Commission Meeting Agenda Item

On Thursday, September 22, 2022, applicant Lemon Street Professional Park, LLC, filed a New Major Site Plan application for property located approximately 280 linear feet east of the northeast intersection of North Highway 27/441 and Lemon Street, within the town limits of the Town of Lady Lake, Florida.

The subject property is a vacant 1.21-acre parcel zoned Light Commercial (LCCP) and located in Sections 17 and 20, Township 18 South, Range 24 East, in Lake County, Florida. The property is addressed as 113 West Lemon Street and identified by alternate key umbers 1723710 and 2842792. The appropriate legal description, a location map, and survey of the property was included with the submitted site plan application.

The Lemon Street Professional Plaza is a development that was originally approved by the Town Commission on August 25, 2008, under Wilcox & Wilcox Enterprises, LLC; however, it never came to fruition.

EXISTING CONDITIONS

Examination of existing site conditions within the environmental assessment report revealed that the subject property historically has remained undeveloped with the exception of citrus groves and a single-family unit in the southwest corner. The site considered Open Land, better defined as undeveloped land within urban areas and inactive land with street patterns but without structures. The site has remained vacant since the 2008 Development Order has been issued and a few mature canopy trees can be found spread around the site including Live Oak and Southern Magnolia trees. The site has Candler Sand (34 percent of the site) which consists of very deep, excessively drained, very rapidly to rapidly permeable soils on uplands, primarily with 0-5 percent slopes. The other 66 percent of the site is encompassed by Tavares Fine Sand which consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in marine of eolian deposits, primarily with 0-5 percent slopes. There are no special flood hazard areas nor wetlands within this parcel.

An Environmental Assessment Report was conducted on May 21, 2021, which observed no “potentially occupied” Gopher Tortoise burrows on site at the time. It was recommended that they perform another Gopher Tortoise Survey (prior to commencing site work) to make sure that no tortoises have migrated onto the subject property since the initial survey performed over a year ago. Town Staff will be including a requirement within the Development Order to have a copy of the updated survey prior to commencing site work.

PROPOSAL

The development proposal consists of constructing a multi-tenant development proposed in two phases. Phase 1 would consist of a 3,900-square-foot professional/medical office building featuring 44 parking spaces, including two ADA Florida Accessible parking spaces, installation of a Dumpster Enclosure, Installation of Landscaping Buffers, Sight Lighting and Retention Pond Area. A future Phase 2 features a proposed 4,400-quare-foot Medical/Office Building.

In order to be serviced by Town Utilities, the applicant is connecting to an existing water main and an 8-inch Sanitary Sewer main along the north side of West Lemon Street.

TRAFFIC

The developer has been requested to establish access to the site via a cross-access easement on the neighboring property to the east and west to connect once those parcels develop. The medical/office complex is projected to generate a total of 133 daily trips with 21 PM peak hour trips 4 entering the site and 17 exiting the site). Overall, the traffic impact analysis for the complex has been found to be de minimis since the PM peak hour trip is lesser than 100 trips; only having a small impact on the following roadway segments: US Hwy 27/441 and County Road 466. An exemption from a Tier 1 Traffic Analysis has been granted per the Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization guidelines.

STORMWATER

The applicant’s engineer of record, Keith Riddle, has submitted an Environmental Resource Permit application, civil plans, and drainage report the Department of Environmental Protection. The Self-Certification Stormwater Management Permit No. 0426544001EG has been reviewed and approved dated September 19, 2022. The stormwater system will be designed consisting of one major pond that will serve the entire 1.21-acre parcel to be located along the northwest boundary of the site. The stormwater management system will be the operation and maintenance responsibility of the developer.

COMMERCIAL DESIGN STANDARDS

A waiver to the Commercial Design Standards is required for the project. In accordance with the Land Development Regulations, Chapter 20, Section 20-3C).3).A)., new buildings should adopt and must closely follow one of the four recommended architectural styles: Frame Vernacular, Craftsman/Bungalow, Mediterranean, or Mission. The applicant will incorporate the Traditional Architectural Design Style on the proposed buildings.

The elevations feature exterior building materials and elements that can be linked to the Mediterranean Architectural Design including stone veneer along entrances and diverse columns, decorative wall medallions, decorated glass windows, glass doors, decorative wall sconces by entrances, and terracotta exterior paint colors, etc. Please see elevations enclosed.

LANDSCAPING WAIVERS

No waiver to the Town’s landscaping requirements is required for the project. In accordance with Chapter 10-Landscape and Tree Protection, the site is required to provide approximately 193.6 tree caliper inches based on the 1.21-acre site development area (160”x 1.21).

The applicant is providing approximately 204 tree caliper inches, including tree caliper inches with diverse proposed canopy and understory trees. The majority of the existing trees are in great decay and health decline. The applicant is making the effort to save a 34-inch Laurel Oak and a 29.75-inch Laurel Oak, both of which are located along the northeast boundary of the site.

The following number of trees are being provided:

• Seven DD Blanchard Magnolia trees at 4 tree caliper inches each minimum.
• Five Easter Red Cedar trees at 4 tree caliper inches each minimum.
• Fourteen Florida Flame Red Maple at 4 tree caliper inches each minimum.
• Nine Muscogee Crape Myrtle at 2.5 tree caliper inches each minimum.
• Four Eagleston Holly trees at 2.5 tree caliper inches each minimum
• Seventeen Yaupon Holly trees at an average of 2.5 tree caliper inches each minimum
• Ten Cherry Blossom trees at an average of 4.0 tree caliper inches each minimum
• Walter’s and Dwarf Walter’s Viburnum shrubs at a minimum of 36” with three feet over center

It was found that the applicant has designed the location and planting of landscaping in accordance with the Town’s landscaping code as it refers to spacing, native vegetation, water use requirements, while taking into consideration site visibility and overcrowding of plant material.

The site meets Open Space FLU Policies, as well as on-site storm water retention for storm runoff needs. The proposal is consistent with how the Town would like to see infill development take place to promote economic development.

REVIEWS CONDUCTED

The site plan was reviewed to determine if it is in compliance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) including drainage, grading and erosion control. The application was determined to be in compliance with the Land Development Regulations (LDRs) and the Comprehensive Plan; with the exception of granted variances.

The civil engineering plans, consisting of eight sheets, have been submitted on 24" x 36"sheets and certified by Keith Edward Riddle, Professional Engineer with Riddle Newman Engineering, Inc., drawn on September 16, 2022, with final revisions drawn and signed and sealed on November 16, 2022. Landscaping and Irrigation plans consisting of six sheets have been submitted on 24" x 36"sheets and certified by Bob Huffstetler with Huffstetler Landscape Architecture and Planning with final revised plans dated August 30, 2022. Sight Lighting and Photometric Plan consisting of one sheet are drawn by Gries Engineering, Inc. dated August 18, 2022. Architectural Elevation Renderings consisting of four sheets are drawn by Gries Engineering, Inc. dated July 29, 2022.

Town staff, Neel-Schaffer Engineering, and the Fire Inspector completed reviews. The following items are included in the packet:

Review No. 2 for the general site development completed by Neel-Schaffer Engineering, dated December 8, 2022 (Satisfied).

Review by Fire Inspector Kerry Barnett dated November 17, 2022 (Satisfied).

Review by Lady Lake Building Official Bill Golberg with Charles Abbott Associates, Inc., dated November 21, 2022 (Satisfied).

Review by Lady Lake Public Works Utility Supervisor Butch Goodman dated October 26, 2022 (Satisfied).

Lake County Public Works Comments dated November 4, 2021 (Satisfied).

Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection Self-Certification Stormwater Management Permit No. 0426544001EG dated September 19, 2022.

PAST ACTIONS

No landscaping waivers are being requested; therefore, no Parks, Recreation, and Tree Advisory Committee Meeting took place for this application.

This new major site plan application is being reviewed concurrently at the 12/21 Special Conceptual Workshop at 5:30 p.m. because of one Commercial Design Standard Waiver. Votes will be provided at the Regular Town Commission Presentation.