Planning commission recommends denial of proposed 7‑Eleven at Wellness Way, citing zoning and traffic concerns

The City of Clermont Planning & Zoning Commission on Oct. 7 recommended denial, by a 5‑0 vote, of a conditional use permit for a proposed convenience store, gas station and ancillary car wash on the southeast corner of Wellness Way and Scofield Road.

Planning staff concluded the proposal conflicted with the Wellness Ridge planned‑unit development (PUD) and the city’s Wellness Way design standards. "Staff recommends denial of the conditional use permit resolution number 2025Dash037RR," Development Services staff member John Cruz said during the presentation.

Why it matters: The site sits in the Wellness Way neighborhood center, a form‑based neighborhood intended to prioritize walkability and lower‑intensity commercial uses. Commissioners and dozens of nearby residents — who told the commission they live within a few hundred feet of the site — said a 24‑hour, vehicle‑oriented use with fueling and a car wash is incompatible with the district’s goals and would bring noise, fumes and traffic into a largely residential area.

Staff findings and legal conflicts

Cruz told commissioners the Wellness Ridge PUD (Ordinance 2019‑06) restricts certain auto‑oriented commercial uses inside the neighborhood district and that the proposed car wash is listed as a prohibited use under the PUD. He also cited the Wellness Way design standards adopted in 2022, which guide building placement, corner treatment and pedestrian orientation. Staff noted a traffic‑access concern: Lake County has not allowed a full access point at Scofield Road, limiting safe ingress and egress for an auto‑dependent business at that location.

Applicant response

Applicant Trey Vick of V3 Capital said the project team has met with staff and elected officials and offered design measures — enhanced landscape buffers, hardscape screening and tighter site design — to mitigate impacts. Vick described the proposed wash as a single‑tunnel, ancillary facility like those attached to many convenience stores and said the use would provide a neighborhood service. "I won't stand up here and tell you that gas stations aren't auto oriented," he said, "but I will say as a person that lives in a neighborhood, having access to fuel, is a positive."

Public opposition and neighborhood safety concerns

Multiple residents who live directly behind or adjacent to the proposed site said the development would diminish the neighborhood’s wellness character and create health and safety risks. One resident said: "I don't want my daughter be raised close to this kind of business" and cited concerns about fumes and 24‑hour noise. Another resident asked how delivery trucks and fuel‑tankers would safely enter and exit the site and worried about cut‑through traffic in residential streets.

Commissioners’ rationale

Commissioners repeatedly cited the PUD language and Wellness Way standards when explaining their votes. Commissioner May said the neighborhood center is intended to be "more suited for walkability" and that the convenience store/gas station and car wash are more appropriate on an arterial roadway such as U.S. 27 or State Road 50. Commissioner Tadona raised congestion and safety concerns tied to future regional traffic growth in the area. Commissioner Kramer and others also flagged the lack of a resolved access point with Lake County as a material impediment.

Procedural outcome and next steps

A motion to approve the conditional use permit was made and seconded but failed on a 0‑5 vote; the commission recorded the recommendation of denial. Staff said the applicant may request a continuance for the City Council hearing; otherwise the item is scheduled for City Council consideration on Oct. 28 with the commission’s recommendation to deny.

Ending

The commission’s denial endorses the staff view that an auto‑dependent fueling and car‑wash facility is inconsistent with Wellness Way’s walkable neighborhood center as currently defined by PUD language and city design standards. The proposal will appear on an upcoming City Council agenda where council members will review the commission’s recommendation and consider the applicant’s case and any additional materials the applicant submits.