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Pinellas LPA backs rezoning of narrow Palm Harbor remnant to allow one house
Summary
The Local Planning Agency recommended approval of a rezoning that would split a 2.56‑acre Palm Harbor parcel and allow a single new single‑family home on a 0.5‑acre remnant. Neighbors raised concerns about access, safety and protected gopher tortoises; staff and the applicant said the split is constrained by lot dimensions and subject to county standards.
The Pinellas County Local Planning Agency voted to recommend approval of ZON25‑06 on Jan. 17, 2026, a request to rezone a 0.5‑acre portion of a 2.56‑acre parcel at 620 County Road 1 in Palm Harbor to R‑2 single‑family residential to allow construction of one single‑family home.
Scott Shutterbuck (staff) told the board the narrow remnant is surrounded by single‑family neighborhoods and that the proposed R‑2 zoning matches the majority of the surrounding parcels; staff recommended approval, saying the change is compatible with the comprehensive plan and adjacent zoning. The 0.5‑acre split would allow a single home on that lot; the remainder of the 2.56‑acre parcel would retain RA (residential agriculture) designation and enough acreage to support one home under current rules.
Sandra Bradbury of Northside Engineering, speaking for the applicant, said the intent is to build one single‑family house and to access that lot from the unimproved portion of Wexford Lane. "The intent is to build 1 single family home," Bradbury said. She confirmed the proposed R‑2 district does not permit multifamily development.
Neighbors objected during public comment. Barbara Sundberg said a new house would affect 11 nearby homes and asked who would stop the owner from seeking future development, and Kelly Clark asked whether accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or taller structures could follow. Laura D'Angelo and Melanie Harvey said the neighborhood lacks green space and expressed concern about creating a new intersection and cutting off emergency access to other properties; Harvey and others said past outreach by project representatives had left neighbors distrustful.
Staff and board members responded to those concerns by describing code constraints and dimension limits. Staff noted R‑2 requires a 7,500‑square‑foot minimum lot size, 70‑foot minimum lot width and 80‑foot lot depth, and staff said the parcel’s narrowness (about 87 feet) makes additional platting or an R‑5 style subdivision difficult. Fire‑department standards will govern access improvements: for a single house the applicant would be required to improve access to the department’s minimum standard (approximately a 20‑foot stabilized surface to accommodate apparatus), but a full county‑width road is typically not required for a single lot.
After board discussion, Cataldo moved to approve ZON25‑06 and Brito seconded. The motion passed; the Local Planning Agency’s recommendation will go to the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners, which is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the item Feb. 17, 2026.
What happens next: If the commission approves the rezoning, the applicant will still need to satisfy site‑plan, permitting, and any environmental mitigation requirements (including protections for gopher tortoises) before building. If the applicant later seeks additional zoning changes that would permit more intensive development, those proposals would return to the public hearing process.
