WIMAUMA, Fla. — More than 1,800 new homes are coming to the southern Hillsborough County community of Wimauma. Commissioners gave the go-ahead to developers for the major development on Tuesday.
The land being used is a former 900-plus acre sod farm. It’s located just south of State Road 674, the main east-west route through Wimauma.
It's about seven miles from where I-75 goes through the Wimauma area.
It comes as that part of Hillsborough County continues to see major growth. Wimauma was once a pretty rural community, and now, it is on the cusp of some big changes.
The 301 Wimauma LLC project will feature 1,800 homes, 180 of which will be affordable. Plus, a new school, community center, park, and village center.
Longtime Wimauma resident John Regan said his community is quickly changing. “This is only 1,800 homes. We’re estimating 10,000 homes over the next seven years,” he explained.
He’s part of a Wimauma task force aimed at ensuring development is beneficial for all residents.
Regan is excited about the development and the benefits it will bring, but he wonders if his community’s infrastructure is truly ready for it.
“It will cause some additional gridlock which we already have, so we are asking the county commissioners who will be getting money from impact fees to use this money to improve community infrastructure,” he added.
It comes as county leaders lift a two-year moratorium on new development in the area. ABC Action News pressed Hillsborough County leaders to find out what’s been done since. One big focus of their investment: increasing water pressure with new lift and pump stations and adding more potable water transmission. Increasing fire service is another focus.
“We have a new, three-bay station located at 674 and 579 in the heart of Wimauma. To the west, we have station 28, which serves Sun City Center but also assists with coverage in Wimauma. We will soon begin construction of a new station 47 which will be Sun City North, on 301 North and Ayersworth Glen Boulevard, which will aid in the fire response to Wimauma. To the south, we have station 8, located off Lightfoot Road, west of 301. We have a proposed station in our Master Plan near the area of Balm. Finally, we are working on a land acquisition at the entrance of Berry Bay in Wimauma for a potential future station location,” county leaders said in an email.
As for the issues with water pressure, county leaders tell ABC Action News, “The County is about one year from completing our large potable water transmission main project from Balm to Wimauma. Once completed, the total project cost will be $100M+, so it is a significant contribution to the potable system. There are some other projects we are coordinating/completing with Tampa Bay Water, but they are a few more years out. In regards to utilities, the County has increased water pressure through two capital improvement programs that were implemented: County Potable Water Repump Station Expansion and Potable Water In-Line Booster Pump Station.”
Still, county leaders themselves expressed doubts in Tuesday’s commission meeting.
“We’re in a tough spot here with public safety, schools and infrastructure in south county,” Commissioner Michael Owens elaborated during the meeting.
Another component is traffic, which often backs up on I-75 and US 301. Those issues will be up to FDOT to fix.
“All of us are in traffic jams no matter where you go,” said Don Hamilton, who lives in Wimauma.
Even with those concerns, county commissioners gave the large-scale project the go-ahead, turning sod farms into subdivisions as more people call the Tampa Bay area home.
“We know there’s going to be new development, so we’d like it to be controlled and we’d like to get community benefits out of it,” Regan explained.
There isn’t a timeline yet for when the 1,800 homes will be built, but the developer tells county leaders they will continue working with the community as this project comes together.
The project won’t just focus on homes. Here’s what Hillsborough County leaders say it will entail:
- A multi-use trail
- A 12.5-acre park that is privately owned and maintained but publicly accessible
- Provide at least 10% of the total units developed as affordable housing
- Provide a public school site for a K through fifth-grade school with a maximum of 1,000 students
- Provide an additional 12.72 acres of internal open space
- Construct a minimum of 22,881.6 square feet of permitted uses (which could include childcare facilities, religious institutions, flexible market space, and government/public service uses) within one or more of the project’s neighborhood centers
