Plantation planning board rejects request to amend code to permit Second Cycle donation trailers

The Plantation Planning & Zoning Board voted 6–1 on June 7 to reject a proposed amendment (PP24-0031) to the city's land development code that would have allowed branded donation trailers operated by Second Cycle (a business of M and M Thrift Management) in select commercial and community facility zoning districts.

The board's decision follows a staff recommendation that the code change be denied. "We find the code lacks sufficient standards concerning the location of donation uses and donation trailers and that insufficient maintenance and oversight of donation trailers detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the city," Michael Albert, Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning, told the board during the public hearing.

The applicant and operator representatives said their model provides staff on site, monitoring and community programming. "These trailers all have bathrooms in them. They also have office space...the design of these trailers is significantly nicer than what you would see with the average trailer," Will Laejstrom, who represented Second Cycle, said. Sal Faruja, described in the presentation as Second Cycle's director of real estate, outlined prior community engagement and said the operation is run with on-site…