The Dade City Commission continued consideration of a small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment and associated rezoning request for the First Baptist Church property on Church Avenue after lengthy public comment andquestions from commissioners about long‑term controls.

Applicant Steven Smith told the commission he intends to purchase the property and convert the existing 41,000‑square‑foot church building and a 3,000‑square‑foot house into a mix of uses he described as office space for his business, event and performance uses, and possibly bed‑and‑breakfast lodging. Smith said the sanctuary alone is roughly 5,000 square feet and that the church’s construction (thick concrete walls and floors) makes adaptive reuse feasible but costly; he said he had tried to close on the property the day of the meeting but a mortgage payoff and insurance timing delayed the transaction.

Why the decision was continued
Commissioners and members of the public raised several concerns: that the requested future land use change from Low Density Residential (LDR) to Residential‑Office (RO) would allow much higher development density in future years; that RO zoning contains a broad list of permitted uses under the city’s code and cannot be limited by the commission at rezoning; that deed restrictions proposed by the applicant would be voluntary private covenants (the city cannot require them and would not be party to them); and that residents wanted a clearer, specific and enforceable list of permitted activities before the city granted a long‑term land‑use change for the property.

Authorities, ordinance numbers and votes
- Ordinance (first reading) for a small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment was read into the record as Ordinance No. 2025‑08 (LDR to Residential‑Office for approx. 2.66 acres).
- The applicant also requested rezoning (related rezoning ordinance was discussed to follow the comp‑plan hearing).
- The commission voted to continue the hearing and related zoning matter to a date certain of September 23, 2025. The motion to continue carried 4–0 (Commissioner Church had earlier declared a conflict of interest and did not participate in votes on these items).

What the applicant said and next steps
Smith said he wants to preserve and reuse the building as a community asset — citing weddings, concerts and other events historically held at the site — and said that under the current RS‑2 zoning the property would likely be demolished and redeveloped with single‑family lots (estimated at about 13 homes under RS‑2). He asked the commission to allow RO zoning so that offices, an event center and limited lodging could make the property financially viable. Commissioners reiterated that an RO future land‑use designation would remain in place unless the owner voluntarily recorded deed restrictions limiting future uses, and that the city’s zoning table of permitted uses (not the commission) would determine allowed uses once rezoned.

Commissioners asked the applicant to host another neighborhood meeting and return with more specific, written limits on proposed uses, proposed deed‑restriction language (if the applicant chooses to use deed restrictions), and visuals showing how the site and building would be used and accessed. Staff and the city attorney confirmed the commission could not impose a condition that deletes permitted RO uses from the zoning table; deed restrictions are a private legal tool the applicant can record but the city would not be a party.

Ending
The item was continued to allow the applicant additional time to prepare a more specific plan, hold public outreach, and — if he becomes the owner — consider deed restrictions; the commission will revisit the comp‑plan amendment and rezoning on September 23, 2025. Commissioner Church was recused from discussion and votes on this matter and filed Form 8B as disclosed on the record.