SEBASTIAN — SandCrest, a proposed 64-unit, single-family development at the southwest corner of Powerline Road and Main Street received unanimous support for its Preliminary Plat at the June 24 Sebastian City Council meeting.
No members of the public spoke either for or against the project at the quasi-judicial public hearing, and Council, with staff recommendation, passed the resolution to approve the Preliminary Plat.
The property had previously been rezoned to PUD-R, and appearances before the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustment have met with approval, based on conditions the developer has since included.
The original concept for the Sebastian property had been 95 2-story town homes. However, according to Project Agent Chuck Mechling, “after further studying the nature of the Sebastian community, developers concluded that a single-story, stand-alone home was more in keeping with what local residents and consumers would like to see, and like to buy.”
“It’s nice to see a project that is different than just ‘Cookie Cutter,’” said Council member Jim Hill. “It could even be considered quite daring.”
Council member Andrea Coy said she was pleased to see a “non-monotonous clause,” in the plans, but fretted that the color scheme might still lean toward beige.
Mechling assured her that “we have guidelines that no houses next to each other can have the same color scheme.”
“What’s to keep a new owner from repainting?” wondered Vice-Mayor Jerome Adams.
“That is part of the HOA guidelines,” Mechling replied. “The streetscape will be non-monotonous.”
City Senior Planner Jan King says the project is now undergoing final review, and is expected to be approved within days, along with the land clearing permit. A Grubbing Permit has already been issued, allowing the developer to go onto the property to remove the gopher tortoises that currently reside there. Their removal will be under the supervision of environmental authorities, which require relocating them to appropriate habitat before the land clearing get under way.
No scrub jays were found to be living on the property.
The developers are allowed to build in two phases, but because the project is comparatively small, they may decide to do the entire thing, including roads and drainage, in a single phase, according to King.
The remainder of the process will go through staff. Construction is expected to begin later in the month. Plans call for the project to be complete by March 2016.
