Testing Grounds The latest industry being outsourced to India is clinical drug trials. And any number of tragic things can happen on the way to your medicine cabinet.
Friday Night Rewind It doesn't matter which team you cheer for. We've got video previews of every high school football program in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando County.
LITHIA — County officials have proposed changes to the land development code, which they say will promote better roads in rural developments.
If approved by county commissioners in the coming months, the proposals will also require stricter development standards in what are known as unimproved subdivisions.
Earlier this week, Hillsborough growth and development director Peter Aluotto spoke to residents at Newsome High School about how some proposals could affect them. Aluotto and Bob Campbell, the county's transportation director, have held similar meetings in Lutz and Plant City.
With more than 20 revisions to the code, Aluotto focused on a few he said would most affect residents in eastern Hillsborough.
One change will require those who want to subdivide rural tracts to build adequate road access and right of way, and also make necessary drainage improvements and provide solid waste service before the subdivision can be approved.
In the past five years, 244 such subdivisions totaling 2,788 acres have been approved, Aluotto said. That equals 1,115 lots with an average size of 2 1/2 acres.
And what results from these developments are a hodgepodge of poorly kept roads that don't connect to each other, he explained. That ultimately forces traffic to squeeze onto a few overloaded roads.
"Brandon would not be in the shape it's in (if more roads connected)," Aluotto said.
Another revision will require those who want to build homes in areas platted years ago, where there are no access routes, to apply for a connection permit to existing county roads. These permits will allow individuals to build a road sufficient for residents and emergency vehicles.
Residents who buy land in these areas will also be required to sign an affidavit stating they know a home is being built on a road with no county right of way.
"We get at least 200 calls a year from people asking, 'When are you going to pave my road?' " Aluotto said. "This will help us to stem that tide of calls."
He added that residents can come back later and request a road at their cost.
The proposed amendments must be approved by county commissioners. Public hearings on the changes will be held Oct. 16 and Nov. 13.
Chandra Broadwater can be reached at cbroadwater@sptimes.com or 661-2454.
[Last modified: Sep 18, 2008 11:50 AM]
Subscribe to the Times
Click here for daily delivery
of the St. Petersburg Times.
News
