Council approves second reading of Ordinance 7‑33 to rezone River Park area

The Brandon City Council approved the second reading of Ordinance 7‑33 to rezone an area in River Park after the applicant revised lot access and unit counts following planning commission review.

Planning and zoning initially did not recommend approval under the original layout, which included a drive through the middle of the plan. The applicant, represented at the meeting by Jordan Heffner on behalf of Van Buskirk, amended the design to move access drives to the sides of fourplex properties and reduced the proposed northern tract from five units to four. Planning and zoning reviewed the revised layout and issued a recommendation to adopt the rezone by a 4–2 vote; commissioners who opposed cited concerns about access and potential commercial traffic adjacent to residential lots.

Jordan Heffner, speaking for the applicant, described the revised plan and said each property would have its own separate entrance. After a motion and second, councilmembers voted in favor of the ordinance’s second reading; the mayor announced the motion carries. The vote advanced the rezoning consistent with the revised site layout and the planning commission’s most recent recommendation.

The council did not discuss specific purchasers or final commercial site plans; staff noted that commercial layouts remain tentative and dependent on future buyers. Councilmembers may still consider remaining CIP and planning priorities in upcoming meetings, but the second reading cleared the ordinance to move forward under the revised plan.