The Southshore Corporate Park Development of Regional Impact (DRI) Development Agreement required Artesian Farms to dedicate to Hillsborough County a neighborhood park of approximately ten acres adjacent to and north of what is now Thompson Elementary School.   To date, that dedication has not taken place.  The property owner of the DRI project, Artesian Farms, has been working with Hillsborough County Parks Department for some time and they have mutually agreed to move forward with an amendment to the Development Agreement that would modify the neighborhood park requirement into a trail system that would run through nearby areas. The land currently shown as a park could then be used to construct residential units that have already been approved in the project.

In the School District staff review of this amendment to the project,  we have requested that the property owners dedicate two acres +/-  adjacent to Thompson Elementary to offset the loss of the park which may have served as additional playfields for the students.  Artesian Farms has agreed to this dedication of land to the School Board.

The School District will absorb the cost of the transaction to acquire the property, including title insurance, environmental testing and various other costs and fees that may reach $20,000.   The property owner will not receive any impact fee credits or other monetary payments as a result of this transaction.