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City staff proposes four LDC amendments; commission approves changes on sign timing, parking stall width, deck setback and plat approvals
Summary
The Planning Commission approved four Land Development Code changes: (1) shorten LED business sign display minimum from 60 to 10 seconds, (2) set parking stall standard at 9 feet, (3) revise setback formula for elevated decks, and (4) implement state law making plat approvals administrative rather than public hearings.
Planning staff presented and the commission approved four Land Development Code text amendments on July 31 intended to streamline local development rules and align the code with recent state law.
Tim Berwick (city development staff) said the first proposed change reduces the minimum display time for LED commercial signs from 60 seconds to 10 seconds to match common practice in other municipalities and to encourage business uptake. "We're recommending to basically, adopt a 10 second, minimum for the display time," Berwick said, citing examples such as a local fast‑food business that had run a shorter interval without complaints.
The second amendment formally lowers the city's standard parking stall width to 9 feet to ease redevelopment of constrained infill sites. Berwick said the change reflects regional practice and will assist small redevelopment projects: "The proposal is to go with 9 foot wide spaces." Commissioners and staff discussed vehicle size and maneuverability; staff said the change is consistent with stalls commonly used in surrounding cities and noted developers can still provide larger spaces where desired.
The third amendment revises the city's formula for side setbacks for elevated wooden decks. Staff said the existing formula (5 feet plus 2 feet for each foot of elevation) has been in the code for decades and can produce unexpectedly large setbacks that hinder otherwise permissible additions. The amendment would allow the lesser of the current formula or the existing side/rear setback standard for the principal structure in many cases, aligning the rule with practices in other cities.
The fourth amendment implements a recent state statute that requires subdivision plats and replats to be processed administratively rather than through a public hearing. The amendment designates a city staff position (the PDD director) to approve plats consistent with the statute; Berwick emphasized that plats will continue to be reviewed for code compliance and that variances or deviations will still come before the Planning Commission.
Commissioners asked for clarification on the elevated deck changes and on how administrative plat approval will preserve public review for deviations; staff confirmed that variances and other departures from code will still require public hearings. The commission voted to approve all four amendments; staff will prepare ordinance language for City Council and update code text accordingly.
(Clarifying details: staff said the 60→10 second change responds to market expectations and safety studies reviewed by staff; the 9‑foot stall standard aligns Port Orange with neighboring cities and eases infill redevelopment; subdivision processing change is mandated by recent state legislation.)
