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Delray Beach commission gives consensus to sponsor LDR amendment to expand light‑industrial uses
Summary
At a June 10 workshop the Delray Beach City Commission agreed by consensus to allow Wallace Drive LLC to pursue a Land Development Regulation text amendment that would expand permitted uses in two light‑industrial (LI) areas totaling about 17 acres; staff will analyze and return with a curated list of allowable uses and the formal review process.
Delray Beach City Commission members at a June 10 workshop gave consensus support for Wallace Drive LLC to submit an application to amend the city’s Land Development Regulations to expand allowable uses in light‑industrial (LI) zones.
The amendment request covers about 17 acres in two LI‑zoned areas within the Wallace Drive redevelopment area. Jeff Costello, a planner with JC Planning Solutions representing Wallace Drive LLC, told the commission, “We’re respectfully requesting the ability to move forward to amend the LDRs to allow more flexibility with regard to uses that are allowed.”
The change, Costello said, would import the service‑industry use group now allowed in heavier industrial districts into limited LI locations to permit a multi‑tenant building and a broader mix of non‑manufacturing uses. The applicant mentioned potential tenant types that could include office, contract/trade services, a bakery processing operation, a bridal‑related business and a firearm training facility, among others.
Commissioners and staff focused their questions on protecting LI as a scarce land‑use resource: Commissioner Cassell asked specifically about “service industry uses defined in LDR section 4.420(b)(5)” and what the applicant planned to put in the area. Commissioners also noted constraints that apply to the Wallace Drive area, including building setbacks of about 50 feet where LI adjoins residential property.
Vice Mayor Long and Deputy Vice Mayor Burns both said they supported moving the request into the formal review process. Commissioner Markert and Commissioner Cassell likewise expressed support, with Commissioner Carney noting the need to “curate this list during the analysis” to protect genuinely industrial uses. No formal vote took place (this was a workshop), but Mayor Carney and the four commissioners present signaled the consensus required for the applicant to file a formal application.
Under the next steps the applicant may submit the application and staff will analyze the proposal, prepare specific amendments and return the item to the planning board and then to the commission through the standard two‑ordinance process if staff accepts the sponsorship. The commission emphasized that the analysis will identify which service‑industry bullets are appropriate in LI — for example, to exclude uses that would displace limited manufacturing capacity or create outdoor storage uses that are inconsistent with LI intent.
Staff and the applicant will return with refined language and a recommended list of permitted uses for the commission to review during the formal public hearings.
