The owner of the property has applied for a small-scale Future Land Use Map amendment relating to four contiguous parcels of property from Downtown District to a Highway Commercial Zoning District. The subject property is currently developed with three one-story buildings on the parcels. The addresses of the parcels are 6318 US Highway 19, 6328 & 6330 US Highway 19 and 5303 Main Street and are depicted on the attached Future Land Use map. Staff has reviewed the application in respect to the 2030 Comprehensive Land Use Plan and concluded that the application is consistent with the requirements of such as well as state law.
Incidentally, the intent of the Highway Commercial Zoning District is to recognize the intense commercial development that should be located adjacent to US Highway 19. As such, the Highway Commercial designation provides for commercial and personal activities which are designed to attract patrons from automobiles. The Downtown District designation is to recognize the importance of the downtown area to the city. The land use category is intended to encourage and promote the redevelopment of the downtown area. The Downtown Zoning District is intended to serve as a focal point of community pride and interests. The permitted uses in the Downtown Zoning District are largely specialty in nature (i.e. - art studios, bakeries, florists, hobby and collectible shops) along with business and professional offices.
From staff's perspective, the property largely situated on US Highway 19 is more closely related to Highway Commercial than the Downtown designation. Therefore the recommendation to the Land Development Review Board was in favor of the application.