LPA recommends employment zoning for 3.49-acre parcel on 62nd Avenue North, forwards FLU-25-11 and ZON-25-09 to county commission

The Pinellas County Local Planning Agency on Dec. 10 recommended approval of a future land-use map amendment (FLU-25-11) and a zoning atlas amendment (ZON-25-09) for a roughly 3.49-acre parcel on 62nd Avenue North in the Leelman Community Redevelopment Area.

Smitha Ambari, principal planner with Housing and Community Development, told the LPA the proposal would change the parcel’s future land use from Residential Low (RL) to Employment (E) and change zoning from RA (residential agriculture) to E‑1, an employment/light industrial category. Ambari said the E/E‑1 categories allow research and light industrial uses, office, warehousing and related support services; the E future land use carries an allowed FAR of about 0.65 and the RL category currently limits residential densities to about five dwelling units per acre and nonresidential FER of 0.4. “Therefore, staff recommends approval,” Ambari said.

Ambari presented technical constraints the board asked to consider: a county traffic estimate that the change could generate up to about 485 additional vehicle trips per day but that 62nd Avenue North currently shows a volume-to-capacity ratio of roughly 44%, which staff said indicates sufficient corridor capacity for the additional trips. She also noted a portion of the site is in the FEMA 100‑year floodplain (AE) and said any future development would have to comply with stormwater and flood‑plain management rules; she added that the Employment future land-use designation would remove the possibility of future residential development on the parcel.

Applicant representative Kevin Riali, speaking for Bel Air Development, said the site sits on a jurisdictional boundary and that no tenant has been identified; he said marketing the property depends on obtaining the land‑use and zoning changes. Riali noted wet areas in the north portion of the parcel and predicted such constraints would reduce the practical intensity of development below the theoretical maximum FAR.

Several LPA members visited or drove by the site and raised questions about municipal boundary mapping and a longstanding cemetery adjacent to the property; one member suggested a separate classification mechanism for cemeteries. Staff replied that countywide and municipal maps use different designations at jurisdictional boundaries and that institutional zoning commonly covers established cemeteries.

No proponents or opponents spoke in person or online during the hearing. Member (speaker 6) moved to approve FLU‑25‑11 and Member (speaker 4) seconded; the LPA approved the motion by voice vote (the transcript records an affirmative voice vote but does not include a roll‑call tally). Member (speaker 6) then moved to approve ZON‑25‑09; that motion also passed by voice vote. The LPA’s recommendation will be transmitted to the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, which is scheduled to consider the items at a public meeting on Jan. 20, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. in the Palm Room at 333 Chestnut Street.

Next steps: the Board of County Commissioners will make the final decision at its scheduled meeting; the LPA recommendation is advisory.