What is “commercial space,” exactly? Does that necessarily mean bustling retail and restaurants? Or could it be an accountant’s or architect’s office where the proprietor is quietly meeting with one client at a time?
That was one of the main questions in play at a public hearing Monday night when the Sanford City Commission took up the case of a proposed 305-unit apartment community to be located on a 20-acre stretch of land on the north side of St. Johns Parkway where it intersects with Rhinehart Road. The site is just east of the Seminole Towne Center mall and is across the street from a Walmart Supercenter.
In a close vote, commissioners decided to give the developer clearer direction about what they wanted. They were okay with offices instead of retail in the public-facing area of the development, but they wanted certain requirements attached.
The project belongs to Third Wave Development, which is headquartered in Casselberry. When it initially proposed the apartment complex in 2023, a concept plan showed a four-story apartment building with 235 units, a three-story apartment building with 52 units and three carriage house buildings with 18 units and garages. It also showed 1.5 acres on the southeast corner of the property reserved for commercial outparcel space.
But when Third Wave submitted formal plans to the city in 2024, they showed live/work units in the commercial space. In the two-story live/work units, the upper floor and part of the ground floor would be residential space, and part of the ground floor would be set aside for individual offices, although tenants wouldn’t be required to use that space for offices.
Sanford staffers rejected this plan on the grounds that it didn’t meet the standards of the St. John’s Parkway Mixed-Use Planned Development and the PD Master Plan, which require that the entire ground floor of that building – which faces St. Johns Parkway – must all be commercial space, not just live/work apartments.
Third Wave Development and its president, Chuck Hollis, appealed this denial, which led to Monday night’s public hearing.
Sanford Planning Director Eileen Hinson played clips from a previous City Commission meeting when Hollis had initially presented the concept plan to commissioners. Hinson said commissioners had approved ground-floor commercial storefronts in that location, such as a cafe with outdoor seating. She said that in 2024, commissioners had adopted a PD whose requirements meant that the first floor of the proposed apartment complex’s southeastern building must have 36,440 square feet of commercial space.
Hollis argued that the proposed live/work units were compatible with the spirit of what commissioners had intended. He said the narrow configuration of the parcel, the large retention ponds, and the FPL power lines, would make public-facing retail units with adjacent parking difficult to accomplish. He said he also didn’t want to compete with nearby retail outlets. On the opposite side of St. Johns Parkway is a Walmart Supercenter along with a commercial center called the Fountains Marketplace Plaza, which includes 22 retailers.
Hollis said the previous owners of the property had unsuccessfully tried to market it as a retail location. “Nobody was interested.”
City commissioners questioned Hollis and discussed and debated the issue at length.
Commissioner Sheena Rena Britton noted that, according to the plans, the bathrooms in the live/work units were in the residential area, not in the office area. Mayor Art Woodruff didn’t like that. “If I come into your office and I need to use the restroom, I shouldn’t have to walk through your kitchen to get to it,” Woodruff said.
The mayor searched for a middle ground. He proposed that the commission should deny the appeal but allow Third Wave to come back with a modified plan. Commissioners should give clear direction to city staffers on what they’re looking for at this site.
“It’s not what I envisioned, but I don’t want to throw the whole thing out,” Woodruff said.
The mayor was OK with the live/work units, but said that at least half of the ground floor of each unit should be required to be office space, and that the offices should be separated from the ground floor’s residential area by a permanent wall. He didn’t want a wall with a rolling barn door, “something you can open up and make it a big space,” like a living room. The offices should have bathrooms for clients, he added.
The commission narrowly approved the mayor’s motion by a 3-2 vote. Woodruff and commissioners Patrick Austin and Kerry Wiggins voted for the motion, and commissioners Britton and Claudia Thomas opposed it. Britton said she wasn’t comfortable telling the developer specifically what to do. “I don’t think we should be doing configuration on the dais,” she said.
Some of the commissioners said the city shouldn’t be so strict about requiring so much retail space in new developments.
“We have thousands of feet of forced commercial space in this city that are empty,” Austin said.
Said the mayor, “These aren’t going to be cafes.”
In an interview with GrowthSpotter, Hollis said, “Given the massive amount of retail surrounding the property, we never intended to develop more retail. The live/work concept we’re advancing has been implemented quite successfully in locations such as Maitland City Centre. While we disagree on some of the specific conditions imposed by staff and the commission, our team is committed to finalizing the permitting process and breaking ground.”
Have a tip about Central Florida development? Contact me at Newsroom@GrowthSpotter.com or (407) 420-6261. Follow GrowthSpotter on Facebook and LinkedIn.
