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Oldsmar council approves first reading to allow shopping-center configuration on Stephanie Drive parcel
Summary
On July 7 the Oldsmar City Council passed on first reading Ordinance 2026-09, approving an amendment to a recorded restrictive covenant to allow a multi-tenant shopping center on a 3.56-acre parcel on Stephanie Drive; the vote was 5-0 and the item will proceed to site development review with required buffering and stormwater conditions.
The Oldsmar City Council on July 7 approved the first reading of Ordinance 2026-09, allowing an amendment to the restrictive covenant for a 3.56-acre parcel on Stephanie Drive to permit shopping-center uses. The measure passed on a roll-call vote of 5-0.
Planning and Redevelopment Director Tatiana Childress told the council the 2001 covenant currently permits a single large retail establishment or a two-tenant commercial building but prohibits a shopping center (defined as a development with three or more tenants). The applicant asked the city to remove that prohibition so the parcel could be developed consistent with the C-2 (Commercial General) zoning district. Childress said staff reviewed the request against section 3.15.0.3 of the City's land development code and recommended approval.
Childress described the conceptual plan provided by the applicant as an approximately 40,000-square-foot, two-story multi-tenant building with associated parking. She said the relevant development standards for the C-2 district'including floor-area ratio (FAR 0.45), parking requirements (about four spaces per 1,000 square feet for shopping centers), minimum yards, lot coverage limits and stormwater/pond sizing'will guide the site development plan. Childress also said any future development will be required to provide landscape buffering between the site and adjacent residential properties and that the new restrictive covenant would be recorded in the Pinellas County official records and "run with the land." She confirmed the 75-year term in the restrictive covenant remains in place under the updated document.
A council member asked whether the developer held neighborhood meetings; Childress said the applicant notified neighbors within a 500-foot radius, that residents attending were generally favorable and that one resident expressed concern about traffic. She said a traffic study will be prepared or supplemented at the time of site development review. The applicant's representative and owner, Adrian Turco (owner of United Coffee Shop), spoke in support of the project and praised city staff for responsiveness.
During the public-hearing portion, resident Grace Baboukas asked specifically how many trees would be removed for the proposal and urged the council to publicize the city's tree-removal policy and any arborist review process. The mayor asked Baboukas to state her name for the record; no further details on the number of trees were provided during the hearing.
The council moved and seconded the ordinance and, on roll call, votes were recorded as yes from Vice Mayor Graeber, Council member Tazanski, Council member Olmstead, Council member Swagger and Mayor Gannon. The ordinance passed first reading 5-0.
What happens next: Passage on first reading advances Ordinance 2026-09 to subsequent steps in the city's review process. Any actual development will require submission and approval of a site development plan that complies with applicable land-development-code standards, including parking, buffering, stormwater design and concurrency/mobility requirements. The recorded restrictive covenant will remain enforceable and will require city review for any future modification or removal.
