Avon Park planning board backs limited rezoning for 907 South Palmer, asks city council to replat top two lots

The Avon Park Planning and Zoning Board voted June 9 to forward a developer27s rezoning request for a 2.66-acre parcel at 907 South Palmer to the City Council with a recommendation that only the two northern lots be separated and rezoned rather than rezoning the entire property.

Stephanie von Pleski Bush of the Central Florida Regional Planning Council presented the request, saying the applicant seeks a reduced minimum lot width to allow two homes to front Green Street while maintaining the property27s single-family character. She said water and sewer are available and the proposal envisions eight single-family lots.

The board27s action followed opposition from nearby homeowners and a technical explanation from the applicant27s engineer. Resident Brenda Gray said she built a larger home in the neighborhood and asked the board to "please do not change the zoning," arguing smaller lots and houses would harm the neighborhood27s character and property values. Resident Eric Wilson told the board the change would allow smaller homes—he cited a 1,200-square-foot figure mentioned in public comment—and said increased traffic would be a problem on the currently narrow roadway network.

Chad Burker, the project engineer representing the applicant, told the board the request is primarily about lot frontage and width, not an increase in density: "The density does not change because we're not requesting a different future land use," he said. Burker explained that the current frontage along Green Street (about 150 feet) does not allow two 85-foot lots under the existing zoning, and that a narrower minimum lot width would permit two 75-foot lots to front Green Street while meeting minimum lot-area requirements for all eight parcels.

Board members pressed the applicant on why the rezoning was proposed for the entire parcel rather than only the narrow northern strip that prevents two lots from fitting on Green Street. Several board members said a compromise would be to replat and rezone only the top portion, leaving the larger southern piece at its current zoning. Concerns cited during debate included pedestrian safety for schoolchildren, the absence of sidewalks in the area, potential law-enforcement impacts and preserving the character of nearby homes.

A motion to forward the rezoning to City Council with the specific recommendation that the top two lots be parcelled/replatted and rezoned passed on a roll-call vote: Member Marl, Member Carter, Member Copa, Member Sutherland and Chair Miller voted yes. The record did not identify a nay or abstention for the vote taken at the meeting.

Board members and staff also discussed addressing sidewalks and other infrastructure through a development agreement or as part of the preliminary plat review, and staff noted the Community Redevelopment Agency will hear an affordable-housing proposal later in the week.

The City Council will receive the board27s recommendation; any actual rezoning would require the council27s action and subsequent preliminary and final plat approvals to establish the exact lot configurations and infrastructure commitments.