TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and Possible Action Regarding a Request From Winchester Florida Ranch, LLLP for City Commission Consent to Proceed With Formal Applications for Privately Initiated Text Amendments to Both the City of North Port Comprehensive Plan and the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC).
Recommended Action
Option 1: Express a willingness to consider hearing a formal application for text amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) and direct the ULDC Administrator to prepare the proposed amendments.
City Commission Options
Option 1: Express a willingness to consider hearing a formal application for text amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and ULDC and direct the ULDC Administrator to prepare the proposed amendments.
• Pros:
o Regulatory Compliance: Satisfies ULDC Sections 2.2.6.C. and 2.2.16.B. by securing mandatory City Commission consent before initiating formal text amendments.
o Tailored Development: Allows the applicant to pursue customized amendments, creating a bespoke land use and zoning framework precisely matched to the 2,967-acre project.
o Community Concerns: Creates a pathway to potentially cap density and intensity strictly to the project limits, preventing a blanket assignment of high-intensity categories.
o Statutory Frameworks: Offers an opportunity to negotiate compliance with Florida Statutes and the Comprehensive Plan while avoiding the assignment of an intense "Village" District designation.
o Commission Authority: Signals a willingness to review the proposal and directs staff to begin work without legally binding the Commission to a final approval.
• Cons:
o Staff Resources: Demands over 430 man-hours from Planning and Zoning/Development Services Department staff alone, compounding severe existing department vacancies (excludes unquantified impacts to the City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Manager Offices).
o Statutory Timelines: Threatens compliance with state-mandated timelines for other development projects, delaying customer service for active files in the workflow.
o Strategic Initiatives: Forces a reprioritization of staff resources that may impact key projects like the Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement, Activity Center Master Plans, and Fee Study.
o Infrastructure Costs: Opens the door for requests to alter the Urban Service Boundary, risking the diversion of public funds into infrastructure for private expansion.
o Administrative Precedent: Approving applicant-specific text amendments may prompt future developers to seek customized regulations rather than adhering to established codes, reducing the incentive to align projects with the city’s adopted Comprehensive Plan and ULDC.
Option 2: Decline to express a willingness to consider hearing a formal application for text amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and ULDC.
• Pros:
o Staff Resources: Prevents the diversion of over 430 man-hours, allowing departments to focus on existing workloads.
o Statutory Timelines: Ensures active files in the development workflow move forward without state-mandated timeline delays.
o Strategic Initiatives: Protects the timeline and continuity of critical city projects, including the Interlocal Service Boundary Agreement, Master Plans, and Fee Study.
o Infrastructure Costs: Eliminates the immediate risk of public funds being requested or diverted for private infrastructure expansion outside the Urban Service Boundary.
o Administrative Precedents: Reinforces compliance with the existing Comprehensive Plan and the ULDC, discouraging future requests for applicant-specific future land use and zoning text amendments and encouraging developers to design projects within the City's adopted standards.
• Cons:
o Project Customization: Disallows the request for text amendments, preventing the creation of a tailored zoning district for the 2,967-acre project.
o Future Designations: Restricts the applicant to future land use and zoning categories that currently exist within the City's established framework.
o Higher-Density Requests: May prompt the developer to request existing, standard district designations (like the Village District) that allow for a significantly higher density and intensity than their current project requires.
Background Information
On July 28, 2026, William W. Merrill of Icard Merrill, acting as the agent for Winchester Florida Ranch, LLLP (a subsidiary of Mattamy Homes), submitted a formal request and a $1,000.00 application fee to the Development Services Department. The applicant seeks City Commission consent to pursue privately initiated text amendments under ULDC Sections 2.2.6.C. (Accela record number PCPA-26-03229) and 2.2.16.B. (Accela record number PTXT-26-03230).
Winchester Florida Ranch, LLLP previously filed a petition (PAX-25-02190) under Florida Statutes Section 171.044 to voluntarily annex approximately 2,967 acres of land currently located within unincorporated Sarasota County (the "Annexation Area") into the City of North Port.
Winchester Florida Ranch, LLLP is seeking City Commission consent to pursue formal applications for privately initiated text amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) intended to apply to the Annexation Area upon annexation into the City-limits. According to the applicant, the intended development style for a large-scale, mixed-use community integrated with Wellen Park cannot be accommodated under the City's existing Village Future Land Use Classification and Village Zoning District regulations. As such, the developer has identified a need for text amendments to establish a new land use framework that fits their specific project concept.
According to the applicant's submittal, their proposed development strategy would require consent to proceed with the following text amendments:
1. Comprehensive Plan (Future Land Use Element): Create a new Future Land Use Classification and expand the city's Urban Service Boundary to include the approximately 2,967+ acre Annexation Area.
2. Unified Land Development Code (ULDC): Establish a corresponding new Zoning District to implement the new land use classification.
Should the City Commission grant consent to proceed with the Comprehensive Plan and ULDC text amendments, the applicant intends to concurrently submit the following applications:
• Future Land Use Map (FLUM) Amendment
• Rezone
• Master Concept Plan for the entire Annexation Area
Any subsequent amendments and application materials will be brought before the City Commission for final consideration and approval or denial.
Strategic Plan Pillar
Good Governance
Financial Impact
Not applicable.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. Request
Prepared by: Sherry Willette-Grondin, Planner III
Lori Barnes, AICP, CMP, Deputy Director, Development Services
Department Director: Alaina D. Ray, AICP, Director, Development Services