Planning board recommends approval of Sutton Crossings Ace Hardware site plan, denies proposed drive‑thru waiver

The Planning and Zoning Board LPA of Winter Springs unanimously recommended approval Thursday of final engineering and site plans for a proposed Ace Hardware store and three additional retail spaces on a 5.88‑acre parcel at the northeast corner of Tuscawilla Road and Michael Blake Boulevard, but declined to recommend approval of a proposed side‑yard drive‑through.

Tara Lynn Roll, director of community development, told the board the applicant, EPB Engineering on behalf of the Sutton Crossings team, submitted an application for a 5.88‑acre site in the Town Center T‑5 transect and that staff reviewed final engineering, stormwater, transportation and parking analysis and six waiver requests. Roll said staff recommended approval of five waivers but was not recommending approval of the waiver to allow a drive‑through on the side yard because the traffic analysis provided did not factor the drive‑through.

The board’s recommendation would forward the project to the City Commission on May 12. The application package proposes an Ace Hardware with a garden center and three additional tenant suites; two of those tenant suites already have leases, Roll said.

Why it matters: the project includes multiple waivers and conditions that affect how the site will be built and operated, and the board’s recommendation sends the application to the City Commission with explicit conditions and concerns flagged for further review.

Key details

- Location and applicant: a 5.88‑acre parcel at the northeast corner of Tuscawilla Road and Michael Blake Boulevard; applicant represented by EPB Engineering and the Sutton Crossings team. - Proposed uses: Ace…