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Car dealership near Brandon historic site approved
Jordan Bowen reports.
BRANDON, Fla. - The Hillsborough County Historic Resources Review Board dealt a major blow to historic preservationists on Tuesday night who are advocating for the Moseley Homestead in Brandon.
The board voted 4-to-0 to move forward with plans to build a new Mitsubishi car dealership directly adjacent to the historic property.
The homestead was built in 1886. According to Mark Proctor, who is in charge of the Timberly Trust which owns the homestead, it is the only property in Brandon that's on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
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"It's all about the future, our kids, our grandkids and having something for them to enjoy and look back on," Proctor shared.
Dozens of people showed up to Tuesday's meeting to push back on plans for the dealership, worried about how it'll impact the Moseley Homestead.
"It's going to take away because you're going to have a higher impact of people and pollution and lighting and all those factors. The fencing is falling apart now because they were supposed to put fencing up to guard it, and it's just wooden fencing, so it's just a matter of time, so we'll do what we can to save the property," Proctor said.
The Moseley Homestead has looked the same for decades. The last remaining Moseley family member left the homestead to a trust to be a piece of old Florida history. The Gardner Brewer Hudson law firm hired by the dealership argued their case to the board on Tuesday.
"I understand the passion and respect the passion that the citizens had regarding the Mosley homestead. It's a significant historic resource. We believe in this instance that the metrics of the land development code, which are being met are exceeded in many of the elements of the site plan," Gardner Brewer Hudson Law Planner Joe Moreda stated.
As Moreda explained, the land is already zoned for such a business like a car dealership and feels it won't have a negative impact on the homestead.
"The more robust regulations that are in place now versus what was in place when the site was originally developed will provide the compatibility they seek so I believe over time that they'll come to realize that it will work, but I do respect their passion," Moreda said.
Developers will also need to get permission from the county to remove a grand oak that sits right in the middle of the property.
There will likely be push back from tree advocates. No word yet on when that meeting could take place.