The Brandon Chamber of Commerce is spinning like a dynamo – Oh, if we could only harness that energy

By George Niemann

PoHo contributor and R-LAND, UCAN, FSP, FHD/Amendment 4 activist

The views expressed are my own and may not be the same as the organizations to which I am a member

The controversial Lithia Pinecrest Road Widening Project in east Hillsborough is generating a lot of energy as it makes its way toward a review by the Board of County Commissioners. And now that we’re getting close to the review, the Brandon Chamber is generating enough spin to light Raymond James Stadium. They are hoping to ram the widening project through approval, no matter what concerns the local residents may have. And when the Brandon Chamber speaks, everyone downtown listens and falls in line.

What kind of spin are they using?

Here’s an example. Countywide Commissioner Kevin Beckner is holding citizen outreach meetings around the county. They are calling them Coffee with Kevin meetings. Citizens are invited to attend and let Beckner know what matters to them. A Coffee with Kevin meeting was held at the Bloomingdale Library on Saturday, February 6, 2010. One of the attendees was George May, the former chairman of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce. Even though he’s no longer chair, he’s actively implementing their agenda by attending public meetings and making sure that elected officials get etched in their brains what the chamber wants.

At this meeting both myself and another resident expressed our concerns regarding the Lithia Pinecrest Road Widening Project. The project, if approved, will widen Lithia Pinecrest from 2 lanes to 4 lanes between Lumsden Rd. and Fishawk Blvd. We tried to impress upon Beckner that the Lithia widening is a bad idea. It will not solve the traffic problem and is not the best solution for the congestion that occurs during peak periods. The majority of traffic is originating and terminating from points south of Bloomingdale, but primarily from Fishawk. The culprit is the lack of capacity for the heavy east/west traffic. Lithia is used primarily to access alternate east/west routes (the ultimate destinations being downtown Tampa and I-75). It would make more sense to widen Bloomingdale which, by the way, is not a constrained road and could be considered for widening. We wanted Beckner to realize that area residents are concerned about the commercialization and more intensive growth that will come with the approval of the widening project. They want their strictly residential neighborhoods to remain rural in nature and not become another SR60 or Fowler Ave. And they know that studies show that new and expanded roads actually draw additional traffic (called “induced demand”). Adding commercial development just makes it that much worse. After all, speculators have already started applying to build strip malls along Lithia Pinecrest, anticipating the widening will be approved. The Board of County Commissioners shot down the latest one, but it’s just a matter of time before they start rubber-stamping approvals for more strip malls and more intensive home development (apartments etc) to make use of the increased road capacity. Beckner is not a rubber-stamper by any means, but the Team Sprawl caucus certainly is. And they’ve got their rubber stamps inked and ready to begin stamping as soon as they get passed the 2010 elections.

I told Beckner that the Brandon Chamber is pushing this because they want to extend the commercialization beyond SR60 and replicate it along Lithia Pinecrest.

At that point, George May interrupts and starts yelling that I’m a liar.”

Get ready, here comes that spin I told you about –

In an agitated manner, he rambles that the chamber is pushing this project because they are interested in safety and the quality of life…it’s got nothing to do with commercialization or business development.

Oh, sweet mother, now I’ve heard everything!!!!

Safety???

Oh, so let me understand this – a four lane road carrying more traffic is a lot safer than a two lane road carrying less traffic???

The quality of life???

I suppose their quality of life will improve if they get another 5 or 10 strip malls??? Maybe George May should run for office. And maybe his first campaign promise will be, “A chicken in every pot, and a strip mall on every block!!!

Not about business development???

That’s like a car dealer telling you you’re getting the car at below cost. If you believe that one, you’ll probably order the undercoating, as well.

I’ve heard spin before but this one should get an award for hilarity.

The next public meeting will be on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at the Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon. If you live in the Bloomingdale, Brandon, Valrico areas and think we’ve got enough strip malls to hold us for a while, you may want to attend this public meeting and let the county know what you’re thinking. The chamber already has and Team Sprawl is mesmerized.

This article appears in Feb 3-9, 2010.