BROOKSVILLE — Residents who sat through most of a County Commission land use meeting to fight a proposed concrete plant in the east county learned Aug. 4 that there would be no vote.
Darryl Johnston, representing Williams Realty and Investment, told commissioners an expert witness could not attend. The rezoning for the cement plant was asked to be put off until the board’s Sept. 1 meeting. The motion to postpone passed 4-0, to the dismay of neighbors who had waited hours to speak.
The request would rezone property on Power Line Road. It cleared the Planning and Zoning Commission on June 8 with a 5-0 recommendation.
The delay came at a meeting that ran nearly 7 1/2 hours — on an agenda created to make meetings shorter. The commission split off land use items into their own session so that rezonings and land matters would not stretch its regular meetings.
Chairman Jerry Campbell has said public comment at land use meetings should be relevant to items on the agenda. On Aug. 4, it ranged well beyond them.
One resident asked which commissioners had signed nondisclosure agreements tied to requests for data centers. Another said he was upset by letters praising county development staff members, and by commissioners saying they were glad to hear the praise, citing his own past trouble with county staff.
County Attorney Jon Jouben said whether a nondisclosure agreement could be acknowledged at all “would depend on the verbiage of the non-disclosure agreement.” Commissioner John Allocco was more direct, saying the board had already answered the question: “No.”
New Commissioner John Mitten, who was recognized at the start of the meeting, drew a complaint from a resident who said he did not meet residency requirements. Jouben said Mitten had been sworn in the previous day and that the requirement does not apply to appointees of the governor in this case. Commissioner Steve Champion was absent.
Heliport appeal
Pablo Barrozo told commissioners the Planning and Zoning Commission had rejected his request for a heliport on his 9 rural acres for his ultralight helicopter, and he asked the board to hear his appeal.
Barrozo said Federal Aviation Administration studies, case studies and expert opinions supported the use. A neighbor has concerns, he said, and he is listening. He said he does not want to disrupt the community, that the heliport would be used only four times a year and that he would respect his neighbors’ rights.
Allocco said he supported Barrozo’s right to appeal and have his case heard. The board voted 4-0 to take it up Sept. 1, with Barrozo responsible for the cost of readvertising.
Height matters
Hernando Beach landowner Kipp Gotfraind won a height variance for a home he wants to build in the 3200 block of Gulf Coast Drive.
The variance raises the allowable building height on the R1B residential lot from 38 feet to 42 feet, 7-11/16 inches. The house next door stands 47 feet, 10 inches, also under a variance, but neighbors said that was no reason to grant another.
Public comment centered on the pace of development countywide and on the variances themselves. One neighbor objected to the shadow the new house would cast.
The vote to approve was 3-1, with Commissioner Amsler dissenting.
Townhome plan stalls again
A request by Dirt Doctor Inc. to build 110 townhomes consumed much of the meeting as residents — particularly those worried about development along U.S. 19 toward Citrus County — objected to a dense block of multifamily housing.
The company asked to rezone the site from AG (Agricultural) to PDP(MF)/Planned Development Project (Multifamily), with deviations. The property is surrounded by the Sandal Key community, also known as Lake Hideaway.
The request has been before the commission since March, delayed by postponements for alternate master plans and long discussions of road access.
The vote on the rezoning deadlocked 2-2 and failed. Commissioners then voted 4-0 to postpone the item to Sept. 1.
In other action
Commissioners voted 4-0 to rezone property from C-1 (General Commercial) to PDP(GC)/Planned Development Project (General Commercial), with a specific C-2 use for outdoor storage. The petitioner plans a secured lot for RVs, campers, automobiles and small to medium trailers and equipment, with a 6-foot chain-link fence, a controlled access gate and security cameras.
A 4.6-acre parcel along Cortez Boulevard was rezoned 4-0 from AG (Agricultural) to PDP(SU)/Planned Development Project (Special Use). The operation is slated to span five years and will not penetrate the water table, and side slopes will be engineered to no more than 3-to-1. Cliff Manuel of Coastal Engineering said the site has a lot of sand that can be used in construction projects and that the owners are not looking to make it commercial property now.
The county also found itself between a Woodland Waters homeowner and his homeowners association over a second building he wants for his antique cars. The rules changed after a merger of homeowners associations, he said. Other homes have such buildings, but the association president said those were approved by mistake. The matter probably will end up in civil court.
The meeting closed with a long discussion of proposed updates to Chapter 10 of the county code, which governs community appearance. One commissioner said his daughter, visiting from Ohio, was troubled by the loss of trees, and that he sees new developments going up on land that has been clear-cut. A public hearing on the ordinance is set for Sept. 1.