Sunrise tables rezoning for Indian Trace site after hours of resident testimony

Mayor Ryan opened a special City Commission meeting on Feb. 3 and reopened the Local Planning Agency hearing on a proposed rezoning of about 15 acres at the northeast corner of Southwest 160th Avenue and Southwest 14th Street (Indian Trace). The applicant is asking to rezone the parcel from Community Business District (B2) to a Planned Development District (PDD) and to adopt a revised PDD master plan that would allow a 7‑story, 174‑room hotel as part of Phase 1 and leave Phase 2 scoped for future review by the commission.

The hearing drew dozens of affected parties and a long line of public commenters. Neighbors who live within a few hundred feet of the site said the proposal is incompatible with the area’s low‑density residential character and raised repeated concerns about traffic, emergency response, noise, privacy and the proximity of the proposed hotel to a preschool. ‘‘I object to this application as it is inconsistent with the City of Sunrise comprehensive plan,’’ said Logesh Vidikandaswamy, who testified that the master plan would permit building heights, massing and density out of scale with nearby homes. Several residents submitted petitions and printed exhibits for the record; speakers said a change of this magnitude requires additional traffic, stormwater and safety analysis.

The applicant’s team, represented in the hearing by Mr. Backman, summarized revisions and concessions aimed at responding to commission and resident concerns. Backman said the team has…