Local Planning Agency backs rezoning, land‑use change for 3.2‑acre Winchester/Kersey subdivision; recommends 11 homes

The Pinellas County Local Planning Agency on the March meeting voted to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve a future land‑use map amendment and a rezoning that would allow a single‑family subdivision across two adjacent parcels at 1736 Winchester Road and 2281 Kersey Road. The agency’s recommendation to the BOCC includes the removal of a proposed 25‑foot landscape buffer on the southwest portion of the site and a cap of 11 lots, down from the applicant’s initial request for 12.

The change would combine a 2.18‑acre property along Winchester Road that already carried a conditional overlay with a 1.02‑acre parcel on Kersey Road to create a 3.2‑acre development site. Staff described the requested future land‑use change for the Kersey parcel from Residential Suburban (2.5 units/acre) to Residential Low (5 units/acre) and a zoning atlas amendment to R‑3 with a conditional overlay across the combined site.

County planning staff told the LPA the applicant’s package proposes to increase the maximum number of lots on the combined site from seven (under the existing conditional overlay for the Winchester parcel) to 12, remove a previously required minimum lot size (9,500 square feet) and an 80‑foot minimum lot width, and retain several setback requirements. The applicant agreed during the hearing to withdraw a proposed 25‑foot landscape buffer on the southwest portion of the site and later offered to limit the development to 11 lots as part of the board discussion.

Staff and applicant presentations

Planning staff said the northern parcel on Kersey Road is the only one…