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Council approves rezoning to split lot on Davis Islands despite staff concern over study area
Summary
Council voted unanimously on first reading to rezone 118 Bosphorus Avenue from RS-60 to RS-50 to allow subdivision into two single-family parcels; city staff said the request was inconsistent with the development pattern used in staff’s analysis while Planning Commission staff and the applicant argued consistency and cited precedents.
Tampa City Council voted unanimously on first reading to rezone 118 Bosphorus Avenue on Davis Islands from RS-60 to RS-50, clearing the way for the property owner to subdivide an oversized lot into two single-family parcels.
Christopher Dimanche and Emily Phelan, planning commission staff, presented competing analyses. Development Coordination staff told council the rezoning (REZ2506) was inconsistent with the broader study-area development pattern used in the staff conforming-map analysis and cited Comprehensive Plan policy 9.3.8 as the analytical basis. Staff’s study area identified that, overall, about 51% of parcels had widths of 60 feet or greater and 49% were narrower, and staff said the request was not consistent with the existing development pattern in the overall study area.
Emily Phelan, Planning Commission staff, countered that in the immediate vicinity and on the subject block the proposed RS-50 zoning would be consistent with the density anticipated under the Residential 10 future land use designation and would permit two lots approximately 50–56 feet wide, “consistent with the established lot pattern of the neighborhood.” Phelan recommended approval, noting the proposal supports infill development on an underutilized site.
Applicant Alex Rios of Rios Architecture argued the rezoning aligns with nearby precedents and is compatible with adjacent higher-density zoning (PD and RM-24) to the north; he highlighted a recent comparable approval at 206 Chippewa Avenue. A public speaker, Haley Dalton, identified herself as a public policy student and supported the rezoning, citing policy LU objectives on compatible development and infill.
Council members questioned staff about why certain blocks were included in the study area and why other nearby higher-density parcels (PD, RM) were excluded from particular elements of staff’s analysis. The exchange underscored competing interpretations of which surrounding parcels should inform consistency with the development pattern.
The council moved and seconded the ordinance for first reading; the motion passed unanimously. Second reading and adoption were scheduled for May 15, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Old City Hall.
