Planning board approves special exception to convert North Ocean Shore house into a restaurant with 3-year completion requirement

Flagler County staff presented Project 2025070042 on Nov. 12, a special-exception request to convert an existing single-family dwelling on North Ocean Shore Boulevard to a restaurant. Staff said the parcel is just under one acre (approx. 38,844 sq ft). The conceptual plan proposed about 816 sq ft of seating area (the metric used to calculate restaurant parking), 23 compacted-shell parking spaces plus 2 paved ADA spaces, a dumpster located in an existing garage, and conceptual landscape buffers including the 40-foot buffer adjacent to A1A. Because the applicant proposes compacted shell for much of the parking surface, staff conditioned approval on the applicant obtaining a waiver from the Board of County Commissioners for parking-surface materials if necessary.

At the hearing board members asked whether required on-site retention, water-management permits, utility connections and other engineering items would be resolved at the TRC/engineered site-plan stage; staff confirmed those items would be addressed later and that the Planning Board was approving the conceptual use and conformance to special-exception criteria.

Public commenters raised parking and delivery concerns. Dennis Clark (Scenic A1A) urged a condition that any increase in seating or employees would require additional on-site parking and warned large delivery trucks might use the right-of-way if turns are tight. A nearby restaurateur, Brent Prunz, spoke in favor, saying the Hammock area needs more higher-quality dining options.

The applicant said the property currently contains a circular/coquina driveway, that septic had been replaced and could be converted to sewer, and that he expected to provide the parking shown. After discussion, the board approved the special exception with the standard site-specific conditions from staff and added a three-year completion requirement; the motion carried unanimously.

Conditions include limiting the special exception to restaurant use as described, requiring development to occur in substantial conformance with the conceptual site plan, securing any necessary BOCC waivers (for parking surface material), undergrounding new utility service drops where required, preserving index trees, screening refuse containers, and meeting marine sea-turtle lighting requirements where applicable. Additional engineering, drainage and permit approvals will be required at the TRC/engineering stage.