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Oldsmar council authorizes continued negotiations on revised downtown concept after public concerns over parking and traffic
Summary
The City Council voted 4–1 to accept a revised conceptual plan from Stanbury Development for an 8‑acre downtown site and authorized the city manager to continue negotiations; council and residents pressed for parking, traffic, stormwater studies and stronger public‑use guarantees for the proposed 2‑acre plaza.
The Oldsmar City Council voted 4–1 on Nov. 18 to accept a revised conceptual plan from Stanbury Development and authorized the city manager to continue negotiations on a development agreement for an 8‑acre downtown parcel adjacent to City Hall.
Stanbury representatives told the council they had "increased retail to more than 20,000 square feet" and reconfigured residential massing to a single four‑story building while expanding the public plaza. The team said the public plaza at The Point would be about 2 acres and could be expanded by allowing curbless parking to be used as event space.
The vote followed more than an hour of public comment and a detailed council Q&A. Residents pressed the city and developers for answers on parking supply, traffic circulation and stormwater. Maria Eugenia Varejo, a Forest Lake resident, told the council she was “completely disagree[ing] with that” project because of the scale, saying the proposed apartment building could add "800 people" to a small area and overwhelm existing parking and roads. Other commenters asked how City Hall would be preserved or relocated and whether the project would preserve Oldsmar’s small‑town character.
Council members said they expect the concept to evolve as technical studies are completed. Council Member Knapp — who moved the motion to authorize continued negotiations — and others urged developers to consider a parking deck if feasibility allows. Stanbury said shared‑parking analyses, traffic studies and stormwater modeling will follow and that the plan is intended to strike a balance between residential, retail and public space.
The council’s roll call on the motion to accept the revised concept and permit further negotiations was: Vice Mayor Graber — Yes; Council Member Taiszewski — No; Council Member Knapp — Yes; Council Member Swagger — Yes; Mayor Gannon — Yes. The motion passed 4–1.
Next steps include developer‑funded technical studies (parking, traffic, stormwater), drafting a development agreement, and additional public engagement; staff and the developer will return with more detailed analyses before any site plan or final approvals.
Votes at a glance: Motion to accept the revised conceptual plan and authorize the city manager to continue negotiations — Outcome: approved 4–1 (roll call recorded above).
