Planning commission recommends rezoning and future‑land‑use change for 46.21 acres near Thompson Nursery Road

At its Nov. 3 meeting the City of Winter Haven Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Commission approve two related requests — PD‑25‑36 and PD‑25‑37 — by Vmar Dev LLC and Cunningham Investors LLC to amend future land use on a parcel and part of an adjacent parcel from Neighborhood Suburban to Neighborhood Support and to rezone the same area from Planned Unit Development (PUD) to Commercial‑Highway (C‑3). The subject area totals approximately 46.21 acres near the northeast corner of Thompson Nursery Road and Cunningham Road.

Staff said the proposed neighborhood‑support land use and C‑3 zoning align with the property’s frontage on an arterial road and the city’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan goal to concentrate commercial uses around key intersections. Staff noted the Villamar subdivision already contains about 1,792 residential units and more than 1,000 additional housing units lie within a short distance; staff also said maximum theoretical commercial development under C‑3 could be as large as approximately 503,118 square feet based on floor‑area‑ratio calculations. Staff concluded the proposed change is consistent with the comprehensive plan and recommended that the Planning Commission forward a recommendation of approval to the City Commission.

During public comment, Terra Nova Homeowners Association president David Koschevski described standing water and flooding on the undeveloped parcel and questioned prior changes to the developer’s plans and the timing for Eloise Loop/Thompson Nursery Road connectivity. Resident Wendy Kootner expressed concerns about trespass and safety if commercial uses abut the neighborhood. In response, staff and the applicant’s engineer, John Banda of Wooden Associates, said portions of the site lie in floodplain, that stormwater and compensating storage will be addressed through required permits (including water‑management district and FEMA rules where applicable), and that a significant portion of the 46 acres will be used for stormwater retention, buffers and floodplain compensation. Staff and a traffic consultant said projected peak‑hour trip generation for the previously permitted 219 homes would have been roughly 200 PM peak‑hour trips, while many retail uses generate far fewer PM peak trips per 1,000 sq ft; staff emphasized that concurrency, driveway permitting and site‑plan review will determine final mitigation and that developers may be required to construct roadway improvements if the proposed use warrants them.

A commissioner moved and seconded to approve the land‑use amendment and rezoning recommendation; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote and forwarded the matter to the City Commission for final action. Staff noted final site plans, permitting and concurrency review remain necessary before any development or construction can occur.