Commission approves Panda Express site plan in Venice Crossings

The City of Venice Planning Commission voted Feb. 17 to approve a site development plan for a proposed Panda Express at 2001 Laurel Road (petition 2462SP) in the Venice Crossings development.

Planner Britney Smith presented the application, describing a 2,700‑square‑foot building on roughly 1.66 acres in the Laurel Road neighborhood and noting the parcel retains Commercial General (CG) zoning that is currently an inactive district. She said the applicant requested an alternative parking plan to authorize 38 parking spaces where the code standard yields a lower maximum; staff and the Technical Review Committee reviewed code compliance and concurrency and found no outstanding issues. "This project has an FAR proposed at 0.06, so it's well under the allowable FAR for the parcel," Smith said. Staff reported the applicant’s traffic estimate produced about 35 PM peak‑hour trips and that the city consultant deemed the impact de minimis.

Commissioners asked about site circulation and three potential access points; Garrett George, representing the applicant, said the west access point is being blocked temporarily because the adjacent parcel is undeveloped and that future cross‑access to the east and west is anticipated once neighboring parcels develop. Commissioners also raised signage quantity and delivery truck turning radii; the applicant clarified the red swept‑path lines on plans represented bumper overhang rather than wheel encroachment.

After closing the public hearing, a commissioner moved to approve the site development plan; the commission approved the petition by voice vote (6–0). Staff noted the usual follow‑on steps: building permits, final site engineering and any required inspections prior to construction.