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LPA approves land‑use and zoning amendments to consolidate towing operations at I‑275 interchange in Lealman
Summary
The Local Planning Agency approved companion cases FLU25‑07 and ZON25‑05 to change a 0.6‑acre parcel at 2550 Fifth Avenue North from a mixed‑use corridor designation and Lealman form‑based code to Commercial General and C‑2 zoning to allow a consolidated towing and vehicle storage operation; a nearby resident opposed on traffic and noise grounds.
The Pinellas County Local Planning Agency approved FLU25‑07 and ZON25‑05, companion cases to convert a roughly 0.6‑acre parcel at 2550 Fifth Avenue North in Lealman from a mixed‑use corridor primary commerce future land‑use designation to Commercial General and to rezone the parcel from the Lealman form‑based code to C‑2 (general commercial and services).
Long‑range Planning Manager Scott Swernian told the board the parcel sits at the northwest quadrant of the I‑275 and 50th Avenue North interchange and is currently used to store towed vehicles. The property owner also controls an adjacent parcel to the west and intends to redevelop the two parcels cohesively for a towing‑business operation with an on‑site office. Swernian said the location’s proximity to the interchange, its existing nonresidential uses and the surrounding pattern of commercial properties make commercial general a consistent designation.
Applicant Angel Rivera, participating online, said the owner previously had C‑2 zoning on the site and that the rezoning would formalize the towing and fleet‑storage use; he said the rezone would not increase visitor traffic because the business primarily stores and maintains a fleet. Rivera told the board the applicant will comply with county development standards and will not seek variances.
A neighbor, Robert Lawson of Fifth Avenue North, spoke in opposition. Lawson described what he called a “very busy towing company” with large trucks, curb impacts and repeated noise at all hours. “I get noise 24 7,” Lawson said, and he said his neighborhood is a small, primarily residential area and that tractor‑trailer turning maneuvers have damaged a storm drain near the site.
Board members and staff discussed access and site design constraints. Staff noted that FDOT will not permit access at a nearby ramp location and that any redevelopment will be required to demonstrate safe turning movements and staging on the property during the site‑plan review. Swernian and county staff said site plan review will address stormwater, buffering, screening and truck turning templates; off‑site staging in the public right‑of‑way would remain a code violation.
The board approved both the land‑use and zoning amendments; the record shows Board member Laurie Johnson dissenting on both votes. Staff said the approvals will move to the Board of County Commissioners for a public hearing on Oct. 21, 2025. If approved by the Board of County Commissioners, redevelopment will require site‑plan submittal, engineering review, compliance with the county’s access and stormwater standards, and any necessary coordination with FDOT for driveway location and related access constraints.
