A rezoning that would allow for a drive-through window at a proposed McDonald’s restaurant on U.S. 98 in Miramar Beach has received the Walton County Planning Commission’s recommendation of approval in a split vote.
The McDonald’s Rezoning was the one item on the agenda at the planning commission’s Nov. 9 meeting at Freeport Commons.
Kimberly Seyer of the Seyer Group presented the rezoning request representing property owners Neely, L.L.C., on behalf of McDonald’s, the company interested in acquiring the 1.49-acre property for a quick-service restaurant.
The property, wooded and vacant, is located at the southwest corner of the U.S. 98/West Hewett Road intersection, across the highway from Walmart. It is currently zoned as Village Mixed Use. The parcel would be rezoned as Coastal Center Mixed Use with approval of the request or, alternately, a zoning district with less density by determination of the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC). The property is in a Mixed Use future land use area.
Introducing the rezoning request, Stephen Schoen of Walton County Planning and Development Services told the board members that staff had found the rezoning application to be complete and substantially consistent with the Walton County Comprehensive Plan (CP) and Land Development Code (LDC).
Planning Commissioner Fred Tricker expressed concern about the single use proposed (fast food restaurant) on the parcel within the requested Coastal Center Mixed Use zoning.
Schoen responded that, while he understood the concern, staff had been interpreting the code as not requiring a mixture of uses for Coastal Center Mixed Use. There is no prohibition on a single use as there is for other districts, he explained.
Tricker pointed out that under the current zoning a restaurant but not a drive-through restaurant would be allowed on a small parcel less than three acres. He was of the opinion that this restriction had been established “for a reason.”
Tricker also praised the CP language providing for varied uses in mixed use areas as a great small-town concept.
Mac Carpenter, county planning and development services director, commented that there are a variety of uses in the mixed-use area of which the subject property is a part. He said it is not required to have a variety of uses on property the size of the subject parcel.
Tricker continued to disagree and suggested that the applicants might instead need to request both a commercial land use classification and zoning district for the proposed restaurant.
Asked why the current zoning for the property would allow restaurants but not drive-through restaurants, Carpenter replied, “to discourage drive-through restaurants in that particular zoning district…”
“…on those particular small parcels,” Tricker added.
The McDonald’s Rezoning was the one item on the agenda at the planning commission’s Nov. 9 meeting at Freeport Commons.
Kimberly Seyer of the Seyer Group presented the rezoning request representing property owners Neely, L.L.C., on behalf of McDonald’s, the company interested in acquiring the 1.49-acre property for a quick-service restaurant.
The property, wooded and vacant, is located at the southwest corner of the U.S. 98/West Hewett Road intersection, across the highway from Walmart. It is currently zoned as Village Mixed Use. The parcel would be rezoned as Coastal Center Mixed Use with approval of the request or, alternately, a zoning district with less density by determination of the Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC). The property is in a Mixed Use future land use area.
Introducing the rezoning request, Stephen Schoen of Walton County Planning and Development Services told the board members that staff had found the rezoning application to be complete and substantially consistent with the Walton County Comprehensive Plan (CP) and Land Development Code (LDC).
Planning Commissioner Fred Tricker expressed concern about the single use proposed (fast food restaurant) on the parcel within the requested Coastal Center Mixed Use zoning.
Schoen responded that, while he understood the concern, staff had been interpreting the code as not requiring a mixture of uses for Coastal Center Mixed Use. There is no prohibition on a single use as there is for other districts, he explained.
Tricker pointed out that under the current zoning a restaurant but not a drive-through restaurant would be allowed on a small parcel less than three acres. He was of the opinion that this restriction had been established “for a reason.”
Tricker also praised the CP language providing for varied uses in mixed use areas as a great small-town concept.
Mac Carpenter, county planning and development services director, commented that there are a variety of uses in the mixed-use area of which the subject property is a part. He said it is not required to have a variety of uses on property the size of the subject parcel.
Tricker continued to disagree and suggested that the applicants might instead need to request both a commercial land use classification and zoning district for the proposed restaurant.
Asked why the current zoning for the property would allow restaurants but not drive-through restaurants, Carpenter replied, “to discourage drive-through restaurants in that particular zoning district…”
“…on those particular small parcels,” Tricker added.
