The Safety Harbor City Commission voted 5-0 on Tuesday to approve a site plan for a 2,017-square-foot building addition at 825 Main Street — the retail business known in the record as the Stuffed Mushroom — and to grant two waivers allowing the retention of an existing nonconforming dumpster.

The commission’s approval included conditions set by staff and the Planning and Zoning Board: the new addition may only be used as storage and not be open to the public; the applicant must provide a parking agreement for off-site parking of catering vehicles; the parking layout behind the structure must be revised to improve maneuverability; the applicant must use a private solid-waste pickup service (the city will not provide pickup); and any required permits for work in the public right-of-way must be obtained.

The addition and waivers were presented to the commission by the city’s senior planner/GIS analyst, who said the property sits in the Service Quarter 1 character district and that the proposal meets the city’s setback, height and floor‑area requirements while requesting a reduction in required parking from 11 spaces to four. The planner also noted the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) permit or an exemption letter will be required as part of final approvals.

City staff told commissioners the applicant, Mark and Betsy Bird, has executed a parking agreement with Sylvan Abbey Funeral Home on Sunset Point Road to accommodate catering vehicles. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended a condition that the parking layout behind the dumpster be amended to improve maneuverability; staff added that right-of-way restoration will be required for any public work and that erosion controls and stormwater protections must be in place during construction.

Lauren Rubinstein, speaking for a different agenda item earlier in the meeting, summarized how the permitting process and required corrections can extend over months, but for this application staff confirmed the site plan otherwise complies with site-plan standards except for the two requested waivers.

The commission approved the motion and the two waivers by unanimous vote. Staff will monitor compliance with the approved conditions and the required permits before final inspections and occupancy of the addition.

The commission’s action is limited to the site-plan approvals and waivers before it; no changes to city code or the downtown master plan were made. Any future change of use or sale of the property would be subject to the recorded conditions and applicable code requirements.