Atlantic Beach council approves zoning changes defining event-venue rules

Atlantic Beach's Town Council on Feb. 26 unanimously approved Ordinance 24-02-01, amending Chapter 18 of the town's Unified Development Ordinance to establish major and minor classifications for event venues and clarify where such uses are allowed.

Planning Director Jennifer Ansell told the council the amendment narrows how event venues are classified in mixed-use districts and updates use-specific standards. She said the change was recommended by the Planning Board at its Feb. 6 meeting and that it aligns with the town's Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) Corridor plan to protect the character of Atlantic Beach.

Jennifer Ansell said the amendment sets thresholds for event-review requirements: organizers must file a special-event application for gatherings of more than 50 attendees, and any single event hosting more than 500 attendees would require a one-time special-use permit. "You would have to complete an application for events with over 50 attendees. Anything over 500 would require a one-time special-use permit," she said.

Owner Jessica Horton of The Cottage, 302 Glenn Street, asked for clarification about when those applications would be required; Ansell reiterated the 50- and 500-attendee thresholds. The Planning Board's statement of consistency, placed into the record by Mayor Danny Navey, found the amendments consistent with the town's adopted plans and in the public interest.

Mayor Pro Tem Austin Waters moved to adopt Ordinance 24-02-01; the motion passed by a recorded unanimous vote of 4-0.

The ordinance will change the Unified Development Ordinance's principal use table and related use-specific standards for event venues. The council did not specify an effective date at the meeting; implementation steps (such as updates to application forms and staff guidance) were not detailed during discussion.