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Planning board approves conditional use permit for Marybeth Mercantile at County Road 52
Summary
The board approved a conditional use permit for a new 5,000‑square‑foot retail building (Marybeth Mercantile) at County Road 52 and Thomas Jefferson Street in the city’s Neighborhood Commercial (CN) district, subject to landscaping and tree‑removal conditions.
The Dade City Planning Board approved a conditional use permit for Marybeth Mercantile, a proposed 5,000‑square‑foot single‑story retail building at the triangle parcel formed by Thomas Jefferson Street and County Road 52.
Staff described the property as CN (Neighborhood Commercial) zoning, where a clothing store requires conditional use approval rather than being permitted by right. Catherine Ralston, the city’s Community and Economic Development director, told the board the site “currently is mostly full of vegetation” after a small commercial building was demolished two years ago and that the proposed building is designed to blend with adjacent residential neighborhoods through lap siding, gables and other residential‑scale details.
Why it matters: the CN district in this location allows small commercial uses to serve nearby neighborhoods, but the code requires conditional use review for some retail types. The board’s vote clears the land‑use hurdle so the applicant can pursue final site plan and building permits.
Staff conditions and environmental checks
Staff recommended approval with conditions addressing parking‑lot landscaping and tree removal. Ralston said the site plan currently shows 11 parking spaces in a row along the front and requires an additional landscape planter so that no more than 10 spaces run continuously without a planting island; staff will work with the applicant to amend the plan. She also reminded the board that a tree‑removal permit is required before removing any existing trees on the site.
Board discussion touched on potential environmental screening because the parcel previously hosted a dry‑cleaning business. Board members asked if a Phase I environmental assessment would be required; staff said environmental review is typically done at the building‑permit stage and that, because the use remains commercial, stricter change‑of‑use environmental triggers are less likely. The applicant was not present at the hearing.
Board action
On a motion to approve with staff conditions, the board voted in favor and the conditional use permit passed. The approval is conditioned on the applicant revising the parking layout to meet the landscape‑island requirement and on obtaining required tree‑removal permits and any environmental studies required at permitting.
Next steps: The applicant will update the site plan to resolve the parking‑lot landscaping issue, apply for tree‑removal authorization as needed, and proceed to building permit review and any environmental review required for final construction.
