Placement: Second Reading of Ordinances / Public Hearing
Action Requested: Motion / Vote
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Ordinance 22-18, Public Hearing, An Ordinance Approving the Second Amendment to the Becker Road Overlay District Design Standards (P21-202).
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Submitted By: Holly Price, AICP, Planning & Zoning Department
Strategic Plan Link: The City’s Mission to plan for smart and balanced growth.
Executive Summary (General Business): This amendment to the Becker Road Overlay District (BROD) Design Standards focuses on properties located at the corners of SW Becker Road and SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard known as the Activity Center Subdistrict. Some changes to areas outside of this district are also proposed. The amended design standards allow convenience stores with fueling stations and buildings with drive-throughs to be located within the Activity Center Subdistrict with some restrictions.
Presentation Information: Staff will provide a presentation, if requested, approximately 5 minutes.
Recommendation: Move that the City Council adopt the Becker Road Design Standards as amended.
Alternate Recommendations:
1. Move that the Council amend the recommendation and approve the proposed amendment to the Citywide Design Standards.
2. Move that the Council not approve the recommendation and provide staff direction.
Background: On February 1, 2022, the Planning and Zoning Board voted to recommend approval of the Becker Road Overlay District Design Standards with the following conditions: 1) Reduce proposed front build-to line (setbacks) from 35-45 feet to 30-40 feet.
2) Allow a drive-through stacking lane to be located in front of a building facing a street and allow drive-through windows to be located on the front side of a building facing the street. This also includes allowing fast-food restaurants to be located on Becker Road (A Street) that does not allow buildings with drive-throughs.
3) Support the requirement to provide a new 7-foot-wide meandering sidewalk in front of the buildings facing a street in addition to the existing 10-foot-wide sidewalk that abuts the street.
On February 28, 2022, the City Council voted to approve the Becker Road Overlay District Design Standards with the following conditions:
1) Accept the Planning and Zoning Board’s recommendation on the frontage landscape buffer dimensions.
2) Allow only one drive-through on each frontage, not including grocery/pharmacy, on Becker Road and Port St. Lucie Boulevard and allow the drive-throughs to face the road with heavy landscaping.
3) Accept staff’s recommendation to allow for additional sidewalks.
4) Allow for design relief.
5) Requested to hold one-on-one meetings with staff and the applicants to discuss side street access prior to the Second Reading.
See staff report and Becker Road Overlay District Design Standards. The light blue highlights indicate the most recent changes to the design standards since the First Reading. The yellow highlights indicate previous changes.
Staff made the following changes to the Becker Road Overlay District Design Standards since the First Reading:
1) Reduced the size of the frontage landscape buffer depth from 35-45 feet to 30-40 feet.
2) Revised design standards to allow in the Activity Center each of the four quadrants to generate 1,500 weekday trips on both Becker Road and Port. St. Lucie Boulevard.
3) Kept language in the design standards requiring a frontage sidewalk in the frontage landscape buffer.
4) Kept language in the design standards to allow for design relief of 10% to the building frontage length requirement.
5) Staff held one-on-one meetings with City Council members to discuss the side street access issue. Kept language in the design standards to require that a Special Exception (SEU) application be submitted for approval by the City Council for proposed development with side street access from local roads.
The City hired Civic Plan Studio, urban design consultants, located in St. Petersburg, Florida to help develop the Conceptual Master Plan and to assist the Planning and Zoning Department in amending the BROD Design Standards.
Financial Information: N/A
Special Consideration: N/A
Location of Project: Extends along Becker Road between the Turnpike and I-95. The Activity Center Subdistrict is located at the corner of Becker Road and Port St. Lucie Boulevard.
Attachments:
1. Ordinance
2. Becker Road Overlay District Design Standards
3. Staff Report
4. Concept Plan
5. Staff 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: 7457
Legal Sufficiency Review:
Reviewed by Elizabeth L. Hertz, Deputy City Attorney. Approved as to Legal form and sufficiency by James D. Stokes, City Attorney.