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 hearing, said the lot is unstable in heavy rain, that paving would reduce slip-and-fall risks for older parishioners and that the church had spent years responding to neighborhood concerns. “It will cost us in excess of $200,000 to do this,” Morley said, adding that the proposal includes added sidewalks, landscaping and illuminated crosswalks.

Neighbors in the adjacent island neighborhood spoke in opposition during a six-person public-comment period. Jill Devlin, who lives next to Prentice French Park, told commissioners the park and nearby streets are used by families, children and people walking dogs and urged moving the lot entrance onto Harbor Drive: “Just change the entrance to Harbor Drive, and it’s all taken care of.” Other residents cited existing backups and school pickup congestion on Tarpon Street, shoreward stormwater flowing into neighborhood swales, and the loss of about 32 parking spaces under the proposed code-compliant layout.

Several residents and at least one commissioner questioned why the applicant chose Park Lane Drive for ingress and egress rather than the existing Harbor Drive/Manatee Court access. Agent Alex Wordsworth said the design team considered maintaining access on Manatee Court but that site geometry and the need to meet current drive-aisle and parking-dimension requirements made Park Lane the feasible option. Wordsworth said the proposal was intended to create one-way circulation through the lot and to meet the city’s 50-foot separation and other code requirements.

Planning director Roger Clark confirmed to the commission that the project proposes a new stormwater improvement—a dry retention area in the median and a new pipe that would convey stormwater toward Harbor Drive—and that city engineering had reviewed and deemed the calculations compliant with city regulations. Commissioners asked whether the Harbor Drive outlet pipe is an underground system or a surface discharge; the applicant said the outfall to Harbor Drive is above ground.

Commissioners who voted to deny said their decision was driven by lack of accessible technical experts at the hearing—specifically an engineer or the project architect who could answer detailed questions about the drainage calculations and the traffic and circulation rationale. Commissioner Kent moved to deny, citing insufficient information in the record about stormwater, parking and ingress/egress; the motion was seconded and passed 6-1. The chair voted with the majority.

Staff and the applicant said the denial was procedural—the engineer and traffic consultant had reviewed the plans and issued signoffs during technical review. The commission’s denial means the site development plan was not approved and the applicant may revise materials and return with additional technical documentation and, if desired, the project team’s technical experts present.

The record shows the lot is currently accessed from Manatee Court, that the parcel’s future land use is institutional professional and that the zoning is OPI. The staff report recommended that the commission consider comprehensive plan strategies for institutional uses and the development standards in the City of Venice Land Development Code when evaluating consistency.

The commission closed the public hearing and moved to the next agenda item after the vote. The city’s planning office will retain the project file for any resubmittal or revised petition.