Commission backs land-development code updates to add Employment Commercial zoning (Ordinance 2025-79)

The Planning Commission voted 5-0 to recommend approval of amendments to the Land Development Code (Ordinance No. 2025-79; CDA25-00004) that add an Employment Commercial (EC) zoning district and related standards across multiple code articles.

Marcus Bastian (Deputy Director, Community Development) explained the package updates articles 2 through 16 to add and align zoning districts with recently adopted future land-use designations, include the EC district in permitted-use tables, add master-planning requirements for EC, and carry through standards for fences, signage and communication facilities. Staff emphasized EC is intended to support large, publicly initiated or publicly supported employment projects and that EC approvals will require master plans with site-specific standards (lot sizes, yards, heights, densities, parking, signage).

Osceola County staff (Dave Tomac) explained to the commission that Employment Commercial differs from an employment center in that EC is intended for larger, employment-focused buildings and not for mixed high-density residential; EC would not typically include residential uses. Commissioners asked about minimum arterial access and other locational criteria; staff said EC requires contiguous acreage, adjacency to an arterial or framework road and public initiation or support to restrict opportunistic use of the new district.

After discussion, the commission recommended approval to bring the code into conformance with the recently adopted future land-use framework and to provide a regulatory path for large employment projects. Subsequent master plans and project-specific reviews will be required before any development is permitted under the new EC district.