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 attendants and box-truck collection to a warehouse.

Staff framed its recommendation around compatibility with the city's commercial districts and comprehensive plan. Albert told the board the proposed amendment did not fully meet criteria in Section 2,743 of the development code, citing inconsistencies with goals and policies related to preserving the central character of commercial corridors and maintaining cohesive signage and aesthetics.

The applicant proposed narrow siting and operational standards to address staff concerns: limiting trailers to grocery-anchored shopping centers (anchors of 25,000+ sq ft), requiring 100+ parking spaces at the center, locating only one trailer per shopping center with a one-mile buffer between trailers, a 50-foot setback from residential zones, minimum hours (8+ hours/day, 7 days/week with an attendant on site), security cameras, lighting, restroom and office space, and restrictions to collection-only (no on-site sorting or distribution). Laejstrom said the Vizcaya Square site where the trailer had been operating is one of Second Cycle's higher-performing locations and that a trailer typically occupies about five parking spaces.

Board members pressed on several practical issues: how often trailers are emptied, whether box-truck pickups block traffic, lease arrangements with shopping-center owners, who benefits financially, and the charity relationship. The applicant said pickups are scheduled when trailers fill and are collected by box trucks to a Doral warehouse; he declined to specify the contract payment terms in detail but said goods are weighed at the warehouse and a payment is made to the charity partner. The applicant reported the Vizcaya location averaged "8.41 donations a day" and that the current operation is running under a temporary permit.

Board members also raised enforcement and equity questions. Some members pointed to existing donation options in Plantation (Goodwill, Salvation Army, church drives) and said trailers can look like an "afterthought" even when purpose-built. Several board members expressed concerns over the applicant's for-profit operating model and the lack of a clear, verifiable figure for how much revenue reaches the charity partner. Staff confirmed the temporary special-event permit that allowed the trailer on site had been approved in error and later rescinded; staff said the applicant's temporary permit had been administratively extended through July 31 to allow time for review, and administrators could extend it further if needed during the code amendment process.

The board moved to "reject both the application and the city staff's version" of the amendment. On roll call the motion carried: yes votes from Michael Stahl, Miss Demby Burger, Chair John Corman, Michael Goldstein, Mr. Delagrange and Miss Gelfond; a single no vote from Mr. Freeman. The motion therefore denied the code change as presented to the board and sent no approval recommendation to city council.

What the vote means: the Planning & Zoning Board's recommendation is advisory to the City Council; a staff-administered temporary permit remains in place through July 31 and may be administratively extended while the city and applicant consider next steps. The city's land development code will remain unchanged unless a future council-approved ordinance alters it.

Votes at a glance: Motion to reject proposed code amendment PP24-0031 (deny permitting donation trailers as a permitted use or under staff proposal) — Motion: to reject both the application and staff version; Mover/Seconder: not specified in the meeting record; Vote tally: Yes 6 (Stahl; Demby Burger; Corman; Goldstein; Delagrange; Gelfond), No 1 (Freeman); Outcome: motion carried (rejection approved).