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Board clears setback variance for new fire station at 500 Anastasia Blvd.; neighbors cite stormwater concerns
Summary
The board approved a variance to maximum building placement for a proposed 500 Anastasia Blvd. fire station to meet FEMA elevation and access needs; staff said underground stormwater chambers and a rain garden are proposed, while some residents opposed possible local drainage impacts.
The Planning & Zoning Board voted Jan. 6 to approve a variance to the Anastasia Entry Corridor design standard for a proposed fire station at 500 Anastasia Boulevard, allowing adjustments to secondary side‑street setbacks so the building can be elevated to a 12‑foot finished floor elevation required by FEMA.
Christina Evans of Gulfstream Design Group presented the 1.27‑acre site and said the property’s triangular shape and multiple frontages make meeting all side‑street setback requirements impractical while also achieving the finished‑floor elevation and safe access for long fire trucks. “In order to meet that finished floor elevation for FEMA ... we have to place the building in the center as much as possible so we can have grading, access for the fire trucks to be able to ingress and egress safely,” Evans said.
Neighborhood speakers gave mixed responses. Roger White, president of the North Davis Shores Neighborhood Council, said the association supports the project and has waited for a new station. A nearby resident who lives in a condominium complex opposed the project, saying previous nearby developments had worsened flooding and that raising the grade here could compound local drainage problems.
Evans said the design includes underground stormwater chambers and a sizable rain garden to retain runoff and give water time to percolate into soil; staff and the applicant said the design will be subject to state and local stormwater permitting and must demonstrate pre‑ and post‑conditions that are equal or improved. "There’ll be underground stormwater ... the chambers will retain the water so it’s not flooding onto other properties," Evans said.
Board members noted the site’s long history and the city’s need for a modern fire station on Anastasia Island and discussed tradeoffs among access, elevation and drainage. The motion to approve the variance cited the property’s 1920s lot pattern and the operational need to elevate the building; the board approved the application unanimously.
