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:
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.
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.
Community Concerns: Creates a pathway to potentially cap density and intensity strictly to the project limits, preventing a blanket assignment of high-intensity categories.
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.
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:
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 Manage...
Click here for full text