Manatee County denies Zipporah Road rezoning; Bus Barn rezoning continued for access revisions

Manatee County commissioners on Monday denied the proposed rezoning for the 55.79‑acre Zipporah Road development, which had sought PDR zoning and a preliminary plan for 167 single‑family homes, and continued a related Bus Barn rezoning while asking the applicant to fix access and design problems.

The commission’s vote followed a long night of staff briefings, technical testimony and more than three hours of public comment. James McDevitt of Development Services told the board the Zipporah proposal would rely on NOAA Atlas 14 storm‑rainfall modeling, Mill Creek watershed rules requiring a 50% reduction in post‑development runoff, and a shared sewer/force‑main approach; he also noted there is no existing wastewater infrastructure on Zipporah Road and that the site contains wetland impacts the record quantifies (staff: roughly a quarter‑acre total impacts). McDevitt’s presentation detailed a 250‑foot lattice personal wireless service tower on the site that requires a specific approval to remain in a residential zoning district.

Residents and technical witnesses urged the board to reject the rezone. Longtime Zipporah Road resident Pamela Plant submitted a neighborhood petition and argued the county‑required road upgrades and sewer force‑main shown in project plans would…