INDIAN RIVER SHORES — The Indian River Shores town council voted Wednesday afternoon to rezone a residential lot on A1A in the block just south of the Village Shops to allow for commercial use. The property and two adjacent lots already zoned commercial across from the Shores Town Hall will become home to the two-story, 9,000 square-foot Spectrum building.
The council also ignored the recommendation of the Shores planning and zoning committee that the Bermuda-style building not contain any retail shops, and voted that 3,000 square feet of the 4,500 square-foot first floor could be leased to retailers.
But the approval for retail came with the restriction that any retail business would first have to go before the Shores planning and zoning committee and then be approved by the town council.
Town council members also said that the location of a dumpster on the property would have to be reconsidered, and that cars leaving the building parking lot could only turn toward A1A to avoid increasing traffic in the adjacent residential neighborhood.
After the vote in favor of Spectrum, friends of its developer, Bob Gibb, congratulated him, while opponents gathered outside of chambers and voiced disappointment over the approval.
Before leaving, one of the neighbors, who said he was not happy with the outcome, thanked the Spectrum development team of investors, lawyers, architects and engineers for their efforts to compromise with him and other neighbors on Beachcomber Lane and Sunrise Terrace to alleviate some of their concerns.