Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Good evening, everyone, and welcome. We can go ahead and take our seats and Alright. Today, I'd like to call the City of Homestead Local Planning Agency meeting to order. Today is 03/19/2025, and it is now 05:36PM. We have a roll call, please.

Board member Abner. Here. Board member Cannibal. Here. Board member Roth. Here. Board member Davis. Board member Bailey. Vice chairman Fletcher. Here. Chairman Lozner. Here. Ex official Lawrence Ventura.

Very good. Thank you. Are there any additions, deletions, and deferrals for this agenda? There are none. Okay. We have before us the minutes of 01/22/2025. I ask for a motion to approve those minutes. Moved and seconded. Moved by councilman Ross, seconded by vice mayor Fletcher. There are no questions or comments. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Alright. Next item. Quasi judicial items. Mister White.

There are none, mayor. Moving on to legislative matters.

Very good.

The first item for consideration tonight is tab two, card number forty five fifty seven. It's an ordinance of the city of Homestead, Florida amending the city code of ordinances, amending chapter 30 zoning article three district regulations division 11 b one restricted retail commercial district, section 30 dash two fifty six uses permitted, and division 12 b two retail commercial district, section 30 dash two seventy six uses permitted to revise permitted uses in the b one and b two retail commercial districts, providing for severability, providing for inclusion of the code, conflicts, and providing for an effective date.

Good. Thank you. So we'll go ahead and have the staff report on this item and we'll waive it at the regular meeting.

Good evening, mister mayor and council. This is Derek Cook with development services department. No.

It says you're Larry Ventura.

Thank you. So as you're aware, the item before you is a modification to the code. The intent is to allow for single, allow for certain uses along the store frontage, along Chrome Avenue and Washington Avenue. As stated in the document, it was originally intended from Camel Road to Road is the extension for both streets. So what our intent is here is to introduce an avenue where we can generate energy, pedestrian activity along Chrome And Washington Avenue.

And I thought as staff and consultant with US council that we can introduce certain uses along this avenue that would help facilitate that. And we have identified 27 uses along Chrome Avenue and 28 uses along Washington Avenue, which are delineated in your packet. This code will not restrict the uses from B1 and B2 from taking place on the properties. It's just restrict what uses that can transpire along the street frontage as store frontage along Chrome And Washington Avenue. That is the intent of the, code, and that is the request before you.

Thank you, mister Cook. And, you know, as a reminder from public, this is a an extension of some of the recommendations that came out of the charrette. This is probably the first legislative item that that we're considering to to help implement those recommendations that that came from the charrette. Typically, there are questions, we develop them more fully at the the formal council meeting rather rather than here. Is there anyone here in the audience that plans to speak on this matter during the council meeting?

Alright. Very good. So are there any questions or comments from council on at the LPA level? So I'll entertain a motion for approval. Moved by councilman board member Avila. Second. Second by board member Davis. With that, let's, let's call us for a roll call on this item.

Board member Roth? Yes. Board member Davis? Yes. Board member Avila? Board member Cannibal? Vice chairman Fletcher? Yes. Chairman Lawson? Yes. The motion carries.

And our next item is tab three. Mister White?

Yes, mister mayor. Tab three and tab four are companion items. I can introduce both of those and you can have a collective discussion public hearing on that and then take So a separate vote on the next item, tab three, card number 4,560, is an ordinance of the city of Homestead, Florida amending the Southwest Neighborhood Master Plan by amending general standards and the regulating sub areas, zoning regulations for the commercial sub area, providing for severability, inclusion, providing for conflicts, and providing for an effective date. Tab number four, card number forty five fifty nine, is an ordinance of the city of Homestead, Florida amending the city code of ordinances by amending chapter 30 zoning article three district regulations, division 23 planned urban neighborhood district section 30 dash three ninety six point six two sub areas by modifying the Southwest planned urban neighborhood commercial sub area zoning district regulations and standards, providing for severability, providing for inclusion in the code, providing for conflicts, and providing for an effective date.

Thank you, sir.

Good evening, mayor and councilors. Derek Cook with Development Services. As stated by the attorney, the items that you have before you is one, item forty five sixty, which is seeking to amend the Southwest neighborhood master plan, and car item 4,559 is seeking to amend chapter 30 of the zoning code. The intent of this is to allow for single use along Chrome Avenue on the West Side traversing from Southwest 5th Street to where the city terminates at its border. This would allow for what was usually what required for mixed use along that corridor.

Now we're allowing for single use, and it also will allow for a use of drive throughs in area specifically. That is the intent of this legislation.

Thank you, sir. Any questions or comments from the board on on this matter? Okay. We'll we'll hold. Alright then. So on tab three, I'll entertain a motion for approval. Moved by board member Avila, seconded by board member Cannibal. There are no final comments. Let's have a roll call.

Board member Cannibal? Yes. Board member Ross?

Yes.

Board member Davis?

Yes.

Board member Avila. Yes. Vice chairman Fletcher. Yes. Chairman Lasner. Yes. The motion carries.

And we've had the presentation on the companion item which is tab four which is the text amendment to the plan. We have a motion to approve. Move. Move by board member Avila and with a second by board member Davis. Question to board member Avila.

Thank you, chair. I do have some proposed, changes to that text amendment. Is it appropriate to discuss it now, or can we include them in the the discussions at the time?

Let's go now.

Okay. So one of the sections with regards to to adding the drive throughs and the single use, my recommendation would be to have it be listed as a special exception. So it would have to come back to counsel so that it doesn't foreclose us being able to review a plan and review that section. So currently, all the parcels in this area allow for a mixed use. And so if we do this change, they can do the single use or mixed use, horizontal or vertical, but it would not have to come back to counsel.

It would be able to get approved administratively. That's my understanding. So the recommendation would be to allow it as a special exception so that it comes back.

To allow the single use?

Correct.

And I appreciate that. My thought is though that in effect, we are at most addressing a three block area. It's only from on one side of Chrome, from 5th down to 8th, which is Lucy Street, the city limits. And all of those lots may not even go all the way through to Chrome. So at most, we're only talking about a three block stretch where we have the potential exposure for single uses or single uses with drive throughs. Is your concern the single use or the drive through?

The concern is the single use or that multiple parcels will end up becoming single use and coming away from the original intent of having a more mixed use type of development. And more so, as the vision of the city and the charrette plays out, eliminating this, which was part of the original charrette's, you know, review, it might just change the opportunity for that section, which is, I think, our furthest Southwest area of Homestead to just not be what it was intended to be. So

I'm personally happy to take the risk of apartments off the sidewalk on Chrome Avenue, wherever they're located. Certainly throughout the balance of the area covered by the Southwest Master Plan, there's a plethora of mixed uses which are required. We're not changing that. We're only changing this three block distance fronting Chrome to allow single commercial use with a drive through should they request it. So that's kind of why I would shy away from a special exception.

You know, perhaps, you know, there are other areas we should should revisit. You know, you might recall, you know, during our last term and and former vice mayor Guzman really brought up a good point, We seem to have an excess of mixed use requirements even within the Southwest.

That's a good point.

Yeah, this kind of starts to chip away with that.

That's good.

And given its location, I'm personally good with that. I'll be happy to absorb thoughts from anyone else. That's where I would be on this.

Thank you. It just a recommendation. I think I was looking at the project.

Bigger picture.

I wasn't looking at the additional parcels outside of the area that this was going to be affecting. And I thought that the extra verbiage just kept a little bit more control for future councils to be able to make the decision.

Get that. But again, I come back to a very limited frontage.

That's your point. Thank you, Mary.

Okay, so we have a motion and a second. Are there any further questions or comments from council? Motion and second as presented in the package. So let's have a roll call on that, madam clerk.

Board member Davis? Yes. Board member Roth? Yes. Board member Cannonball?

Yes.

Board member Avila? Vice chairman Fletcher. Yes. Chairman Lasner. Yes. The motion carries.

Very good. Thank you. Alright. Are there any public comments with respect to this agenda? We'll have general public comments on some of you have signed up to make comments during the regular council meeting, but with respect to this agenda. Alright. So I'll close the public comments. Anything further? Mister Cook.

Thank you, mister mayor. No.

Thank you. Anything further, mister attorney? Either of you?

Not at this time, mayor.

Okay. And anything further from this body acting as the local planning agency? Alright. So I'll entertain a motion to adjourn. So moved and seconded. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? And, we'll reconvene. This is not the the council's time certain or we can roll right into. So let's take a five minute, and, we'll reconvene here for the regular council meeting in five minutes. And this meeting is adjourned. Thank you all.