Commission tables rezoning request for Mackenzie Road corner after residents cite traffic and safety concerns

The City Commission on Oct. 21 voted to table a requested rezoning of Lot 16, Block 1, Palm Gardens Subdivision (4605 Mackenzie Road) from Residential Single Family (R‑1) to Corridor Commercial (CC) after residents described repeated collisions at the intersection and asked for more data.

Planning staff described the applicant’s intended commercial use as a coffee shop with a bookstore; the staff presentation noted the rezoning request does not approve a site plan. The planner said a displayed sketch supplied by the applicant included a food truck, which would not comply with the Unified Development Code if proposed as a standalone use, and that any new commercial use adjacent to single‑family lots would be required to construct a masonry wall along shared property lines.

Residents who live next to the parcel urged the commission to defer action. Leticia Salas, who said she lives at 4605 Elliott Circle, said she purchased the property as a residence and fears higher taxes, increased traffic and safety risks for nearby Perkins Elementary and neighborhood children. “That street, Central is so busy. Cars pass by at 60 miles an hour all the time. There are accidents right at that corner that are at least once a month,” Salas said.

Julissa Ramirez, who lives on Elliott Circle, told commissioners she has heard nightly collisions and noted a recent crash that injured an 11‑year‑old child. “My main concern really is safety,” she said.

Commissioners heard that the city had mailed 20 notices and received no written oppositions, but that two residents registered verbal opposition at Planning & Zoning. Planning staff and the city engineer met with neighbors before the meeting and discussed possible traffic‑calming measures, including delineators and other lane treatments. Staff told the commission it had already placed equipment to collect traffic counts and expected to finish a formal study quickly.

Motion and schedule: A commissioner moved to table the rezoning request and set it for consideration at the Nov. 18 meeting to allow staff to complete a traffic and crash analysis and present mitigation options. The motion carried by voice vote.

What remains: Even if rezoning is approved later, staff emphasized that a separate site‑plan review and UDC compliance would be required before any commercial use could open, including required access restrictions because a recorded non‑access easement exists along North Central Avenue and parking calculations tied to the use’s square footage.

Proponents and opponents are encouraged to review the planning staff packet and to participate in the Nov. 18 hearing when staff presents the traffic study.