Cold Link Logistics seeks 13-foot height variance amid neighborhood traffic concerns

Cold Link Logistics requested a zoning variance on April 30 to increase allowable building height at 2560 West Orange Blossom Trail from 45 feet to 58 feet to accommodate higher racking and taller forklifts, company representatives told the Development Review Committee.

Carlos Lopez, senior representative for Cold Link Logistics, said the company has occupied the site since 2020 and needs vertical expansion to meet customer demand. "Once we do this expansion, we have been on the property for 2020 and have a big demand for more space due to customers growing in the area," Lopez said. He described industry trends toward taller racking and taller forklifts as the justification for the variance request.

City staff explained the land development code sets a 45-foot maximum building height in the light-industrial zoning district and that the requested 58-foot height would require a variance determined by the Planning Commission; an applicant may appeal a denial to city council. The DRC recorded no objections to the height variance from community development, police, fire, or building staff at the meeting but noted the variance process is separate and final determinations rest with the Planning Commission.

Committee members and public-safety staff raised traffic concerns that are separate from the height variance but relevant to the site’s plan. A traffic impact analysis submitted with the rezoning and future land-use amendment proposes improvements on Mayflower Drive and coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation to add or extend a left-turn lane on West Orange Blossom Trail. DRC members warned that inadequate turn lanes and queuing could push truck stacking into nearby residential streets, including Lakeview, during peak receiving times.

A police-department representative said off-site truck queuing into neighborhood streets has been a recurring complaint from residents. Lopez said the applicant’s plan calls for on-site circulation improvements and collaboration with DOT; he added the company plans to expand Mayflower and work with DOT on the left-turn lane. "We are going to be improving Mayflower going into the Coldlink Logistics," a consultant with Kimley-Horn said during the meeting.

At the DRC, fire and building officials reported no objections to a height variance but emphasized that traffic and access details would be part of later site-plan reviews. The committee reiterated that even if the Planning Commission approves a variance, traffic mitigation and specific access designs must be resolved through site-plan and roadway-permitting processes and DOT coordination.

The variance request will proceed to the Planning Commission for a hardship determination; if denied there, the applicant may appeal to city council.