Commissioners amend Harborview DRI, approve updates and allow conditioned commercial option at interchange; Buc-ee’s plan draws local opposition

After months of public hearings and extensive public comment, the Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners approved a package of updates to the long‑standing Harborview Development of Regional Impact (DRI) and associated Planned Development (PD) zoning, and transmitted the DRI’s large‑scale plan amendment to state agencies for review.

Key board actions and votes (May 27): - The board transmitted the large‑scale plan amendment for the "Tarpon Waterfront Village" (Harborview) map changes to state review agencies; that transmittal vote passed 3–2. Commissioners Constance and Selig opposed the transmission. - The board later voted (4–1) to adopt an updated DRI resolution and PD ordinance that include: increasing permanent preservation and open‑space acreage (from the earlier DRI baseline to roughly 225 acres), removal of the previously‑approved public marina from the DRI, and insertion of an updated land‑use equivalency matrix intended to cap net traffic/trip impacts across the full DRI footprint. - The board also adopted an amended affordable‑housing condition that sets aside 10% of total housing units in the DRI for affordable housing, allocated at 20% very‑low income (50% AMI), 40% low‑income (80% AMI) and 40% moderate‑income (120% AMI) levels. The affordable condition was developed during the hearing and accepted by the developer. The DRI and PD measures passed 4–1, with Commissioner Deutsch voting no on the final resolutions and ordinances.

What changed and why: The Harborview DRI traces back to approvals in the 1990s and was revised in 2010. The most recent package of amendments removes the previously‑approved public marina, reconfigures where commercial and residential uses may be placed across the DRI’s three “villages” (North, East and West), and adds a formal equivalency or conversion matrix to exchange some kinds of development rights (for example, trade off commercial trip‑generators vs. multifamily units) while keeping the DRI’s overall trip cap stable. Developers and staff said the combination of changes adds preservation acreage and reduces some of the highest‑intensity residential rights in the coastal hazard area while providing a regulated path for a major commercial node at the I‑75/Harborview interchange.

Buc‑ee’s and public concern: The west‑village commercial configuration discussed by the developer includes an option for a large interstate‑oriented travel center, which the developer has described as Buc‑ee’s or similar in scale. That option generated most of the public testimony. Speakers highlighted concerns about traffic, hurricane evacuation, effects to the Peace River and Charlotte Harbor (including listed species such as small‑tooth sawfish and scrub‑jay habitat), noise and light pollution, and local water and sewer availability. Supporters noted potential jobs, tax revenue and a major operator’s capacity to fund interchange improvements.

Transportation commitments and process: Commissioners and public reviewers pressed for detailed traffic mitigation. Staff noted the DRI will require phased traffic studies and that FDOT is working with the developer on detailed interchange improvements. The developer and Buc‑ee’s representatives said they will fund and construct interchange and frontage upgrades associated with any major travel‑center option before the business opens; the board added conditions requiring finished‑floor/storm‑surge analyses for future site plans.

Next steps: Because the DRI amendment was transmitted to state agencies, the county will receive state comments and return material to the board for final adoption of the large‑scale plan amendment after state review concludes. Final PD site plans, stormwater permits and federal environmental permits (as needed) will be required before vertical construction. Commissioners asked for frequent progress reports and repeated that final site plans will have to meet flood, wildlife and traffic conditions set out in the adopted DRI and PD language.

Votes at a glance (Harborview DRI/PD package): - UB7 (Large‑scale FLU amendment): transmitted to state review — vote 3–2 (Constance, Selig opposed). - UB8 (DRI resolution, adopted with conditions): approved 4–1 (Deutsch opposed). - UB9 (PD ordinance adoption with amendments): approved 4–1 (Deutsch opposed). - UB10 (associated DRI technical amendments/DRI ordinance): approved 4–1 (Deutsch opposed).

The package represents a negotiated set of tradeoffs by the county and the developer: more preserved land and explicit affordable‑housing language in exchange for a reconfiguration of where commercial and residential rights may be used within the Harborview study area. It also creates an enforceable process for phased traffic analysis, finished‑floor/storm‑surge studies and federal/state environmental permitting at the site‑plan stage.