Oldsmar planning board unanimously forwards request to allow multi-tenant shopping center on Stephanie Drive

The City of Oldsmar Planning Board on June 10 voted unanimously to forward a request to amend a 2001 restrictive covenant so a 3.5‑acre property on Stephanie Drive can be developed as a multi‑tenant shopping center.

Tatiana Childress, Oldsmar’s planning and redevelopment director, told the board the site was rezoned to C2 (commercial general) in 2001 and that a recorded restrictive covenant limits the property to a maximum of two tenants by prohibiting “shopping centers,” defined in the code as a group of three or more businesses. The applicant is asking the city to change that covenant so the site could host three or more businesses consistent with C2 uses.

Childress said the amendment request was reviewed under section 3.15.3 of the land development code and that staff’s analysis found the proposed change compatible with the area’s scale and intensity given the site’s size. She stated that future development would still be required to complete a site‑plan review including a concurrency test for water, sewer and traffic, comply with parking standards, and provide a 50‑foot landscape buffer to separate the site from adjacent residential properties to the south.

The applicant — recorded in the meeting as Complex DeltaUSA LLC — was represented by owner Adrien Florinu, who described plans for a coffee business and two additional tenant spaces and said the project may represent roughly a $10 million investment. Florinu also confirmed the property includes a creek that would be retained and that the applicant held a neighborhood meeting with mailed notices to residents within 500 feet.

Board members asked detailed questions about the covenant language and its limits. They sought clarity on a 4,000‑square‑foot restriction referenced in the covenant (staff said that limit applies only to a specific conditional use listed in the document), whether “takeout” or “drive‑thru” service would be allowed (staff said drive‑through restaurants are not permitted under the recorded covenant and that definitions will be clarified for council), and why the covenant was originally recorded in 2001. Childress said the covenant contains language that gives the city a beneficial interest and that amendments require city consent and the formal ordinance/recordation process.

Staff emphasized that approving the amendment would not authorize a specific business or site plan; instead, it would allow the use category (shopping centers/multi‑tenant retail) consistent with C2 zoning and leave technical issues — traffic, stormwater, parking and buffering — to be addressed at site plan review. One board member noted concerns that changing the covenant could effectively alter long‑standing restrictions (the covenant includes a 75‑year term) and asked staff to confirm whether re‑recording the covenant would reset the term; staff agreed to verify the legal effect with the city attorney.

After discussion, a board member moved to forward ZLU‑2601 to city council for approval; the motion was seconded and the board voted 7–0 to recommend the amendment. The board asked staff to confirm and, if needed, clarify definitions related to takeout and drive‑thru uses before council consideration.

The item will next be considered by Oldsmar City Council, which must adopt an ordinance and have the amended covenant recorded in county records before any change to the site’s recorded restrictions takes effect.