VERO BEACH – After more than five years of planning, special overlay regulations for the West Gifford Industrial and Commerce Area will move ahead after a 4-1 vote by the Indian River County Board of Commissioners.
Commissioner Peter O’Bryan voted in opposition due to a specification about future concrete plants.
The targeted area is 163 acres of property in West Gifford.
On Tuesday, Community Development staff recommended that the Board authorize staff to move forward with the formal process to create the overlay regulations and to approve an ordinance that would allow staff to apply the overlay regulations to development until the final regulations are formally adopted.
Stan Boling, director of Community Development, presented the hybrid zoning plan that would eliminate 15 uses of the area that currently do not exist, but could under regulations. Examples of eliminated uses are airports, landfills, adult entertainment establishments, and particular manufacturing plants.
The plan would add 39 uses including auto repair, carpet and dry cleaning, equipment rental, enclosed salvage facilities, and paint and hardware stores.
Additionally, the plan places several land uses in categories including, permitted, special exception, and prohibited, so certain uses would have to undergo further processes, like public hearings, in order to pass.
The area in question is largely zoned as General Industrial with adjacent areas zoned as Light Industrial and Heavy Commercial.
Current zoning was created in 1957, without much consideration of residential and potential residential properties that would abut the industrial areas.
Multiple meetings have been held between the Community Development Department, the Gifford Executive Group, the Gifford Progressive Civic League representatives, NAACP representatives, residents potentially effected by the re-zoning, and Commissioner Joe Flescher, since 2009.
The Deputy County Attorney agreed to mediate many of the meetings.
Approximately two dozen people spoke on the matter when Commissioners opened the floor for public comment.
Concerns included the addition of “dirty” industries added to Gifford when concrete plants, processing plants, salvage yards and more are already part of the community outside of the 163 targeted acres.
More people expressed concerns on quality of life, environmental effects, and the negative impact on already existing businesses that would suffer from new regulations.
Others also lined up in support of the overlay, agreeing it would attract jobs and be a step in the right direction for the community at large.
Commissioner Flescher assured the community that the decision had been thoughtfully discussed, debated and drafted for several years leading up to this point and all concerns have been addressed.
Staff’s recommendation to move forward with the overlay and enact the ordinance until final regulations are formally adopted were approved and are in effect as of today.
