Project Information Brandon is an unincorporated area of Hillsborough County straddling State Road 60 about ten miles east of Tampa, FL.  Residents of Brandon generally speak favorably of its central location, its convenience, its neighborhoods, the sense of community and its people.  Ask anyone in Brandon and they’ll proudly tell you it’s a “great place to live.”   Few unincorporated places can boast Brandon’s amenities.  Brandon has myriad opportunities for shopping and recreation from regional shopping malls to the hundreds of small businesses lining up Brandon Boulevard.  Over 47,000 employees work in Brandon and that number is expected to almost double by 2025. Brandon is home to the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce the only 5 StarChamber in the Bay area.   Brandon has sleepy single-family neighborhoods under grand oaks as well as town homes, multi-family housing and apartments. The variety of housing choices and prices can accommodate almost every dream and budget. Many call Brandon home and not just people; but turtles, foxes, owls, otters, raccoons, opossums as well as the visiting crane and heron. Settled around 1858 by John Brandon and his family, it erected its first church the New Hope Church in 1878.  That building served as Brandon’s first school as well.  Surveyed and laid out around 1890, the “town” was named after John Brandon. By 1922 Brandon had 100 residents and that number climbed to 1,655 by 1960.  In 2000 the population had reached almost 80,000 and is projected to reach over 123,000 by 2025. Two other planning processes have preceded the Brandon Community Plan – one led to the development of the State Road 60 Overlay district that runs from I-75 to Dover Road.  Triggered by cost of improvements relative to assessed value of buildings, the regulations affect signage, landscaping, screening, buffers, parking and drive-through locations and building design. Brandon residents felt that Brandon lacked a geographical town center and as a result worked to develop Brandon Main Street, generally located along Oakfield Drive between Lakewood and Pauls.  Traditional Neighborhood Development concepts were used in drafting the regulations that cover the district.  The County is constructing the Brandon Service Center that will hold meeting spaces, and satellite offices for various departments and agencies.  A fire station will also be built here.  The Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce built its headquarters on Pauls Drive. Brandon is a happening place with something for everyone!