Commission backs rezoning for Munden Hill manufactured‑home sales center, sends measure to council

The Planning and Zoning Commission on May 13 voted to recommend that City Council approve a rezoning of roughly 5.14 acres at 22283 Munden Hill Road from C‑2 (highway commercial) to a planned development project commercial (PDPC) to allow a manufactured and modular home sales center.

Applicant Sean Tran told commissioners the sales center would prioritize green space, preserve existing oaks and display modern manufactured homes in a landscaped setting. "With our proposal and our use of the land, we hope that we can help renters and people who are already local residents here turn into proud homeowners and build a stronger community here in Brooksville," Tran said.

Why it matters: staff concluded the proposed commercial use is compatible with surrounding property and the city comprehensive plan, and commissioners endorsed that finding. The rezoning would allow a sales and office campus for manufactured and modular homes (the application explicitly stated this is a sales center, not a mobile‑home park). The item now moves to City Council for final action on June 1 at 7:00 p.m.

Applicant testimony and supporting evidence - Sean Tran (the applicant) presented site plans showing an office, parking and display homes, plus two stormwater ponds and preserved oak trees. - Realtor CJ Cornett (Bayside Realty Group) said the product meets local demand and that modern manufactured homes can be an affordable pathway to ownership. - Kevin Malone, a partner in the venture, described modern manufactured homes as built to HUD and high‑wind standards and comparable to site‑built houses in materials and finishes.

Staff findings and site conditions - Staff (Steve, planning) recommended the commission find the rezoning compatible with surrounding uses (commercial zoning and an existing mobile‑home/recreational vehicle park abut the site) and consistent with the comprehensive plan. - Recommended conditions discussed in the hearing include limits and design standards for the sales lot: a 10‑foot minimum setback from project boundaries, 5‑foot vegetative buffers (25 shrubs per 100 linear feet and one tree per 40 linear feet), decorative 6‑foot picket fence with brick or stone columns spaced no more than 100 feet apart, and site configuration to generally match the submitted site plan (staff cited a layout showing about 13 display units and an office of approximately 2,200–2,256 square feet). - Staff also cited recent state legislation relevant to manufactured housing siting (House Bill 803/399) and clarified implementation timing (staff said the relevant effective date discussed in the hearing is July 1, 2026).

Commission action and next step Committee member (S10) moved to recommend approval of Ordinance 10/16 (rezoning from C‑2 to PDPC); Committee member (S3) seconded and the commission voted to send the recommendation to City Council. Staff noted the rezoning will be scheduled for City Council consideration on June 1 at 7:00 p.m. in the same chambers.

Context and limitations The applicants emphasized the proposal is a sales and display center, not new permanent residential lots or a mobile home park; siting or placement of homes after sale may be subject to local zoning and evolving state statutes referenced in the hearing. Staff stressed that any specimen‑tree removal or other changes beyond the approved site plan would require additional approvals.

What happens next: City Council will consider the rezoning on June 1; if council approves, any conditions attached to the PDPC will govern later site improvements and the sales‑lot arrangement.