Town council adopts rezoning for Lake Placid Church of the Nazarene with lighting limits

Lake Placid — The Lake Placid Town Council on second reading adopted Ordinance 2025‑01 rezoning 512 West Interlake Boulevard from C‑2 (Limited Commercial) to C2PD (Limited Commercial Planned Development) to allow a church and related uses, and attached updated site conditions that require modest new lighting standards for nighttime parking.

The council voted unanimously after brief technical discussion and a clerk‑administered oath for the applicant’s witnesses. Dana Riddell, town planner, reviewed site servicing, circulation and code issues, and said the applicant agreed to the council’s requested changes from first reading.

The ordinance matters to the neighborhood because it changes zoning to allow church activities on a commercial parcel and sets development conditions the applicant must meet at site plan review. Riddell noted the property is served by off‑site potable water and by on‑site septic; the town currently has potable capacity but no immediate connection due to distance, and Highlands County will review off‑site road improvements and permitting as part of later site plan work.

Council members focused on two design conditions that had been added since first reading: tree canopy coverage (to be required but allowed away from vehicular use areas) and lighting. After staff reviewed standards used by comparable Florida communities, council amended the proposed language to require a minimum average of 1.0 foot‑candle across parking areas when those parking areas are in use, and limited lighting to begin one hour before and to end one hour after an evening event in the portion of the site that functions as parking. Council members said the requirement was intended to balance pedestrian safety with avoiding light spill onto neighboring properties.

Mayor John Holbrook and member questions during the hearing also raised site‑plan items to be resolved at commercial plan review: canopy location, parking over grass (the applicant proposed parking on turf in places), coordination on a future multi‑use path and wastewater capacity. Riddell said Central Florida Regional Planning Council staff and Highlands County engineering will be engaged as needed during site plan review.

The council’s motion to approve the ordinance on second reading included the lighting and canopy changes; the motion passed 4‑0 (Council members Worley, Hayes, Charles and Everhart voting yes). The ordinance directs that a final lighting plan demonstrating the 1.0 foot‑candle average and the specified timing be submitted before issuance of any development order.