The Ruskin Plan was launched in June 16, 2003 with the establishment of a working committee of citizens representing residents, property owners, business owners, community leaders and community organizations. Together over a one and a half year period, they identified issues in their community, developed a vision statement for their future and established goals and strategies to achieve their vision. On August 8, 2005, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved adopting the plan into the County’s Comprehensive Plan. The result of the communities work is a foldout poster. The poster serves as a guide that provides guidelines that may be used to achieve the realization of the community’s vision with illustrations that include a Preferred Elements map, a Downtown Concept Site Plan and a long-term strategic plan for growth in a format that invites the reader to learn more about the plan and to get involved. It outlines the overall plan vision, each of its ten supporting goals and implementing strategies. The vision, goals and strategies are intended to improve the community’s quality of life by recognizing Ruskin’s civic life and natural beauty of its environment. In 2006, staff of the Hillsborough County Planning and Growth Management Department conducted a series of meetings with citizens in the Ruskin community regarding the future of the Ruskin Town Center and implementation of the adopted Ruskin Community Plan. Based upon that effort, Planning and Growth Management staff developed the Ruskin Town Center Development Regulations document that was presented to and approved by the Board of County Commissioners on November 2, 2006. The Land Development Code Text Amendment Part 3.17.00, Ruskin Town Center Development Regulations became effective on February 1, 2007. On January 10, 2007, Hillsborough County Staff filed petition (RZ 07-0517) for Rezoning the Ruskin Town Center. The general location is along US 301 between 3rd Street NE (eastern boundary), 1st Street NW (western boundary, 8th Ave. NW (northern boundary) and 2nd Ave SE (southern boundary). The request is to rezone from CG, CN, RDC-12 and RMC-12 to Ruskin Town Center-1 (RTC-1) and Ruskin Town Center-2 (RTC-2). On May 8, 2007, the Board of County Commissioners approved the Ruskin Town Center rezoning.