City moves forward with Agriculture Technology Park zoning on 165.9 acres

The City Commission approved a city‑initiated rezoning (Ordinance 2025‑68 / LDR 25‑29) to apply the new Agriculture Technology zoning district to a 165.88‑acre parcel owned by Norita Davis, a step staff said will ready the site for future ag‑technology development.
Stacy Hechtus (Community Development Department) told commissioners the rezoning implements a recently adopted future‑land‑use designation and aligns with the city’s 2022 strategic plan — specifically objective D‑3.3 to “facilitate the development of the Newberry Agriculture Technology Park.” The Planning & Zoning Board recommended approval by a unanimous vote.
The nut graph: City staff described the rezoning as a keystone action that completes a near‑term set of approvals so the property can be marketed and developed for Agriculture Technology uses; the zoning establishes permitted principal uses, lists special exceptions and sets the regulatory framework for future site plans and development agreements.
Staff emphasized the district’s purpose: to support orderly economic development that protects adjacent residential and commercial properties while enabling agricultural‑technology businesses, research and related commercial uses. The rezoning was approved on first reading and will be heard again by the commission on Sept. 22 for second reading and final adoption.
Why it matters: The zoning clears a major regulatory hurdle for a sizeable agricultural technology park that the city has promoted for many years and that the commission said aligns with local economic development goals; the change sets the rules that will govern future uses and the special‑exception processes that can impose conditions to protect nearby neighborhoods.