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DRC presses Cold Logistics expansion on stormwater, truck staging and loading-berth code
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Summary
The DRC reviewed a Major Development Plan to add roughly 140,000 sq ft to an existing Cold Logistics site; discussion focused on Mayflower Drive drainage, spreader swale discharge calculations, on-site truck staging to prevent off-site stacking, gate/access upgrades and a code dispute over 15-foot loading berths (applicant's standard is 14.5 ft).
At the Nov. 5 Apopka Development Review Committee meeting, staff and the applicant discussed a major expansion of an existing Cold Logistics site that would add roughly 140,000 square feet of warehouse space.
The applicant described engineering constraints on Mayflower Drive that prevent routing all stormwater on-site because of a 10-foot drop to Lakeview Drive and a high water table. "Mayflower Drive's only 18 feet wide. So we're changing that to be 34 feet to allow higher, a wider area to kind of allow stacking not to necessarily occur on along Mayflower," an applicant representative said, summarizing planned roadway widening and shoulder extension. The applicant proposed swales, check dams and a curb for a level spreader to reduce post-development runoff, but acknowledged the design cannot capture all runoff on site.
Public works warned short spreader swales can become point discharges and asked the applicant to show calculations for discharge per foot and consider additional retention or extending the swale. "We've been getting a lot of complaints about these spreader swales because they actually become point discharges," a public works representative said, and requested either a longer spreader or total retention calculations.
Departments also raised operational concerns about truck queuing on Mayflower. A department representative described resident complaints that trucks stack overnight, cause noise and can block emergency access. In response, Jackson Gerhovec of Tippman Construction said the project adds on-site staging and parking so trucks check in and stage inside the property, reducing off-site queueing. "...we can have up to 6 trucks staged there before they go all the way out to where any property would see them," Gerhovec said.
Planning staff flagged code requirements for loading areas and said loading berths must meet a 15-foot standard. The contractor said its center-to-center spacing averages 14 feet 6 inches and that increasing to 15 feet for 22 doors would increase building width and cost substantially. "If the code states that it needs to be minimum 15 each of them, it has to be 15 because it's stated in the code," planning staff said; staff advised the applicant that a variance would require proof of hardship.
Staff also clarified environmental and permitting scope: Phase I environmental assessment is required for all portions of a parcel where new construction is proposed, and traffic-impact improvements listed in the submitted TIA (Mayflower and U.S. 441) are the baseline off-site obligations; staff said they would provide additional TIA comments by the end of the week.
The parties agreed to provide additional calculations, supply lift-station tie-in pressures on request, and schedule a separate call to finalize the Mayflower drainage approach and gate/access details before planning board and city council review.
