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Planning board backs zoning map move to P‑3 for Riverside Park museum and theater area
Summary
The Planning & Zoning Board unanimously recommended a zoning map amendment to reclassify roughly 22.96 acres of Riverside Park from P‑2 (neighborhood park) to the new P‑3 (community and special facility park) district to reflect existing museum and theater uses and align zoning with recent LDR text changes.
The Vero Beach Planning & Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval of a city‑initiated zoning map amendment to reclassify approximately 22.96 acres at Riverside Park from P‑2 (neighborhood park) to P‑3 (community and special facility park). The change implements a 2023 update to the land development regulations that separates neighborhood park uses from more intensive cultural and institutional uses.
Staff presented the application as an administrative, city‑sponsored request to adjust the zoning map so the portion of Riverside Park that contains the museum and theater and their shared parking is zoned P‑3, which permits art and cultural centers, libraries, museums and performance theaters in addition to park uses. "The P‑3 district allows additional permitted uses such as art and cultural centers, museum and performance theaters," Planning staff member Sherry Fitzgerald said during the staff presentation, and staff recommended approval based on consistency with the comprehensive plan and with the recreation element.
The nut graf: The amendment does not change property ownership or immediately alter existing uses; it aligns zoning to the uses already present on the city‑owned park land and implements changes made to the city's Land Development Regulations last year. Staff concluded the map amendment is consistent with Section 65.28 standards for map amendments, with the comprehensive plan, and would not adversely affect public facilities or the environment because the museum and theater already exist on the site.
Board members asked technical questions about a small FDOT right‑of‑way strip on the parcel’s northeast edge and the presence of a water‑system tank in the park; staff confirmed the narrow strip is FDOT right‑of‑way and that the tank is a city water‑system facility that is a permitted use. The planning director explained that the action is a map amendment only, not a rezoning that would change uses elsewhere, and that any future expansions of museum or theater uses would still require site‑plan review.
At roll call the board recorded Missus Fortunato: Yes; Missus Chaney: Yes; Mr. Kennedy: Yes; Mr. Brown: Yes; Chairman Bittner: Yes, passing the recommendation 5‑0. The item will proceed to the City Council for public hearings and final action, including two readings at council because the affected area is larger than 10 acres.
Ending: Staff said the map amendment is part of an ongoing effort to align the zoning map with recent LDR text amendments; if City Council approves the change at its hearings, the official zoning map will be updated to place the museum and theater area in the P‑3 district.
