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Planning board splits then approves Songer Trust land-use and rezoning requests after debate on Mims-area small-area study
Summary
After deliberation, the board recommended approval of a small-scale future land use map change and a companion rezoning for property tied to the Lily Songer Trust; the item generated questions about whether the property had been included in the Mims Small Area Study and about wetlands.
The Planning and Zoning Board considered two companion items (H3 and H4) from the Lily Songer Trust requesting (1) a small-scale comprehensive plan amendment to change future land use from Agricultural to Residential Single-Family (RAS-1) and (2) a zoning change to RR MH-1. Applicant Thomas Songer said the request would allow placement of a second mobile home adjacent to family property and clarified the parcel is roughly nine acres.
Board member Ruth asked whether the site was part of the county’s Mims Small Area Study and whether that study had changed future land use in the area. County staff said they did not note the property in staff comments as part of the study but later confirmed the area had been affected by a 2016 amendment; staff also noted Natural Resources indicated wetlands on about a third of the parcel. Several board members raised concerns about a development trend that could erode agricultural future land use if many parcels were reclassified.
Following discussion the board first recorded a motion to deny the future land use change (H3) that carried among three members; the board then took a subsequent motion to approve H3, which passed with three members recorded as opposed. The companion rezoning (H4) was similarly debated; the board recorded a motion to deny and then later approved the rezoning in a separate vote, with three members opposed. The record shows the items will be forwarded to the County Commission for final action.
No formal development plan or additional site engineering information was provided at the meeting; staff noted wetland delineations by Natural Resources and the property’s limitations related to that natural resource area. The board’s discussion emphasized the difference between the land-use map decision and future site-level permitting requirements, which will address wetlands and septic/sewer questions at later stages.
