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Planning board backs Sandhill DRI amendment to convert multifamily rights to commercial space and limits uses on rezoned parcel
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of two related petitions to amend the Sandhill DRI and to rezone Parcel 5‑16 to PD, authorizing commercial uses in lieu of 104 multifamily units and assigning unallocated commercial rights; protections for wetlands and buffers were part of staff recommendations.
The Charlotte County Planning and Zoning Board voted to forward two related petitions — LAD‑25‑03 (an amendment to the Sandhill DRI development order) and PD‑25‑05 (a PD rezoning) — to the Board of County Commissioners with recommendations of approval.
Jay Shao, community development planner, said the applicant (African Golden Key Properties LLC) requests an exchange of 104 multifamily units for 17,368 square feet of commercial uses on Parcel 5‑16 of Track 5 of the Sandhill DRI; the applicant also asked to assign approximately 14,841 square feet of currently unallocated commercial rights to the parcel so that, collectively, the parcel could authorize about 32,209 square feet of commercial development if approved. The Sandhill DRI covers about 713 acres in the Kings Highway / I‑75 area; the parcel under discussion is roughly 32 acres and staff said it includes about 10.5 acres that would be preserved as park and about 15.67 acres of on‑site wetlands to be preserved.
Shao said the applicant supplied a traffic‑impact statement (TIS) and that staff’s review found the proposed conversion and PD conditions to be consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan and the DRI order when conditioned to limit uses. The PD conditions proposed for Parcel 5‑16 would limit permitted commercial uses to a short list (staff explained exact PD restrictions) and set a 30‑foot maximum building height for new structures. Staff also recommended a minimum 25‑foot buffer from adjacent wetlands and a Type C buffer with a six‑foot opaque fence where commercial uses abut sensitive resources.
Rob Berenson, counsel for the applicant, confirmed the request uses the DRI’s approved equivalency matrix and said a traffic signal at the site would be installed “as the development occurs.” Berenson said the conversion would provide commercial services within the Deep Creek area and that the proposed limits in the PD are designed to minimize impacts on surrounding residential areas.
The board asked clarifying questions about the park designation (staff confirmed the 10.5‑acre area includes an FPL easement and is not a conventional public park), wetlands and buffers, and the list of permitted uses in the PD. After public comment (no speakers registered on the record for this item) the board voted to forward LAD‑25‑03 and PD‑25‑05 to the Board of County Commissioners with recommendations of approval, including PD conditions A through M.
If the BCC adopts the amendments and rezoning, Parcel 5‑16’s use designation and the Sandhill DRI map exhibits would be revised to authorize the stated commercial square footage and the PD would limit uses and require wetlands preservation and buffers as described in the staff report and proposed PD conditions.
