April 2021 – At their March 4 and April 7 public hearings, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) heard from the community and approved the moratorium extension prohibiting new rezoning applications in the Residential Planned-2 (RP-2) and Wimauma Village Residential-2 (WVR-2) land use categories in the Balm and Wimauma Community Planning Areas. This extension is partially necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The moratorium is now set to expire on December 31, 2021 and allows for additional public outreach and engagement to occur surrounding the RP-2 and WVR-2 land use studies.
March 27 and April 1 saw in-person public meetings in Wimauma and Balm, the first since November 2020. These meetings, following strict County COVID-19 protocol, were attended by approximately 120 interested persons total, consisted of presentations of the study recommendations, and provided a forum for residents, business owners, and other interested parties to ask questions about the study and talk with one another about the recommendations. Staff and the consultants provided information about next steps and how the public can continue to be involved in the planning process.
The RP-2 community meeting held on April 1 at the Balm Civic Center will be followed by focused topic meetings on policy and neighborhood design in April & May. Another community-wide meeting will occur in May, with an open house anticipated in June. Meeting information and materials will be made available on the project page ahead of each meeting. To sign up to participate in the focused topic meetings, visit the RP-2 project page.
The WVR-2 community meeting held on March 27 at the Bethune Park Boys & Girls Club will also be followed by a series of focused topic meetings. The next meeting will be held on April 15 and will discuss development within downtown Wimauma along SR 674 and the surrounding area. The months of May and June will see additional meetings in the Wimauma community. Meeting information and materials will be made available on the project page ahead of each meeting. To learn more about this series of meetings, visit the WVR-2 project page.
The BOCC requested these studies when a moratorium was initiated on new rezoning applications in the WVR-2 and RP-2 Land Use Categories in late 2019. The moratorium provided time for staff to gather community input, prepare an analysis, and make recommendations on needed changes. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the BOCC has extended the planning timeframe to afford the community additional opportunities to participate. Staff expects to bring recommendations to the BOCC late summer 2021.
