Commission splits on future‑land‑use change for single parcel in South Cape CRA; recommendation advances 4–3

The Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday voted 4–3 to recommend approval of Ordinance 57-25, a privately initiated future land use amendment that would change a single parcel at 1620 Southeast 40th Street (approximately 0.41 acres) from multifamily to downtown mixed within the South Cape CRA.

Anthony Santora, senior planner, said the parcel is within the CRA and that the applicant’s intent is to bring the parcel into consistency with adjacent properties to the west and allow future zoning to match the South Cape designation. Santora said the property has access to utilities and that staff’s analysis found the request consistent with comprehensive plan policies (policies 1.15, 2.1 and 16.7). City planning and fire reviewed potential impacts and characterized them as low or minor based on maximum-allowable build assumptions.

The applicant’s representative, Scott Hertz, said the owner holds the subject parcel and the adjacent lot; the plan is to combine the lots, demolish existing single-family structures and market the combined parcel for redevelopment. Hertz said the change aligns the parcel with neighboring downtown-mixed properties and the CRA’s goal to remove blight.

Members of the Orchid homeowners association voiced concerns about traffic and scale. Joe Bowen, speaking for the Orchid HOA, said the association is concerned that peak-hour vehicle trips could rise sharply if the parcel — and the adjacent parcel that the applicant plans to sell — were redeveloped. Bowen cited staff peak-trip figures for the subject parcel (staff estimate for maximum allowable build: 73 AM peak trips and 54 PM peak trips) and extrapolated combined totals if both parcels were developed together (he characterized the combined peak as roughly 123 AM and 91 PM), and said residents feared that would adversely affect neighborhood traffic.

Commissioners debated plausible forms of future development and the scale of likely traffic impacts. Staff reiterated that trip estimates in the analysis were based on maximum allowable intensities and that a formal traffic study would be required only if trip generation exceeded established thresholds. Commissioner Santore and others emphasized the CRA goal of removing blight and encouraging assemblage; Commissioners Schwartz and Lemieux raised traffic and neighborhood character concerns. After debate Commissioner Abking, Botana, Martin and York voted to recommend approval; Commissioners Santore, Schwartz and Lemieux voted no.

The recommendation advances to city council. Staff said any actual development proposal would be reviewed later with full site, traffic and infrastructure analysis.