Commercial, hotel projects in Scottsmoor get zoning OK

A major North Brevard County landowner has gotten county approval for two zoning changes that could lead to new commercial and hotel projects off Interstate 95 in Scottsmoor.

County commissioners unanimously approved the zoning changes for Swallowtail LLC, an affiliated company of the Miami Corp., which controls 11,500 acres in northern Brevard County and 47,000 acres in southern Volusia County in what’s known as the Farmton Tract. The area now is dominated by tree-farming operations.

The Miami Corp.’s long-range plan is to have retail, commercial, industrial and residential development on some of the land, while setting aside other sections of land to be undeveloped, serving as areas for wetlands restoration.

The zoning change affects two parcels west of the I-95 Scottsmoor exit and north of Deering Parkway (County Road 5A), which formerly was known as Stuckway Road.

• One change, on about 8 acres of land that had been zoned for agriculture, would allow a hotel and other commercial and retail development, under its new “transient tourist commercial” zoning.
• The other change, on about 8.8 acres of land that had been zone for agriculture, would allow a range of retail and commercial uses under its new business zoning.

In an appearance before Brevard County Planning and Zoning Board, Miami Corp. attorney Glenn Storch said the areas affected by the zoning changes will be “our gateway to the Farmton mixed-use area, ” a roughly 2,500-acre area “that will hopefully be an economic development and job generator. And we’re now working also to create the connector between 5A and that area to make this all happen. We are doing everything we can to encourage economic development in this gateway for Brevard County. As you know, right now, there is nothing there.”

Storch said no companies have been lined up yet to actually develop the properties, and development of the properties is not likely until at least 2017.

Any development of the sites would have to go through county site-plan review.

Initially, Chicago-based Miami Corp. plans to extend Deering Parkway west by about 1,000 feet and develop the needed utility connections on the sites.

Brevard County’s comprehensive plan for the 11,500-acre Farmton Tract in northern Brevard includes these maximum development parameters:

• 1,500 acres maximum buildable area (excluding stormwater facilities)
• 4,800 acres of conservation easement
• 340,000 square feet of commercial space
• A 200-room hotel
• 420,000 square feet of office space
• 390,000 square feet of industrial space
• 50,000 square feet of public institution space, such as for fire stations and schools
• 2,306 residential units

The zoning approvals by the Brevard County Commission came after a unanimous recommendation from the Brevard County Planning and Zoning Board.

Storch said the road name change was a start.

“It used to be called Stuckway Road, but Stuckway was not great for marketing,” Storch said. “But Deering Parkway is working out better.”

Miami Corp. was founded by the Deering family, descendants of the founders of what became known as International Harvester.

“I think it’s a fabulous plan,” Planning and Zoning Board member Andy Barber told Storch. “I’m excited to have you move into the area.”

“We really appreciate Brevard County’s encouragement of economic development,” Storch said in a later interview. “We want to make this a special place for Brevard County.”

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 and dberman@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByDaveBerman and on Facebook at facebook.com/dave.berman.54.

ATV trespassers an issue

One initial challenge to the development of the area near Deering Parkway in Scottsmoor will be dealing with the numerous all-terrain vehicles that now traverse the property, Brevard County Planning and Zoning Board Chairman Henry Minneboo said during a recent board meeting.

“There is a problem there,” Miami Corp. attorney Glenn Storch said. “Especially since they appear to be trespassing, and it’s dangerous. To be honest with you, from a liability standpoint, it’s massive.”

Storch said his company plans to put up fences and no-trespassing signs, with tow-away zones, “because you can’t have lawlessness like you have right now down there, and still expect to market this. I would love to find alternatives, but I just can’t have them trespassing in this area.”

At a separate meeting, Storch told Brevard County commissioners that the trespassers “are tearing up the environment and are making this a worthless area.”

He said his company would work with nearby landowners to preserve their access to their properties