New Apartment Complex, Gas Station Under Construction Near Westchase

It used to be an area rich with trees and forested area. Now it's cleared and many are wondering why.

"What once was beautiful, heavily wooded land has been completely leveled, burned and cleared for who knows what useless new building," says M. Turner, a Double Branch are resident for eight years.  

Turner is referring to a large portion of land at the intersection of Double Branch Road and Hillsborough Avenue.

"It's so disheartening to see this area slashed and burned like this," she wrote in an email.

The clearing is for an apartment complex and gas station that will be built at the site, according to Steve Valdez, spokesman for Hillsborough County's Public Works.

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Named Double Branch Apartments, the complex will be more than 200 units, in addition to a club house, pool and tennis courts. A new RaceTrac gas station is also planned for the location.

The tree clearing was needed to prepare the land for the apartments, said Carla Shelton, a senior forester with Hillsborough County's Development Services department.

The minimum ground elevation level must be 11 feet above sea level, Shelton explained. The current level is about 4-5 feet. The developers must fill in the ground to reach the required level; therefore, the trees had to be taken out to complete the filling.

But there is a bright side, Shelton said.

There will be a replanting of about 300 trees in the area once the apartments are constructed. A completion date has not been released for the project. It is currently in a pre-construction phase.

"Not only on the apartment site, but also at the RaceTrac gas station," Shelton said.

Magnolias, Live Oaks, Red Maples, and Cypress are among the trees that will be replanted.