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Board approves 8‑ft fence variance for drive‑thru at 3502 Tampa Road
Summary
The Oldsmar Board of Adjustment approved variance V202603 to allow an 8‑foot fence to extend up to 18 feet into the front setback at 3502 Tampa Road to reduce noise from an adjacent car wash, following staff recommendation and testimony from the property owner.
The City of Oldsmar Board of Adjustment voted to approve variance V202603, allowing a drive‑thru coffee shop at 3502 Tampa Road to extend a portion of its perimeter fence from the 3.5‑foot maximum in the Tampa Road Corridor overlay to 8 feet for an 18‑foot segment.
Tatiana Childress, City of Oldsmar planning and redevelopment director, told the board that the property is zoned residential‑office‑retail and is subject to the Tampa Road Corridor plan, which generally limits front fences and walls to three and a half feet. Staff reviewed the request against the 10 conditions in section 3.17.3 of the Land Development Code and recommended approval for a targeted 18‑foot extension along the western property line to address operational impacts from an adjacent car wash.
The applicant’s representative, David Owen of Sun Coast Retail, said the 18‑foot extension would stop inside the drive‑thru and would not reach the sidewalk or the public right‑of‑way. Owen said the coffee shop tenant has had trouble hearing customers at the order board because of noise from the neighboring car wash and reported a drive‑thru sound measurement of about 87 decibels. He said the owners expect the fence and other measures to reduce noise by roughly 20–30 decibels and to help the business remain viable.
During questions, board members asked whether the extension would block visibility at nearby intersections and whether the work would reach the sidewalk; staff said the proposed 18‑foot segment begins at the point where the three‑and‑a‑half‑foot frontage limit ends at the front of the building and would not obstruct sightlines to Tampa Road or Oakleaf. Staff also said landscaping will be required in the frontage buffer to soften the fence’s appearance.
A resident who said they live nearby raised safety concerns at the intersection and asked whether traffic and noise studies had been conducted at the time of development; staff replied that standard review addresses traffic and drainage but not specific noise studies. The owner said they had worked with staff for years on site layout and that the fence is intended to address a localized sound problem rather than to seek a broader financial gain.
The board considered staff’s written recommendation on the record, a member moved to accept the recommendation and approve the variance, a second was given, and the motion passed. The transcript records the approval but does not include a roll call or numerical vote tally.
The variance is limited to the three fence sections described in the staff report and includes required landscaping in the buffer; the staff report and presentation were entered into the record.
Outcome: Variance V202603 approved; effective immediately for the described 18‑foot segment, subject to any building or permitting requirements and the landscaping required in the buffer.
