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City commissioners unanimously approved zoning changes for two projects at the City Commission meeting on July 20.
1212 Hallam Drive
Commissioners voted unanimously to change the zoning of 17 acres at 1212 Hallam Drive from Limited Development to Single-Family, RA-1, one step in the process toward building 24 new homes on the property.
The 17-acre development is a portion of a 36-acre property, between Cleveland Heights Boulevard and Lakeland Highlands Road. The other 19 acres will remain zoned for limited development.
The zoning change does not establish conditions or a binding site plan, and development plans still need to be approved through the city’s subdivision review process. Developers submitted a conceptual site plan to the city earlier this year, showing 24 1.5 acre lots, each with a single family home.
“There are several technical steps in the process that would help address the concerns about traffic, drainage, all those other things that come with new development,” Chuck Barmby, city transportation and development review manager, at the July 20 commission meeting.
He said 24 single-family homes will generate about 218 trips per day. “So from a traffic standpoint, there’s no additional analysis that would be required beyond our standard concurrency determination. There would also be no concerns related to the need at this point for turn lanes or anything like that along Hallam Drive.”
Matthew Johnson, president of JSK Consulting, spoke on behalf of the ownership group and builder, Mark Hulbert of Hulbert Homes, who were also in attendance.
Johnson said site plans account for stormwater, and added retention should improve the area.
“The site does have about over 30 feet of fall from the south to the north where our pond is,” Johnson said. “So we’re just going to follow Mother Nature. We’re not trying to reinvent anything. But we are paying very good attention to drainage. We’ve already had a lot of conversations with the water management district as far as our design.”
“We are going to build a very upscale community that the city’s going to be very proud of,” Johnson said. “I promise that.”
559 Laura Road
Commissioners voted unanimously to change the zoning of 3.87 acres south of the Interstate 4 and Memorial Boulevard interchange at 559 Laura Road from Limited Development to Medium Industrial, I-2. I-2 zoning allows for warehouse, self-storage, and some multi-tenant type buildings.
The zoning change for the property at 559 Laura Road does not establish conditions or a binding site plan. Barmby said developers have proposed constructing a self-storage facility. He said that the site has limited space for parking, which creates constraints.
“The site plan would be reviewed by our development review team,” Barmby said. During the development review process, various city departments review the site plans to ensure they comply with city codes.
He expects the development to result in minimal additional traffic in the area. The developers will be required to add sidewalks and buffers, like trees, hedges, or view-blockage fencing, in compliance with the city land development code. He said the city’s water utility will review and approve water capacity associated with the development.
“There’s a very extensive review that occurs through Parks and Recreation, and Stacy Smith is the Parks and Recreation reviewer, to make sure that the tree canopy, as much as possible, is preserved.”
During the meeting, Barmby confirmed that the Lone Palm Golf Course was previously notified of the proposed project. “We haven’t received any complaints, either through the Planner on Demand or through the Planning and Zoning Board process about this proposal,” he said.
The land’s owner Edson Brito III spoke at the July 20 meeting to address concerns. “As far as buffer, the space of the building’s already limited just because of all the buffers that they give,” he said. “But still, I believe it’s going to be economically feasible for it to be something to be done.”
Barmby said that the most recent development in the area was done by Company Wrench and required the developer to improve Laura Road to public road standards. “Since that has been done, really what you’re seeing here is an area that would be able to accommodate the additional development proposed by the applicant,” he said.
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