Local planning agency approves variance allowing four‑story building at 27 Robinwood Drive

The Fort Walton Beach Local Planning Agency voted 4–1 on June 4 to approve a variance that reduces the height‑compatibility separation required at 27 Robinwood Drive Southwest from 100 feet to 40 feet, clearing the way for a four‑story, approximately 61‑foot structure.

Staff had recommended denial. "Based on the findings of fact, staff respectfully recommends that the local planning agency deny the variance request for 27 Robinwood Drive to reduce the minimum separation requirement outlined in LDC section 4.00.03 B1 from 100 ft to 40 ft," said Mrs. Roberts, planning staff, in a detailed presentation that referenced Land Development Code sections 4.00.03 and 8.2.2 and comprehensive‑plan policy A.3.1.

Mrs. Roberts told the panel that while the parcel is 19.39 acres and zoned R2, the proposed 61‑foot, four‑story building would not meet multiple variance criteria, including the LDC's compatibility and comprehensive‑plan consistency tests. Staff also reviewed special‑flood‑hazard provisions and concluded the project did not create anticipated public‑safety flood hazards under the code's required findings.

Mark Sider of Chuck Chuck Engineering, agent for the applicant, said the applicant previously received a variance in 2024 and a one‑year extension on Jan. 2, 2025, but encountered unsuitable soils that required shifting the building footprint. "We essentially moved the building on the site," Sider said, asking the agency to treat the application as a continuation of a previously approved plan and characterizing the issue as an administrative timing matter tied to the LDC's 12‑month expiration rule.

A neighboring property owner, James Robbins Jr., who said he owns property at 30 and 28 Comet Street, opposed the reduction on privacy grounds, saying that a four‑story structure would allow vantage points into backyards that are currently one story. "If you add two more above that, all the privacy on every single resident home on Commerce Street would be obstructed," Robbins said.

Board members questioned whether the prior approval should bind the agency; staff said it does not because the code requires reapplication if the project is not completed and the applicant moved the building location on the site, which constitutes a material change. Amy Gibson, growth management director, also clarified the staff report inadvertently omitted the ninth variance criterion (that the variance not be detrimental to health, safety, or welfare) and said staff did not find the proposal detrimental on that point.

After public comment and discussion, a member moved to approve the variance, a second was recorded, and the motion passed 4–1. The agency adopted findings of fact on the record as required for quasi‑judicial actions. The approved motion reduces the height‑compatibility separation from 100 feet to 40 feet for the project at 27 Robinwood Drive SW.

The decision is final for this panel; any further changes to the project or appeals would follow the city's review and appeal processes.