Van Dyke Rd Hayfield - Call to Action!
- Jul 21
- 6 min read
Keystone,
This land use update is going to deal with one development: the hayfield at Van Dyke Rd and Tobacco Rd.
Grab some wine, kids, because this is a long read. But a very important call to action!
HC/CPA 25-11 and HC/CPA 25-12 are intertwined and seek to expand the urban service area into our rural service area to allow densities not allowed in Keystone.
This proposed development of up to 153 townhomes by D.R. Horton goes against the Keystone-Odessa Community Plan.
On July 14th, 2025 Planning Commission staff found the proposed requests inconsistent with the Unincorporated Hillsborough County Comprehensive Plan.
Here is a link to the Fox News story:
https://www.fox13news.com/news/hillsborough-county-neighbors-push-back-plans-more-than-150-townhomes
Here is a link to watch the July 14th meeting:
There is also a major modification application (25-0808) that will only be addressed IF HC/CPA 25-11 and HC/CPA 25-12 are approved. This hearing is scheduled for 8-18-25.
As you recall last year, there was a Live Local application to build 4 story townhomes on the hayfield. This Live Local application included the already built office across from the hayfield on Tobacco Rd.
There was community outrage with this proposal and the application was pulled.
There are approximately 376 pages of documentation from the planning staff that explains why HC/CPA 25-11 and HC/CPA 25-12 are inconsistent.
I am going to address just a few. If you don’t live in Van Dyke Farms or off Tobacco Rd and don’t think this development affects you, here are the reasons why it does……
Rule of thumb is the Suncoast is the divide between Keystone and Lutz. Lutz borders the other side of the Suncoast. Now anyone who watches the news understands what a border is but the attorney for the owner insists the hayfield is not really rural Keystone. They point out Lake Carlton Arms as a compatible property. The proposed amendment would introduce densities and intensities that are not compatible with the adjacent large lot rural residential homes as well as greatly increase the density in a community developed with rural standards and characteristics.
Traffic: Based on the traffic analysis and information provided by the applicant and the Planning Commission, there is not adequate capacity to accommodate the additional generated trips. This assumes that all the 2045 Cost Feasible improvements will be constructed.
This increase in traffic affects ALL who travel Van Dyke Rd. It affects Cheval West who use Ramblewood Rd to access Van Dyke Rd, it affects those using the Suncoast and as a reminder, we have a state of the art hospital with St Joe’s North on Van Dyke Rd. Traffic congestion significantly impacts ambulance response times.
For those of you who live in Van Dyke Farms, this project driveway is proposed to have a right-in/right-out access to Van Dyke Road. Currently when you exit Van Dyke Farms and want to continue east on Van Dyke Rd, you have move over a lane so you don’t end up on the Suncoast. So now you will not only be looking to your left for traffic to move over, but there is also a new driveway just yards from your entrance that you have to watch for folks entering and exiting. Sound safe?
Fire Rescue Department: The proposed changes to this land would have an impact on HCFR as additional dwellings would increase call volumes and response which could require the department to add an additional unit (Rescue/Ambulance) to the Van Dyke Road Fire Station 34.
Are there plans for another Fire Station to be built by this developer? Nope. So if your house is on fire, do you want to wait on a longer response time for help to arrive?
School Capacity: Most families with kids move to an area based on schools. Overdevelopment puts schools over capacity. In this case, Steinbrenner High School.
Does that mean the developer will build a new school? Nope.
The way Tallahassee wrote the bill, it doesn’t matter if there are no seats at local schools where a developer wants to put in a subdivision as long as there is a seat anywhere in the school district. Obviously that doesn’t make sense so someone’s gonna have to be shifted to a different school. Well guess what? The law also states that the new kids are not allowed to be sent to a different area. The existing students must be moved to a different school. A developer just has to write a check based on a formula of how much per student the existing school will be over capacity if you allow them to build the new subdivision and then the school board puts it into an account that is supposedly not able to be spent. As of the last report there is $95 million sitting in that account.
The purpose of the County's Hazard Mitigation Plan, more commonly called the Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS) in Florida communities, is to reduce death, injuries, and property losses caused by natural hazards in Hillsborough County.
The LMS Plan identifies hazards based on the history of disasters within the county and lists goals, directives, strategies, and actions for reducing future losses. Implementation of planned, pre-identified, and cost-effective mitigation measures not only helps to reduce losses to lives, property, and the environment but it also streamlines the disaster recovery process.
The proposed amendment does not align with the objectives outlined in the Hillsborough County Local Mitigation Strategy (LMS), specifically:
Improved Built Environment (Housing, Commercial Facilities, and Infrastructure) – Provide guidance on activities that improve levels of service through risk assessments, assess benefits of development/retrofits in low-risk areas, and consider higher standards.
Improved Natural Environment (Land, Vegetation, Animals) – Provide guidance on activities that promote natural and beneficial functions of floodplains, consider natural protection measures, and support healthy air and water quality for people and animals.
A portion of this site contains wetlands and a portion of the site is in Flood Zone AE which indicates a 100 year floodplain.
The build up needed for up to 153 townhomes with potential of commercial along with needed paved parking would be catastrophic to the neighboring homes surrounding this property with an average thunderstorm. The county is still recovering from flooding from last year's hurricanes.
Cost to taxpayers: The Suncoast Expansion from 52 to Van Dyke Rd is projected to cost $103 million. The Van Dyke Rd expansion of 4 lanes and two roundabouts for a less than 3 ½ mile portion is $139 million. A County Improvement Project (CIP 69684198) for Tobacco Rd major resurfacing is still on the books. Last year this project ballooned to $6,687,039. Tobacco Road Culvert repair (CIP 46142908) at $309,000.
Urban expansion into Keystone-Odessa goes against not only our Keystone-Odessa community plan but our way of life.
This urban expansion undermines the peaceful and harmonious community that generations of Keystone-Odessa families have worked hard to build and robs us of our precious resources.
On August 14th, the Board of County Commissioners will hold a public hearing to approve or deny HC/CPA 25-11 and HC/CPA 25-12.
We need to fill up the BOCC (and their aides!) emails with letters of opposition and we need to also call each and every commissioner multiple times to ask they deny these applications. We need the community to show up at this August 14th hearing; both in person and remotely.
Subject of email is Deny HC/CPA 25-11 and HC/CPA 25-12
Commissioner Harry Cohen (District 1) CohenH@hillsboroughcounty.org
(813) 272-5470
Della Cury (Legislative Aide) CuryD@HillsboroughCounty.ORG
Lidia Manresa (Legislative Aide) ManresaL@hillsboroughcounty.org
Commissioner Ken Hagan (District 2) HaganK@HillsboroughCounty.ORG
(813) 272-5452
Rich Reidy (Legislative Aid) ReidyR@hillsboroughcounty.org
Glory Burgos (Legislative Aide) BurgosG@hillsboroughcounty.org
Commissioner Gwen Myers (District 3) MyersG@hillsboroughcounty.org
(813) 272-5720
Wanda West (Legislative Aide) westw@hillsboroughCounty.Org
Commissioner Christine Miller (District 4) MillerC@hillsboroughcounty.org
(813) 272-5740
Casaundra Marion (Legislative Aide) marionc@hillsboroughcounty.org
Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda (District 5) CameronD@hillsboroughcounty.org
(813) 272-5725
Melonie F. Hoyt (Legislative Aide ) HoytM@hillsboroughcounty.org
Isabella Rose Pike (Legislative Aide) PikeI@hillsboroughcounty.orgCommissioner Chris Boles (District 6) BolesC@hillsboroughcounty.org
(813) 272-5730
Kathleen Yates (Legislative Aide) YatesK@hillsboroughcounty.org
Alana Skidmore (Legislative Aide) SkidmoreA@hillsboroughCounty.ORGCommissioner Joshua Wostal (District 7) WostalJ@hillsboroughcounty.org
(813) 272-5735
Maria Castillo (Legislative Aide) CastilloM@hillsboroughcounty.org
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