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Osceola council adopts Ordinance 671 tightening site-plan rules for commercial development
Summary
The Osceola City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 671 on Aug. 6, 2024, amending Chapter 167.01 to require site plans for most non–single-family developments, set a 10,000-square-foot threshold for major site plans, add detailed design standards and require review by the Zoning Administrator and, for major plans, the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The Osceola City Council on Aug. 6 unanimously adopted Ordinance 671, updating Chapter 167.01 of the city code to expand and clarify site-plan requirements for nonresidential and multi-family development.
Council Member George Fotiadis moved to approve Ordinance 671; Council Member Sonya Hicks seconded the motion, and a roll-call vote recorded ayes from Fotiadis, Dan Hooper, Thomas Bahls and Hicks. Mayor Thomas J. Kedley presided over the meeting.
The ordinance requires site plans for most improved installations except single-family detached and two-family dwelling units, and divides submissions into Minor and Major Site Plans. The city’s new definition uses 10,000 square feet as the threshold: projects or parking areas equal to or larger than 10,000 square feet, or new commercial/multi-family developments on previously undeveloped sites, are treated as Major Site Plans. Major plans must include a legal description, acreage, building sizes and stories, parking counts and dimensions, setback lines, trees six inches or larger, flood-prone areas, detailed landscaping, signage, two-foot-contour topography, utility locations and a drainage plan with runoff calculations.
The ordinance adds explicit design standards aimed at protecting public health and neighboring property: adequate surface and subsurface drainage, measures to avoid overloading utilities or increasing erosion, minimized impacts from headlights and illumination, internal circulation that reduces congestion on adjacent streets, screening for loading and waste areas, and a requirement that electrical, telephone and other utilities be placed underground where required or reasonably practicable. For commercial structures in B‑1 and B‑2 districts, at least 30% of street-facing wall surface must be stucco, natural wood siding, brick or similar textured material (excluding glazing and overhead vehicle doors), and unpainted metal siding is prohibited.
The ordinance sets procedural deadlines: the Zoning Administrator must review site plans for conformity and, if a plan conforms, approve it within seven days; major site plans approved by the Administrator proceed to the Planning and Zoning Commission for final action. Minor Site Plans that conform may be approved concurrently with a building permit at the Zoning Administrator’s discretion. The ordinance also includes a severability clause.
City officials said the change is intended to ensure orderly development that safeguards public health, safety and general welfare while providing clearer expectations for applicants and a predictable review process. The council adopted the ordinance during the regular meeting; no recorded dissenting votes were noted.
The ordinance text adopted by the council includes numerous specific submission items and procedural steps for both applicant submissions and administrative review. The city clerk will publish the ordinance per statutory requirements and the changes will take effect as provided in the adopted ordinance.
