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Council approves rezone of 108 West Park Street despite neighborhood opposition
Summary
The Brandon City Council voted 3–2 to rezone 108 West Park Street from Natural Resources to General Business, an action staff said allows future conditional-use applications (such as a cell tower) to be filed with Planning & Zoning; neighbors argued the change threatens property values and student safety.
The Brandon City Council approved Ordinance 7-46, rezoning 108 West Park Street from NRC (Natural Resources) to General Business after a split vote.
Staff member Patrick told the council the rezone “lays the foundation, but you would still have to apply for a conditional use permit if it was required,” and that any conditional-use application would go before Planning & Zoning first and only come to the council if appealed. He also noted publication and a 20-day referendum period before the ordinance becomes effective.
During the public-comment period residents described concerns about a potential cell tower tied to the rezoning. Susan Lucia of 1813 South Parkview Boulevard said she would not have bought her house if a tower had been there and warned that nearby properties could lose value; she also argued the town did not need additional cellular capacity and said, “If this tower goes up, we will sell our home.”
Council members took a roll call vote on the ordinance. The recorded votes were: Fish — aye; Johnson — aye; Cole — aye; Marceau — nay; Steen — nay. The motion carried 3–2.
Presiding officer reminded residents that the rezone does not itself approve specific uses: the ordinance “has to get published in the newspaper. There's a 20 day referendum period before it becomes effective,” after which applicants could submit conditional-use permit applications to Planning & Zoning.
The council approved the ordinance on second reading at the meeting; staff and members said any conditional-use application for a tower would follow established review procedures and that residents concerned about siting should monitor Planning & Zoning agendas after the ordinance becomes effective on Dec. 3.
Next procedural steps: if no successful referendum is filed during the 20-day postpublication period, the zoning change becomes effective and any conditional-use permit applications must be submitted to Planning & Zoning for review.
