Placement: Second Reading of Ordinances / Public Hearing
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
title
Ordinance 23-51, Public Hearing, An Ordinance Amending the Comprehensive Plan of the City of Port St. Lucie to Include a Small- Scale Amendment to the Future Land Use Map to Change the Future Land Use Designation of Approximately 1.06 acres from Residential, Office, and Institutional (ROI) to Commercial General (CG) for Property Legally Described as Port St. Lucie Section 41, Block 2894, Lots 10, 11, 12 and 13, and located on the Northeast Corner of the Intersection of SW Aviation Avenue and SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard (P22-364).
body
Submitted By: Bridget Kean, AICP, Senior Planner
Strategic Plan Link: The City’s Mission to plan for smart and balanced growth.
Executive Summary (General Business): This is an application for a small scale comprehensive plan future land use map amendment to amend the future land use for 1.06 acres of property located at the northeast corner of the intersection of SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard and SW Aviation Avenue from the ROI (Residential, Office, Institutional) future land use classification to the CG (General Commercial) future land use classification. The subject property is located within Conversion Area 4 per the City of Port St. Lucie Land Use Conversion Manual. The properties that are within Conversion Area 4 have a future land use designation of ROI. The request is to change the future land use to CG to allow the property to be developed for CG uses.
The intersection of SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard and SW Aviation Avenue is the dividing line between two conversion areas. The properties on the north side of SW Aviation Avenue are within Conversion Area 4 with a designated ROI future land use. The properties on the south side of SW Aviation Avenue are within Conversion Area 4A with a designated CG future land use. As a result of this configuration, the subject property abuts a car wash to the south and an institutional use to the north. The applicant has noted the close proximity of general commercial development to the subject property as justification for the proposed future land use map amendment.
There is an associated application to rezone the subject property to the General Commercial Zoning District (CG) (P22-365) that is dependent of the approval of the small scale comprehensive amendment. In addition, the applicant has submitted an application for a special exception use for drive though service in General Commercial Zoning District (CG) (P22-331). The proposed use is a coffee shop with drive through service (Starbucks). City staff has stated that this site may not ultimately be able to support a gas station or drive through facility due to the traffic impacts that those uses would have.
Presentation Information: Staff may provide a short presentation.
Recommendation: Move that the Council approve the application as recommended by the Planning and Zoning Board.
The Public Works Department does recommend that any motion for approval of the future land use map amendment include a condition to require any application for a special exception use be subject to transportation mitigation measures. The transportation mitigation measures will be determined by Staff as part of the review of the Special Exception Use application. The purpose of this condition is to formalize for the applicant staff’s concerns about traffic impacts so the applicant is aware that future mitigation measures will be required and that staff may not support future Special Exception Uses that result in a further reduction of LOS.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council amend the recommendation and approve the application as recommended by the Planning and Zoning Board.
2. Move that the Council not approve the application and provide staff direction.
Background: The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of the proposed amendment at the March 7, 2023 Planning and Zoning Board meeting. At the time of the Planning and Zoning Board hearing, the traffic study was still undergoing review and in need of further revisions. This was due to City staff’s concerns with the flow of traffic at the intersection of SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard and SW Aviation Avenue. The intersection is a full access median opening intersection (left-in/left-out/right-in/right-out) and unsignalized. As the applicant’s traffic study shows, the intersection currently operates with delays at current conditions. In addition, there is an existing residential neighborhood east of the subject property. The only access in and out of this neighborhood is via SW Aviation Ave to Port St. Lucie Blvd or via SW College Park Road to SW Tulip Boulevard. Once the traffic study was finalized, the item was scheduled for the City Council.
Issues/Analysis: The subject property has an ROI future land use. The comprehensive plan describes the ROI land use as a mixed-use category to serve development along major corridors as transitional land uses between more intensive commercial areas. The General Commercial Land Use is described as a land use designated to accommodate general retail sales and services with restrictions on heavy vehicular sales, services, and warehouse uses. In general, the City’s conversion areas are designed such that the properties that abut major signalized intersections are designated for general commercial uses or other high intensity uses. The mid-block areas in between the major intersections are generally designated for less intense ROI (Residential, Office, and Institutional) or RM (Medium Density Residential) uses. Mid-block areas tend to be less suited for high volume traffic generating uses due to limited access, limited signalization, and other constraints.
As noted in the Public Works Department’s memo, the proposed land use change could result in a substantial increase to the PM Peak driveway trips for this site compared to the existing land use designation. Based on the location of the site, these traffic trips would be entering and/or exiting through the intersection of Port St. Lucie Blvd and Aviation Avenue in various directions. The traffic analysis shows that this intersection is already failing at a level of service F in the eastbound direction as of the traffic counts existing today. With the addition of the potential new trips from this site, the west bound leg of this intersection will also have a failing level of service in the PM Peak hour. Without mitigation, the existing roadways for this site do not have capacity for the potential increase of trips proposed by this site.
If the land use amendment is approved and the project moves forward with a rezoning and a special exception use for drive-through service as proposed, the City does have the ability to add specific conditions of approval to the special exception use to mitigate transportation and other impacts.
Financial Information: N/A
Special Consideration: As currently proposed by the applicant, access to the property will be via two driveways. A full access driveway is proposed for SW Aviation Ave. A shared right in/right access driveway is proposed for SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard. The shared driveway is located on the adjacent property to the north at 2749 SW Port St Lucie Blvd. No access is proposed at the rear where the subject property abuts a residential street. Access points will be reviewed with any application for a special exception use and/or site plan.
Location of Project: The subject property is located at the northeast corner of the intersection of SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard and SW Aviation Avenue.
Attachments:
1. Ordinance
2. Exhibit “A”
3. Staff Report
4. Application
5. Applicant’s Submittal and Justification
6. Public Works Traffic Memo
7. Applicant’s Traffic Study
8. Staff Presentation
9. Applicant’s Presentation
NOTE: All of the listed items in the “Attachment” section above are in the custody of the City Clerk. Any item(s) not provided in City Council packets are available upon request from the City Clerk.
Internal Reference Number: 23184-09
Legal Sufficiency Review:
Reviewed by Elizabeth L. Hertz, Senior Deputy City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by James D. Stokes, City Attorney.