Clermont planning panel approves conditional use permit for boat dealership, limits outdoor display area and sets hours

The Clermont Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 on March 4 to recommend approval of Resolution 2025-008R, a conditional use permit allowing a new-and-used boat dealership and limited on-site boat servicing at 102 South U.S. Highway 27.

The applicant, Nautiques of Orlando, represented by dealer Jeff Huseby, would operate sales and a small pro shop inside a roughly 15,000-square-foot building and fence an outdoor display area in the existing parking lot on the property’s north side, staff said. Kurt Henschel, the city’s planning and development services director, said the proposal is in the C-2 General Commercial zoning district and is consistent with the Claremont Comprehensive Plan and the city’s conditional-use criteria in Section 101-212 of the city’s land-development code.

Staff recommended approval based on the standard CUP findings that the use would not be detrimental to public health, safety or welfare and would be compatible with adjacent properties. Henschel told the commission the building was constructed in 2002 and includes large warehouse doors and a loading dock that would accommodate deliveries and internal boat displays.

Commissioners and the applicant discussed specifics of the outdoor display area, parking, service limitations and neighborhood impacts. Henschel and the applicant confirmed the fenced display will eliminate 18 parking spaces from the existing lot; the code requires 45 parking spaces for a retail building of that size and 47 spaces would remain after fencing. The resolution includes a condition that the “outdoor display of new and used boats shall be limited to the highlighted area on Exhibit A” and that ornamental fencing be used around the display.

Jeff Huseby, who identified himself as having 33 years in the marine industry and as an owner/operator of Nautiques of Orlando, said the location would be a sales center rather than a storage yard and that most repair work would be “dock-side” for customers; he described on-site work as “very minor”—battery changes, oil changes and light service—and said larger repairs would be handled in Orlando. Huseby said the dealership expects to display roughly a dozen units outdoors at a time, with additional boats inside the showroom and storage areas.

Commissioners asked about noise, traffic, deliveries, the buffer between the site and the residential neighborhood to the rear and whether sailboats would be sold. Huseby said the business would sell powered boats only and estimated typical boats for the site would be about 21–23 feet long; he said deliveries to Clermont would come from Orlando using trucks or pickup trucks and that forklifts would be used on site to move boats.

Commissioners noted a previous effort to convert the building for a school failed because retrofit costs exceeded the school operator’s budget. The property owner, who identified himself at the hearing, said the building had been vacant for about a year and that he and his brother had invested in roof and interior repairs while marketing the site.

Because several commissioners raised concerns about neighborhood impacts, the commission added a motion to include the applicant’s stated hours—Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.; closed Sunday—as a condition of approval. The motion to recommend approval with the hours was moved by Vice Chair Nemec and seconded by Commissioner Hoisington. The commission voted unanimously; the packet shows the recommendation will go to the City Council for final action.

The record before the commission included staff’s site plan showing the fenced area on the north side of the property, maps placing the site on U.S. Highway 27 near the Citrus Tower, and photographic exhibits of the existing building and median trees that the applicant said would remain. Henschel also noted a stormwater retention pond and tree buffer on the rear (Bloxham Avenue) side of the site.

Decisions and conditions: the commission’s recommendation includes (1) approval of the CUP for a new-and-used boat dealership with incidental, minor on-site servicing; (2) a condition limiting outdoor display to the highlighted area on Exhibit A and requiring ornamental fencing; and (3) hours of operation as stated above. Staff also noted the code provides usual enforcement remedies—if display activity or noise creates a nuisance, code enforcement or the commission may be asked to act.

What’s next: The recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for final consideration and any council-level conditions. If approved by the council, the applicant still needs to satisfy building, fire and environmental permitting related to minor service operations, and the business would be regulated under the city’s land-development code and applicable fire and environmental rules.

Speakers listed in the meeting record: Jeff Huseby, applicant (Nautiques of Orlando); Kurt Henschel, planning and development services director (city of Clermont); owner of the building (unnamed in the record); Vice Chair Nemec; Chair Bain; Commissioners Colby, Kramer, Hoisington, Tadona and May; Wayne Fountain, IT director (briefly for procedural comments).