Tampa City Council to Discuss Land Use Plan

- The plan, officially titled "Live Grow Thrive 2045," is the first major update to the city's comprehensive land use strategy since 2016. It aims to create a policy blueprint for managing significant anticipated growth, including a projected 108,000 new residents, 77,000 new homes, and 258,000 new jobs by the year 2045. - A central economic strategy of the plan is to increase housing supply and options. Proposals include allowing duplexes, triplexes, and accessory dwelling units in more residential zones and creating a "sliding scale" density bonus that would grant developers the ability to build more units in exchange for deeper commitments to affordable housing. - The update focuses on guiding new development toward designated "transit-ready corridors" and regional hubs like Downtown, the Westshore district, and the Fowler Avenue corridor. However, following public feedback from nearly 850 residents and over 1,500 comments, the number of corridors eligible for density bonuses has been reduced to protect single-family neighborhoods. - Responding to climate change risks, the plan introduces policies to enhance environmental resilience. Key proposals include encouraging "freeboard"—constructing a building's lowest floor above predicted flood levels—and prohibiting plan amendments that would increase residential density within designated Coastal High Hazard Areas. - The multi-year update process is a joint effort between the City of Tampa Planning Department and Plan Hillsborough, the county's long-range planning agency. The vision statement guiding the update was formally adopted by the City Council in July 2022 after months of public surveys and community input. - The February 17th meeting is a "transmittal hearing," a procedural step where the council will decide whether to forward the proposed amendments (specifically files TA/CPA 24-04, 24-05, and 24-06) to the state for review. This hearing was continued from a previous date on August 28, 2025, to allow staff to incorporate council and public feedback into the draft.