SEBASTIAN — For two years, John Malek wanted nothing more than to rezone his property just outside the City of Sebastian to allow for storage. The county couldn’t help him, he said, because there was too much commercial property not being used – staff members couldn’t justify the rezoning.
So, he turned to Sebastian city leaders, asking them to annex nearly 6 acres of his site into the city’s limits and change the zoning on the property, located south of Vickers Road, between the railroad tracks and Breezy Village Mobile Home Park.
On Wednesday, Malek, of Bridgeton Properties, was successful.
“Welcome to the city,” Councilwoman Andrea Coy said to Malek after the council voted unanimously in support of Malek’s effort.
Malek told the council that he expects to invest between $800,000 and $1 million on the facility, but due to the economy, it could be a year or two before construction begins.
“I kind of have to feel my way here,” he said.
Nearby resident Beverly O’Neil was the only one from the public to address the proposed annexation and zoning change, saying she has no problem with storage sheds being built on the property.
O’Neil added that she believed the additional storage units would serve as a buffer between her neighborhood and the train noise along the railroad track.
Her only concern is what would happen to the site should Malek sell off the property in the future.
Malek responded that no one would buy the site and then demolish the storage facility to build something else – should anyone come along to buy the site in the future, it would most like remain storage.
The city approved an agreement between Bridgeton Properties and the Planning and Zoning Commission that would limit the approvable uses for the site.
Such prohibited uses include:
Gasoline and petroleum sales, except as an accessory use for stored vehicles on the Property
Food sales including any restaurants that have or do not have drive through services
Adult entertainment including any adult entertainment establishments
Boat manufacturing
Sand mining
Concrete production including any concrete plants, and
Asphalt production including any asphalt plants
“We try to be good neighbors,” Malek said.