Venice council hears appeal of Village at Laurel and Jacaranda site plan; affected‑party status granted

Venice City Council on a quasi‑judicial appeal heard competing testimony about a proposed commercial center at the southwest corner of Laurel Road and Jacaranda Boulevard — the “Village at Laurel and Jacaranda” site and development plan, petition 22‑40‑SP — and granted affected‑party status to resident Gary Scott.

Nicole Trumbly, senior planner for the City of Venice, told council the application was submitted in February 2022 and is part of the Milano planned unit development (PUD). The developer, Border and Jacaranda Holdings LLC, proposes two retail buildings totaling 61,375 square feet, under the rezoning limit of 70,240 square feet established by the Milano binding master plan amendment. The plan shows 328 parking spaces where 201 would be required, maximum building height of 42 feet with the proposal at about 30 feet 8 inches, and about 1.4 acres reserved for future development that would need its own site plan approval.

Why it matters: council is conducting a de novo review of a planning commission approval; its decision must be based on competent, substantial evidence about consistency with the comprehensive plan, the land‑development code and the Milano binding master plan. The issues raised at the hearing — intensity of use, safe ingress and egress at Laurel Road, and stormwater/drainage — are the same topics that were litigated during the prior rezoning proceedings and are cited in the appellant’s materials.

Staff and technical review: Trumbly told council the petition was processed under the city’s Chapter 86 procedures (the code in force when the application was filed), reviewed by the Technical Review Committee, and found technically compliant with the applicable development standards. She said the transportation impact analysis and the city’s traffic consultant confirmed compliance with required mobility and concurrency standards. She also said city engineering reviewed the drainage submission and found it compliant with requirements; the applicant holds a permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD).

Applicant presentation and stipulations: Jeffrey Boone, attorney for the applicant, and Pat Neal, the applicant representative, summarized the plan and told council the planning…