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Planning board recommends raising industrial building height limit to 50 feet
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Board recommended a text amendment to the ULDC to permit up to 50‑foot building heights in industrial zoning districts (IBC, I‑1, I‑2), with setback adjustments for certain districts; the change was proposed to accommodate an incoming tenant’s machinery needs and to support future advanced manufacturing.
The Hardee County Planning and Zoning Board on Aug. 7 voted to recommend a text amendment to the Unified Land Development Code to increase the permitted maximum building height in industrial zoning districts from 40 feet to 50 feet, with a 20‑foot rear setback for buildings between 40 and 50 feet in the I‑1 district.
Jordan, planning staff, presented an application from the Hardee County Industrial Development Authority requesting the change to Table 303c of the ULDC. Staff said the current 40‑foot limit does not accommodate some vertically integrated or large‑scale manufacturing equipment and that the IDA is designing a facility that needs a clear building height of at least 45 feet. Jeff Schmucker, planning director with the regional planning council, summarized comparative standards in neighboring jurisdictions and said a 50‑foot maximum is common in the region.
Sarah Evers, speaking for the IDA, said the change was prompted by a prospective tenant, Safe Gauge Manufacturing, a company that received a $6 million state grant to construct a medical glove manufacturing facility in the Hardee County Commerce Park; Evers said production equipment for the facility requires roughly 45 feet of internal clearance. "The reason the application was originally submitted was, in fact, because of the facility that we're currently working on for Safe Gauge," Evers said.
Board members asked about setback and fire‑safety implications. Staff noted proposed language would add a 20‑foot rear setback for buildings over 40 feet in the I‑1 district and that the county had consulted fire officials, who raised no objection in staff discussions. One board member said increasing the height to 50 feet "doesn't seem unreasonable." A motion to recommend the text amendment as drafted was seconded and carried.
