Commission adopts Thornbrooke PD amendments with buffer, landscaping and architecture conditions
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Summary
The Sanford City Commission approved second reading of Ordinance 48‑36 on Oct. 27, allowing restricted‑commercial condominium warehouses at Thornbrooke, subject to a 35‑foot Type‑1 landscape buffer, retention of the existing HOA fence, a 15‑foot front setback and flexible architectural standards.
The Sanford City Commission on Oct. 27 approved second reading of Ordinance 48‑36, an amendment to the Thornbrooke planned development that authorizes restricted commercial condominium‑warehouse uses along North White Cedar Road, subject to specific buffering, landscape and design conditions the commission negotiated after lengthy public testimony.
The ordinance amends the PD to allow RC‑1 (restricted commercial) uses and condominium warehouses on parcels along North White Cedar. The applicant, represented by Mary Solick, proposed reconfigurations to place the warehouse units along the rear of the site to reduce impact on adjacent residences. During second reading, debate focused on the required separation and whether the developer should install a new masonry wall where an existing six‑foot HOA fence sits on private rear lots.
Mary Solick, representing Elevation Cedar Point, said structural and drainage constraints make construction of a masonry wall adjacent to the existing fence impractical and potentially harmful to maintenance and storm drainage. “If we put a wall up against a fence, you make it difficult for both parties on either side to maintain the fence and the wall,” Solick said. Project engineer Calvin Gardner showed revised layouts with units across the rear, a larger landscaped buffer, and reduced front setbacks in exchange for the deeper rear buffer.
City staff and several commissioners raised concerns about sound buffering, maintenance of any gap between fence and wall, and whether the HOA fence was privately owned or on an HOA easement — information that affected whether the city could require a wall. Staff recommended a masonry wall and a 35‑foot buffer under certain industrial‑adjacent conditions, but commissioners ultimately decided to retain the existing fence and require a 35‑foot Type‑1 landscape buffer with specific plantings and staggered canopy trees. In return, the commission agreed to allow a reduced 15‑foot front building setback (measured to the property line) so the applicant could accommodate the preferred unit layout.
The ordinance also directs that the city’s architectural/design standards be applied flexibly to the condominium warehouses (Schedule G/B in code), and that any disagreements between staff and the applicant over architectural elements return to the City Commission rather than defaulting to Planning & Zoning. The commission recorded its approval on second reading; the action included standard conditions for declarations and noise controls the applicant agreed to put into the condominium governance documents.
Why it matters: The decision preserves a deeper vegetated buffer adjacent to a residential neighborhood while allowing the applicant to build a compact, lower‑height warehouse condominium product intended to attract small business tenants. The commission’s negotiated conditions aim to balance neighboring residents’ noise and maintenance concerns with the project’s economic viability.
Vote and next steps: The ordinance passed on second reading with the conditions described; the city will draft the development order and the applicant must submit final condominium documents and landscape plans meeting the Type‑1 buffer requirements before permits are issued.
