Planning Commission denies Epiphany Cathedral paved parking-lot plan after neighbors raise traffic and drainage concerns

The City of Venice Planning Commission voted 6-1 on May 20, 2025, to deny site development plan petition 24-47SP, a proposal by Epiphany Cathedral to pave and reconfigure an existing shell parking lot and shift its entrance to Park Lane Drive.

Members of the public and several commissioners said the record lacked sufficient technical detail on stormwater runoff, drainage connections and the proposed vehicle ingress and egress to support approval. The applicant and staff said engineering and traffic reviews had found the proposal compliant with city standards.

The petition would convert an existing shell (gravel) overflow lot used by the cathedral, offices and school into a paved, striped lot that meets parking-dimension standards and adds sidewalks and landscaping. Senior planner Nicole Tremblay told the commission that the project had been reviewed by the technical review committee and the city’s engineering and transportation consultants and that “the project would not exceed the 25 year, 24 hour storm event, which is our threshold.”

The cathedral’s building-committee chair, Dave Morley, who acted as agent at the…