The Cooper City Planning & Zoning Board voted unanimously Oct. 13 to recommend approval of a package of petitions for a proposed self‑storage facility on the Montero commercial parcel at the southwest corner of North University Drive and Solano Avenue.

The board recommended approval of the initial rezoning (item 4A‑1), conditional use for self storage (4A‑2), rezoning amendment to the Montero design guidelines (4A‑3), final site plan (4A‑4), plat‑note amendment (4A‑5) and a sign‑waiver for increased letter height on the building (4A‑6). All votes were affirmative during the meeting; motions and seconders are recorded in the minutes for each item.

Board members and staff said the applicant substantially redesigned the project after receiving a negative recommendation at the Planning & Zoning hearing earlier, lowering the building height and removing ground‑floor commercial uses.

The petition seeks a rezoning from PMUD (Planned Mixed‑Use Development) to a B‑3 district and approval for a three‑story, 42‑foot building with about 114,735 square feet of enclosed storage. The parcel is about 2.57 acres and sits between Bright Star Credit Union and Monterra apartments. The plan shows three internal loading zones and 87 parking spaces; staff noted that the plan provides roughly 150% of the code‑required parking for the proposed self‑storage use.

The applicant’s presentation, led by attorney Dennis Meeley, said the revised plan removes the mixed‑use commercial component, reduces building height from a previously proposed 63 feet to 42 feet and increases landscaping along the west property line adjacent to residences. “We did, lowered it from 63 feet to 42, and eliminated the commercial square footage,” Meeley said.

Staff reported that the project addresses design‑guideline changes, a plat‑note amendment reducing commercial square footage and adding self‑storage allocation, and a sign‑waiver seeking 45‑inch letter height for a wall sign. Staff recommended forwarding the board’s comments and recommendations to the city commission; staff also reported that outstanding DRC comments had been addressed in the submittal.

Public commenters raised concerns about construction hours, vibration and traffic on Solano Avenue. A Cascada Isle property owner said construction starting at 7 a.m. and work up to 10 p.m. would be disruptive to nearby residents and asked the board to consider later start times and careful access design on Solano. The applicant responded that the construction methods proposed do not include dynamic compaction — a heavy‑weight ground‑compaction technique used on other nearby projects — and that the listed hours discussed in the public comments reflected city code allowances rather than a project‑specific schedule.

Operational details provided in project backup and summarized in the meeting record state that an operator had not yet been identified; the applicant committed to office hours of Monday–Friday 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (closed Sundays once a target occupancy is reached). Renter access to units is expected to be keypad entry from about 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the facility will have security cameras, alarms and an 8‑foot privacy wall on the south property line. The submittal lists landscape species intended along buffers including Gumbo Limbo, high‑rise live oak, royal palms and Alexander palms.

Staff also placed in the record two letters: one from Bright Star Credit Union opposing the conditional use, and an early letter from Monterra 505 apartments that was later retracted. The letters are part of the official application record, the planner said.

Votes at a glance

- Item 4A‑1 (Initial rezoning to B‑3): Motion by Jimmy; second by Jim. Roll call: Lauren (yes), Howard (yes), Carol (yes), Robin (yes), Jim (yes), Jimmy (yes), Chair (yes). Outcome: approved.

- Item 4A‑2 (Conditional use — self storage): Motion and second recorded in minutes; roll call votes affirmative (Lauren, Howard, Carol, Robin, Jim, Jimmy, Chair). Outcome: approved.

- Item 4A‑3 (Rezoning with design‑guideline amendments): Motion by Jim; second by Howard. Roll call votes affirmative. Outcome: approved.

- Item 4A‑4 (Final site plan): Motion by Jimmy; second by Howard. Roll call votes affirmative. Outcome: approved.

- Item 4A‑5 (Plat‑note amendment): Motion by Jim; second by Lauren. Roll call votes affirmative. Outcome: approved.

- Item 4A‑6 (Sign‑waiver for increased letter height): Motion and second recorded; roll call votes affirmative. Outcome: approved.

Why it matters: The approvals reconfigure the Montero commercial parcel C2‑B2 to accommodate a large, stand‑alone self‑storage facility in a location master‑planned for commercial uses. Staff and the applicant argued the self‑storage use will generate substantially fewer daily vehicle trips than the previously proposed multi‑tenant commercial option, citing Institute of Transportation Engineers trip‑generation rates included in the applicant’s traffic backup.

Next steps: The Planning & Zoning Board’s recommendations will be forwarded to the City Commission for final action. The applicant must complete remaining pre‑permit conditions — including recordation of the plat with Broward County, payment of any outstanding impact fees and obtaining Broward County and Health Department clearances — before building permits are issued.

Sources: Meeting transcript and staff presentation to the Cooper City Planning & Zoning Board on Oct. 13, 2025.