins at the corner of Soccer Avenue and Armand Drive. Pritchard said the biggest problem with building there is underground. It used to be the Barry Road Landfill. And when the landfill was active, all sorts of waste was dumped there.
“There’s so much under that soil that we have no idea,” Pritchard said. “They’re going to throw it in the air and it’s going to get everywhere.”
In February, Pritchard and dozens of her neighbors took a chartered bus to the zoning hearing at the Hillsborough County Center. They shared their concerns with the Zoning Hearing Officer.
A consultant for the developer was there as well. Consultant Todd Pressman said the developer agreed to remove the waste that is underground on their property.
“Folks have to decide one or two things,” Pressman said. “Do they want to continue living next to a landfill that could leak or have gas or have problems? I don’t have expertise with it. Or do you want it to be removed? They have to decide one or the other.”
The problem is that the landfill goes beyond their property and underneath the county’s road.
“This is what they’re not going to be digging out, and we’re very concerned that leaving it will cause problems and be a hazard to the local watershed,” Pritchard said.
County staff conducted their own analysis of the project. They approved of the development as long as the landfill is cleared and there is regular environmental monitoring. The zoning officer will soon make her recommendation to the Hillsborough County Commission. The commission will take up the issue on May 9.
Meanwhile, Pritchard has launched a petition against the development. Next month, she’ll take another busload of residents downtown to urge county commissioners to leave the former landfill alone.