Trustees reject rezoning request for 33.37-acre lakeside parcel after split vote

Trustees for the Village of Four Seasons voted down a motion to rezone a 33.37-acre parcel on Port Sheehan Parkway from R-1 to R-2, stopping the developer's request to clear the way for a multifamily project.

A trustee moved to approve the rezoning and another trustee seconded the motion; after discussion and a roll-call vote the chair announced the motion did not pass. Legal counsel Todd Miller cautioned trustees that an affirmative rezoning would allow any use permitted in R-2 zoning unless the board approved a planned-unit development with enforceable conditions.

The application before the board sought allowance for attached villas and multi-family buildings concentrated along the lake edge. Developer Mark Kelly told trustees the rezoning request was intended to "contain density, not expand it," and that future site-plan approvals would return to the public hearing process. The planning-and-zoning commission record included public letters and a straw-poll at its hearing that showed more attendees opposed the request than supported it.

Trustees who voted against the motion cited incomplete plans, the absence of binding conditions, and concerns about traffic, dock capacity and neighborhood views. Several residents and an HOA representative urged the board to require more detailed, professionally prepared visuals and clear, enforceable conditions before approving any zoning change.

With the motion defeated, the developers may return with a revised application or a PUD (planned-unit development) that places specific conditions on any rezoning. Attorney Todd Miller said doing so would give the village enforceable provisions to address buffering, building height and other site-specific commitments.