It's in the hearing master's hands now. He'll make his recommendation to the Hillsborough County Commission within two weeks. More than a dozen residents of the quiet riverfront community spoke out against the rezoning proposal at a land-use hearing Monday evening at the County Center downtown. Businessman and environmentalist Neil Mingledorff is seeking a rezoning from residential-single family to planned development in order to operate the Oak Haven River Retreat. The business would feature two cottages for rent, along with canoe and kayak rentals and educational nature gatherings.
Homeowners say the business is inappropriate for a residential neighborhood.
However, the property already enjoys a similar commercial use. Even if the rezoning is disallowed, the fish camp and its business will remain. A county study determined that Oak Haven would have minimal traffic or environmental impact and that it is compatible with the existing pattern of development in the neighborhood. As a result, the county's Growth Management Department has recommended approval of the rezoning, subject to numerous conditions regarding the size and scope of the business. Among those is a provision disallowing the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises.