Council approves Lucy Street townhome project with reduced front setback and uniform facade conditions

The Homestead City Council approved site plan, tentative plat and a minor front-setback variance Wednesday for a proposed 85-unit townhome community on a 6.5-acre parcel north of Lucy Street and east of Southwest 14th Avenue.

The project, filed by Lucy Street 328 LLC and presented by attorney Marita Haro, would build 85 townhomes (about 13 units per acre) with roughly 271 parking spaces and community amenities that include a pocket park, a central park with a gazebo and a playground. The developer said the project would generate roughly $1.4 million in impact fees and an estimated $814,000 in annual ad valorem revenue, about $236,000 of which would go to the city.

City staff and the applicant told the council the property is in the Southwest Planned Urban Neighborhood (PUN) and the proposal is below the PUN’s maximum density. The application is exempt from a current moratorium because submittals predated that ordinance.

Council members discussed a requested variance that would reduce the required front setback along Lucy Street from 10 feet to 5 feet. The applicant said the change was triggered by a public-works request for an additional five-foot dedication along Lucy Street; shifting lots north to meet the dedication would have encroached on internal streets.

Council and staff also addressed how the homes’ rear yards (which will face the public right-of-way in this design) will appear from the street. The development will record a declaration of restrictions limiting density to 85 units and prohibiting owner-installed accessory structures that would break the uniform street-facing appearance. The council required the developer to install a uniform metal picket perimeter fence and to provide a pattern book or “unified design” for any covered terraces or rear-yard patios that face the right of way. The development services director confirmed terraces may be permitted if submitted as a unified design at permitting; individual, mismatched roofs or fences would not be allowed.

Councilwoman Bailey said she was primarily concerned about side and rear-yard crowding and asked staff and the applicant to ensure usable backyard space with at least two approved shade/cover options homeowners could choose. The applicant agreed to provide at least two pattern-book options and the city added the requirement as a site-plan condition.

Following the public hearing (no members of the public spoke on the item), the council voted separately to approve the variance, the site plan and the tentative plat. Each motion passed on roll-call votes with the council voting in favor.

The council’s approval includes staff conditions and the developer’s proffered restrictions; final development will proceed at permitting and after the recording of the required declarations.

The council’s votes mean the developer may proceed with final permits under the approved site plan and recorded restrictions. The project team said construction-ready submittals will seek to preserve the pocket park and playground elements shown in the approved plan.

Action items and formal approvals from the meeting are recorded in the City Clerk’s file for the project.