Learning Gate Community School wants to rezone both of its Lutz campuses to planned development, a move that would cover more than 30 acres of rural-designated land near Hanna Road and Lutz Lake Fern Road.
The tuition-free charter school filed two applications with Hillsborough County: one for its 26.78-acre Hanna Road campus at 16215 Hanna Rd., currently zoned ASC-1 (agricultural), and another for its 3.78-acre Lutz Lake Fern campus at 207 W. Lutz Lake Fern Rd., currently zoned LDC. Both parcels sit in the county's Rural service area.
The Hillsborough County Zoning Hearing Master took up the cases Monday, Aug. 24, but continued both to the Monday, Sept. 28 hearing without hearing them on the merits, according to county records. No staff recommendation has been issued for either application.
What the school plans to build or expand is not spelled out in the available county records. The applications request Planned Development zoning, which gives the county more control over site design but also allows uses beyond what the current agricultural and low-density classifications permit.
Learning Gate serves about 800 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The Hanna Road site houses grades K–6 on what the school describes on its website as 27 acres of natural Florida landscape with trails and a student-run organic garden. The Lutz Lake Fern site serves grades 7–8. Founded in 1983, the school secured its second 15-year charter contract with Hillsborough County Public Schools in 2025.
What happens next
If the Zoning Hearing Master hears the cases Monday, Sept. 28, the hearing officer's recommendation would go to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. The BOCC's Land Use Meeting is currently scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Residents who want to speak before the BOCC must qualify as a Party of Record by attending the hearing and presenting testimony or evidence, or by submitting documentary evidence to the master file at least two business days beforehand. Written comments can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the County Center, 20th floor, Tampa. The Sept. 28 hearing begins at 6 p.m.
