North Venice shopping center goes before Venice plan board – NewsBreak

VENICE — A site-and-development plan for a shopping center in North Venice that generated so much opposition that a rezoning for it ended up in court is on the Jan. 7 Planning Commission agenda.

Border and Jacaranda Holdings LLC, a Pat Neal company, is seeking to develop 10.42 acres at the southwest corner of Laurel Road and Jacaranda Boulevard into Village at Laurel and Jacaranda.

The proposed plan shows 61,375 feet of retail space, consisting of a 50,325-square-foot grocery store on the west side of the property facing east, with an attached liquor store to the north and a second retail space north of that.

A pharmacy drive-thru is shown on the south side of the grocery store.

At the southeast corner of the property is a free-standing 7,200-square-foot building divided into six units.

The total square footage of construction planned is 8,865 less than the maximum the applicant stipulated to during the rezoning process in 2023. The plan shows 1.41 acres at the northeast corner of the property being reserved for future development with a maximum of 8,865 square feet of retail space.

Staff’s presentation to the Planning Commission shows that the development outlined in the proposed plan exceeds all the requirements of the land development code and the Milano Planned Unit Development binding master plan.

However, it will require access improvements including adding a 235-foot westbound left-turn lane and a 185-foot eastbound right-turn lane off Laurel Road; restriping Veneto Boulevard, in the Venetian Golf & River Club across Laurel Road, to a left-turn lane and a shared through/right-turn lane; and adding a 255-foot northbound left-turn lane on Jacaranda Boulevard.

The discussion of the rezoning of the property from open space to commercial was contentious, with lengthy hearings before the Commission and, particularly, the City Council.

The Council eventually voted 5-2 to approve the rezoning, which was upheld on appeal last June by Circuit Judge Danielle Brewer.

Both Venetian Golf & River Club Property Owners Association and Gary Scott have applied for affected person status before the Commission, to be allowed to participate like a party. Both were granted such status in prior proceedings, though Association didn’t join in the appeal.

North Venice Neighborhood Alliance did, but elected not to seek a further appeal from Brewer’s decision.

There’s no application for affected party status for it attached to the agenda, though it has submitted a statement of opposition to the project. The deadline to apply is three business days before the hearing.

Unlike a rezoning, the Council isn’t part of the site-and-development plan approval process, though the Commission’s decision Tuesday can be appealed to it.

The Planning Commission meets at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7, in Community Hall at City Hall, 401 W. Venice Ave. Seating is limited. The agenda is at VeniceGov.com at the “Meetings” button.