Planning board recommends denial of Sandy Lane 'missing middle' rezoning after residents cite traffic and safety fears

Chair Carissa Lawan's Planning & Zoning Commission recommended the Board of County Commissioners deny a rezoning request for a 7.54‑acre site on Sandy Lane that would change the property from A1/R1A to Missing Middle (MM), after more than two hours of staff presentation, applicant testimony and extended public comment.

Caitlyn Abgar, a planning staffer, told the commission the applicant proposed a 24‑lot single‑family subdivision and that staff calculated an overall density of 3.88 dwelling units per net buildable acre once utility and transmission easements were excluded. "The applicant is proposing an overall density of 3.88 dwelling units per net buildable acre," Abgar said, and staff found the request consistent with the county's comprehensive plan and land‑development code requirements.

Opponents — including long‑time neighbors, homeowners' association representatives and school officials — urged denial. "If this is approved, it opens the door for the developer to build multiple things," said neighbor Nick Mscato, who lives across the proposed subdivision, warning of duplexes, triplexes or cottage clusters and saying the change would "significantly increase" congestion on Sand Lake Road. Pam Tapley, head of nearby Pace Brantley Preparatory School, told commissioners two students had been struck by vehicles on the corridor in the past year and urged a comprehensive traffic impact study before approval.

Attorney Brent Spain, representing the applicant, responded that the project is limited by the county's Low Density Residential future land use and site constraints, including a transmission‑line easement that reduces net buildable acreage. Spain said the development plan submitted to the county reflects 24 single‑family detached lots and that the applicant would stipulate on the record to the site data and lot widths. "We would stipulate to that," he said, reiterating the project intent to sell single‑family homes.

Members of the commission split over whether the technical findings in the staff report outweighed residents' safety and precedent concerns. One commissioner said the application met code and comp‑plan standards; another moved to recommend denial, citing unresolved traffic and safety risks for children walking and biking on the corridor. The motion to recommend denial carried and will be forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners for final action.

Next steps: The Planning & Zoning Commission's recommendation is advisory; the Board of County Commissioners will consider the rezoning request at a later meeting. The applicant may also return with revised materials or engineering information during the subdivision review process.

Sources: Planning staff presentation and packet, applicant statements, and public comments recorded at the April 1, 2026 Planning & Zoning Commission hearing.