Planning board declines to recommend comp‑plan change for 1300 S. Atlantic

The New Smyrna Beach Planning & Zoning Board voted not to recommend a comprehensive plan amendment that would change 1300 South Atlantic Avenue from commercial to medium‑density residential.

Staff said the comp plan contains language intended to "ensure that the amount of land already designated for nonresidential uses does not decrease," and therefore "staff can't recommend support for this because of the language in the comprehensive plan," Shane Corbin, Development Services, told the board during the staff presentation. Corbin also pointed to technical issues: the site lacks modern stormwater mitigation and the required buffering could make the parcel nonconforming.

The applicant's attorney, Mike Woods of Cobcole, told the board the application intentionally reduces intensity from a previously proposed parking garage and that practical limits (height, impervious area) mean the parcel cannot achieve the commercial FAR assumed in the comp plan. "We're trying to do something that I don't usually get called in to do, and that's stepping down an intensity or density in a project," Woods said.

Board members were split over whether an isolated rezoning would undercut city policy to preserve commercial land. One member cited citywide figures that residential property represents roughly 84% of the tax roll and said converting more commercial parcels would harm the tax base. Others noted the property has been vacant for years and argued single‑family development is more compatible with the nearby homes.

A motion to recommend approval of CPA‑02251300 failed (two in favor, four opposed). Staff recorded the outcome for the public record; the commission will be the body to interpret the comp plan policy if applicants wish to pursue the change further.