While the 7-Eleven issue has not yet been officially declared dead, and for the time being continues simmering on a back burner, it appears it may be an appropriate time to shift our community organization’s voice towards fighting an EVEN BIGGER community issue; the Kinnan/Mansfield connector. After all, the 7-Eleven developer could NOT ever have believed a 16-fuel pump station at that location would have ever been able to be sustained by current traffic. It IS however quite obvious that the developer WAS banking on the opening of that connector, and alongside it, the MASSIVE influx of traffic feeding directly from Hillsborough into OUR community. As a result of this shift, I have changed ONLY our Facebook group name, as I have reason to believe the majority of us, who are against the 7-Eleven, are also against the connector. If you do not fall into this category, and this is not what you signed up for, please feel free to dismiss yourself from the Facebook group. Our petition against the 7-Eleven stands, and we will continue to fight and update everyone on the latest. In the meantime, I am working with a few others to draft up a new separate petition against the connector. Details coming soon! Also, thank you Beth Hyde-Hood for posting the following article! Yes, it is from last spring's public meeting, however, it is an excellent reference. Of particular interest, K Bar Ranch HOA President states it is an "inconvenience" for K Bar residents (not to be able to drive directly through Meadow Pointe 2). Also referenced are the 1500 people who live in K Bar AND another new development being built which could add another 5000 people (all of whom would one day love to drive directly through Meadow Pointe 2). Additionally, the third important point, "it's also a business issue because you have a lot of businesses in the City of Tampa that would like to get folks from Meadow Pointe." I'm sorry, but by NO means should the opening of Mansfield to Kinnan be a solution to an "inconvenience" created by Hillsborough County's lack of planning, and Hillsborough resident's willingness to place themselves into a poorly planned traffic network, at the detriment AND expense of OUR Meadow Pointe community (especially Meadow Pointe 2)! Even more disgustingly, by NO means should it be a simple solution for New Tampa businesses to get more "business" from Meadow Pointe residents. This is NOT equitable for US, the residents of Meadow Pointe! We made wise decisions to purchase property and raise our families in a fairly safe and not overly congested neighborhood (in relative standards), with EXCELLENT schools. We are NOT about to bow down to the wishes nor desires of Hillsborough residents' "inconvenience" issues AND most definitely NOT Hillsborough businesses' hopes for more Meadow Pointe residents to sustain them! Ok, so 10-15+ years ago, when the discussion of the connector first began, when developers left it unfinished with the intent of one day connecting, it may have made sense. But not now! Not with all the new development on the 56 corridor, which no one could have predicted 10-15+ years ago would have been quite as extensive as it is now becoming. For example, just think of when Raymond James finally opens and adds 750+ jobs at the intersection of SR 56 and Mansfield. How many more would want to come up Mansfield, out of Hillsborough, then? And it doesn't end there. Mansfield was not designed for this projected volume of traffic. Most would agree you cannot widen Mansfield, but possibly even more importantly, the actual road was not built for the projected load. Just look at the current condition of both Mansfield and County Line Road, and also Beardsley, before it was recently repaved. By the way, does everyone remember the traffic nightmare created by the repaving of Beardsley? I certainly do, as living on Iverson Drive, I go through the intersection of Beardsley and Mansfield every single time I get into my vehicle to go ANYWHERE. Personally, opening the connector would be very convenient for me, as my family attends St. Mark's on Cross Creek. HOWEVER, considering the catastrophic impact to the Meadow Pointe community, the opening of the connector would cause, I would MUCH rather continue to drive around (which by the way, isn't that bad). Interestingly enough, in the article Hillsborough states they want a "compromise." Here are some suggestions which WOULD be equitable for US, the residents of Meadow Pointe. First and foremost, obviously we wait for the results of the pending traffic study (now looking like a Feb. release), which will hopefully substantiate all of these things us Meadow Pointe residents have already known for years about OUR own community. Secondly, we wait for the completion of BBD, just south of County Line, which looks closer to being a reality every day. Also, we go ahead and complete the connector at Kinnan/Mansfield, BUT with an emergency vehicle access arm ONLY. Then we open Meadow Pointe Blvd. to Hillsborough County, and possibly even start the extension of Beardsley towards the east. THEN and ONLY THEN, do we re-evaluate the potential opening of the Kinnan/Mansfield connector for general traffic.