Clermont commission approves Salt Shack deck expansion after debate over parking, shoreline and noise

The Clermont Planning & Zoning Commission voted 5–1 to approve a conditional‑use permit amendment allowing Salt Shack on the Lake to expand its north‑side deck and add outdoor seating, though commissioners pressed the applicant on parking, shoreline protections and noise control.

Staff presented the amendment as Resolution 2026‑005‑R and said the applicant’s revised language narrowed an older resolution’s carried‑over wording. Development‑services staff told commissioners that, based on the applicant’s estimate of about 104 additional seats, the expansion would trigger a parking requirement that could be satisfied by paying into the city’s parking fund. "The current cost per space in the parking fund is $3,000 as approved by the city council," staff said, adding that at that rate the additional seating would equate to roughly 13 spaces and a $39,000 payment.

Applicant Jimmy Crawford, who represents Salt Shack and the owner group, said the project had been worked on with St. Johns River Water Management District for more than a year. "They made us revise our stormwater and our drainage," Crawford said, and the applicant agreed to conditions including a prohibition on tying boats to the deck. Catherine Horner, the restaurant’s chief operating officer, told the commission the deck will be constructed with tight wood slats and that the business will monitor and clean the area daily.

Two residents who spoke at the podium urged more caution. "We're so tired of it," resident Charlene Harrison said of downtown noise, accusing permitting authorities of favoring developers and warning that larger events or amplified sound could spill into nearby neighborhoods. Evan Fercaso, another resident, raised concerns about chemical runoff and said the parking‑fund payment would not cover long‑term maintenance of city lots.

Commissioners spent more than an hour asking technical questions about lake setbacks, ordinary high‑water line measurements, soil/erosion controls during construction and whether the revised document retained restrictions on amplified outdoor entertainment. Applicant and staff repeatedly said St. Johns conditioned the permit on additional stormwater measures, that the deck meets applicable setbacks, and that the city's noise code — which generally prohibits sound beyond property lines and includes numeric limits — still governs amplified sound.

Commissioner May moved approval with conditions that the applicant meet with Planning & Development staff (DPZ) before the item goes to city council, provide documentation addressing shoreline and water‑quality impacts, and install the permanent "no mooring" signage required by the St. Johns permit (extended to adjacent vegetated areas per the motion). The motion passed 5–1; one commissioner opposed the approval. The commission recorded the final vote as 5 in favor, 1 opposed.

The resolution includes the city’s conditions and leaves remaining site‑level details — final seating counts, any additional parking fund payment, and site‑plan engineering — to the site‑plan approval process and the applicant’s St. Johns inspections. The commission also requested that staff and the applicant clarify noise‑control language in the city code where it overlaps with place‑of‑public‑entertainment provisions.

The applicant said they will meet with DPZ before council and produce the documentation requested by the commission. The commission’s approval does not change the underlying land‑use category; it modifies only the deck configuration and permitted seating as spelled out in the approved resolution.