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Zoning board backs commercial node at Bell Lane with neighborhood-use limits, bars gas stations
Summary
The Santa Rosa County Zoning Board recommended rezoning 5.23 acres on Bell Lane to Highway Commercial Development but limited allowable uses to smaller "neighborhood commercial" types and prohibited gas stations after public comment and applicant discussion.
The Santa Rosa County Zoning Board on an advisory vote recommended rezoning a 5.23-acre parcel on Bell Lane from R-2 (medium-density residential) to HCD (Highway Commercial Development), subject to conditions limiting uses to neighborhood-scale commercial activities and excluding gas stations.
The proposed rezoning, advanced by developer representative Clint Fisher, was described by the applicant as intended to provide small-scale commercial amenities for new and existing nearby neighborhoods. "This project was part of an overall master plan... It could be a coffee shop, whether it's a donut shop," Fisher told the board, arguing a small commercial node would serve residents within walking or biking distance.
The rezoning prompted substantial public comment. Tom Sharon, who identified himself as chairman of the newly formed homeowners association for The Woodlands subdivision, said the community does not want additional commercial uses on that stretch of Bell Lane and expressed concerns about traffic and stormwater. "We don't want commercial," Sharon said. Multiple residents echoed worries about traffic, safety and adequate notice for nearby homeowners.
Board members discussed alternatives, including a narrower neighborhood-commercial classification. Commissioner-level questions focused on the site’s existing stormwater retention pond and the adjacency of other already-zoned commercial parcels on Bell Lane. Staff noted the parcel’s future-land-use designation as mixed residential-commercial and that similar rezonings had been approved nearby.
At the end of discussion the board voted to recommend approval of the rezoning to HCD with two explicit conditions: restrict allowable uses to types typical of neighborhood commercial districts (coffee shops, small restaurants, medical offices, retail) and prohibit gas stations. The motion passed by voice vote with no recorded objection. The board’s recommendation goes to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.
Next steps: the rezoning recommendation will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners at its next public hearing; any permits, site plans, parking and stormwater requirements must be satisfied during review.
Votes at a glance • Case 202428 R (DHC Woodlands LLC): Recommended approval to rezone 5.23 acres from R-2 to HCD with conditions limiting uses to neighborhood-scale commercial and prohibiting gas stations. Outcome: recommended to BOCC.
