Planning board recommends approval of All Florida site plan, allows metal exterior exception

The City of Newberry Planning & Zoning Board on Jan. 5 recommended approval of a site‑and‑development plan for a project identified as All Florida, including an exception to allow metal as an exterior finish.

Jean Paul Perez, Community Development staff, told the board the proposal for tax parcel 01924‑002‑000 includes roughly 3,000–4,000 square feet of retail/office space, about 4,000 square feet of warehouse and a 3,750‑square‑foot covered outdoor storage building on a roughly 3.5‑acre site. He said the metal exterior requires Board of Adjustment approval under the overlay district; staff recommended the board forward a recommendation to adopt the draft resolution granting site‑plan approval with a standard condition that site lighting be dark‑sky friendly.

"The request before the board tonight is for a site and development plan for All Florida," Perez said, and noted the Board of Adjustment hearing is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2026.

Christopher Gammier, the applicant's agent, described site constraints and mitigation measures. He said the stormwater pond had to be placed toward the front of the site under required standards, which increased the setback between State Road 26 and the proposed building, and that landscaping and a required six‑to‑eight‑foot opaque fence will screen outdoor storage. "We wanna help put at ease the metal surface that's gonna be on portions of the building," Gammier said, explaining the front façade will be stucco and stone while metal will be used mainly on less visible elevations and painted to reduce visual impact.

Board members asked whether temporary sanitation was permitted; the applicant and staff said state law limits temporary sanitation systems to one year in the worst‑case scenario. The board also questioned potential noise impacts on an adjacent daycare; Andrew Fuller, identified in the record as representing the current operations, said deliveries generate typical vehicle noise and not manufacturing‑style impacts.

After questions and discussion about traffic, landscaping and screening, a board member moved to recommend approval of the site plan and the metal exterior exception. The board voted unanimously to forward the recommendation to the Board of Adjustment.

The Board of Adjustment will consider the staff resolution and the record on Jan. 26, 2026, where the Board of Adjustment has authority to act on the exterior‑finish exception and final site approval.