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Stuart planning agency backs Popeyes at Windermere Point but limits signage and asks for design tweaks
Summary
The Local Planning Agency voted to recommend the City Commission approve a major amendment to the Windermere Point CPUD to allow a 1,995 sq ft Popeyes with dual drive-through lanes, while asking that signage be reduced to six wall signs and architectural details be adjusted to better match the plaza. Residents raised traffic, trash and buffer concerns.
The Local Planning Agency of the City of Stuart voted to forward a recommendation to the City Commission to approve a major amendment to the Windermere Point commercial planned unit development that would allow a 1,995-square-foot Popeyes restaurant with dual drive-through lanes on Phase 3B at 1961 Northwest Federal Highway.
Planner Michelle Arbazow told the board that the application seeks to amend the CPUD master site plan to eliminate a previously approved retail component and authorize the restaurant as the sole use for the parcel. Staff noted the proposal represents an 833-square-foot reduction from the previously approved Phase 3B footprint, that drainage and parking analyses were reviewed by city consultants (Kimley & Horn), and that the project meets the city’s land development criteria subject to conditions. Arbazow summarized trip-generation figures and explained required building design treatments under the city code.
Developer Robert Sherman, representing 1560 Boone LLC, said the proposal restores a chicken-restaurant use originally approved in earlier PDQ/PUD approvals and emphasized the smaller building footprint and resolved dumpster issues, adding, "We're very, very happy to bring Popeye's to the site." Popeyes franchisee Sergio St. Hill said the store uses a new prototype with more digital ordering and kiosks.
Residents who live near Windermere Drive urged stricter controls. Lloyd Neville and others said the intersection and private access roads already experience congestion and U-turns, raised concerns that the traffic analysis relied on older data and asked whether tractor-trailer deliveries could be accommodated. Peg Konik and Joan Dickinson requested a no-right-turn sign at the drive-through exit, more buffering/landscaping on the Windermere side, and daily trash pickup requirements to address litter problems. The developer said an updated traffic study (dated Aug. 11, 2025) was part of the submittal and that new dumpster enclosures and compactor provisions are planned.
Board members focused discussion on signage and aesthetics. Staff explained the difference between straight zoning (typically two wall signs) and PUD approvals that previously authorized six signs for a prior chicken franchise; the applicant had requested a total of 10 wall signs. Vice Chair Peterson moved to recommend approval while reducing total wall signage to six and asking for architectural adjustments to better match the existing plaza. The motion—seconded and amended to allow staff to work with the applicant on design details and to require landscaping buffer replacement—passed by voice vote among present members.
The LPA’s action is a recommendation to the City Commission; any final conditions, including precise sign square-footage, monument sign placement or required landscaping timing, will be set by the commission and reflected in the development order.
