A city review board gave the green light Tuesday to a plan that would relocate a historic home and a large oak tree in Ybor City, over the objections of residents who want the neighborhood’s history left untouched.

The Barrio Latino Commission voted 4-1 to let the project move forward. Project leaders presented a plan at the meeting to move the house and tree down the street, from one corner lot to another. The property is owned by the developers of Gasworx, the large mixed-use project underway in the area.

Opponents say the move puts irreplaceable pieces of the district at risk. Leslie Mattern, a former Ybor City resident, is part of a group fighting the relocation as well as the broader Gasworx development, which includes thousands of new residences and a Live Nation music venue with room for 4,300 people. “Moving the house is not something that we want to happen,” Mattern said. She warned that even a carefully planned move carries a real chance of losing both the home and the tree, which would leave behind an empty lot.

Another former resident, Angel D’Angelo, argued the larger concern is affordability. He said the neighborhood’s character cannot be preserved if the people who built it can no longer afford to live there as new development reshapes the district.

Supporters of the project, including its developers, say they can carry out the relocation safely and responsibly, and the commission’s lopsided vote reflects that confidence. The home and tree sit on land the developers own, and the plan keeps both within the neighborhood.

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