City of Leesburg Planning Commission — November 20, 2025

Meeting Overview

Type: Regular Meeting Quorum: Yes (7 of 9 members present) Duration: ~1 hour 12 minutes (4:30 PM - 5:42 PM)

Attendance

• Present: Tim Sennett (Chairman), Nathaniel Sanders, Ted Bowersox, Frazier Marshall, Ze'Shieca Carter, Shaun Robertson, Ken Simeone
• Absent: John O'Kelley, Darin Akkerman
• Staff Present: Dan Miller (Planning & Zoning Director), Sabrina Mitchell (Executive Assistant I), Kandi Harper (Deputy Director), Dianne Yekel (Senior Planner), Max Van Allen (Senior Planner), Melissa Medders De Los Santos (Planner), Mel Ortiz (Planner), Jennifer Cotch (Attorney)

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Agenda Items

Item 1: Dominium Apartments — Small Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment (Old Business)

• Type: Comp Plan Amendment
• Case Number: SSCP-25-1269
• Location: West of US Highway 27 and north of Palm Drive
• Applicant: Dominium (represented by Joseph, Attorney at Lowndes Law Firm)
• Request: Change future land use of 18.71 acres from City General Commercial and Low Density Residential to City General Commercial for apartment development.
• Acreage: 18.71
• Staff Recommendation: Approve
• Action: Disapproved
• Vote: 4-2 to disapprove (roll call: Marshall Yes, Carter Yes, Bowersox Yes, Robertson Yes, Sennett No, Sanders No)
• Notable Discussion: Case postponed twice previously (September staff request, October applicant request) for FDOT feedback and site plan revisions. Applicant Dominium is a national apartment developer based in Sandy Springs, GA, owns and manages 33 communities in Florida with minimum 15-year hold periods. Proposed three-story apartments on US-27, fully amenitized. Key issue: parking ratio. Original site plan had 555 spaces; revised plan reduced to 442 spaces (1.60 per unit ratio). Staff supported the 1.6 ratio based on applicant-provided studies and transit opportunities on US-27. Commission members uncomfortable with apartments on 25A, questioned fit for the area. One public speaker — Thomas Whipp, President of Corley Island Mobile Manor HOA (39-year resident, 150-unit community), opposed citing increased traffic on roads with no sidewalks, no berm buffer, and water consumption concerns. Applicant's attorney addressed concerns: met with Lake County Public Works and FDOT, new site plan pushes buildings away from boundary with increased separation distance and buffers. Despite staff recommendation of approval and code compliance, Commission voted 4-2 to disapprove. Chairman Sennett and Vice-Chairman Sanders were the two dissenting votes (voted against disapproval).

Item 2: Dominium Apartments — Planned Unit Development (Old Business)

• Type: PUD
• Case Number: PUD-25-1270
• Location: West of US Highway 27 and north of Palm Drive
• Applicant: Dominium
• Request: Rezone 18.71 acres from City PUD to City PUD for apartment development.
• Acreage: 18.71
• Staff Recommendation: Approve
• Action: Disapproved
• Vote: 4-2 to disapprove (roll call: Carter Yes, Bowersox Yes, Robertson Yes, Sennett No, Sanders No, Marshall Yes)
• Notable Discussion: Companion case to SSCP-25-1269. Same voting pattern. Note: the official minutes contain an error stating the Commission "approved" this case, but the 4-2 vote to disapprove and the context clearly indicate this was disapproved consistent with the companion comp plan amendment.

Item 3: Leesburg Flex — Small Planned Unit Development

• Type: SPUD
• Case Number: SPUD-25-704
• Location: North of Commander Road and east of US Highway 27
• Applicant: Rick Blount, Blount Development (based in Wildwood, FL)
• Request: Rezone 7.80 acres from City C-3 (Highway Commercial) and PUD to SPUD for flex space development.
• Current Zoning: C-3 (Highway Commercial) and PUD
• Proposed Zoning: City of Leesburg SPUD
• Acreage: 7.80
• Staff Recommendation: Approve
• Action: Approved
• Vote: 7-0 (roll call: Carter Yes, Bowersox Yes, Robertson Yes, Sennett Yes, Sanders Yes, Marshall Yes, Simeone Yes)
• Notable Discussion: 34 separate flex space buildings for lease. Modeled after applicant's existing project off CR 44 in Wildwood. Designed as business incubator — small businesses can outgrow home-based operations into affordable per-square-foot flex space. Estimated 45-68 jobs. Retail accessory to primary use. Must meet City architectural standards (Section 25-360). Everything internally oriented with no access from back of buildings. Sidewalk along Commander Road. Non-residential project so School Board had no comment. No public responses received. Applicant described it as "a great way for developer" — affordable flex space with varied business types. Commission unanimously supportive.

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Public Hearings Summary

• Number of speakers: 1 (Thomas Whipp, Corley Island Mobile Manor HOA president, opposing Dominium Apartments)
• General sentiment: Strong opposition to apartments; strong support for flex space
• Key concerns:
  • Traffic on 25A with no sidewalks (Dominium)
  • Lack of berm/buffer between apartments and existing mobile home community (Dominium)
  • Water consumption and utility capacity (Dominium)
  • Parking ratio adequacy at 1.6 spaces per unit (Dominium)

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Key Signals

• Dominium Apartments denied 4-2 despite staff approval and code compliance: This is the second consecutive meeting where the Commission has overridden staff recommendations to deny a residential project. The pattern from October's Banning 5 denial continues — Leesburg's Planning Commission is actively resisting new residential density, particularly multi-family. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman (the two most senior members) both voted against denial, suggesting a newer-member bloc is driving the growth resistance.
• Sennett/Sanders vs. the rest — a Commission split is forming: On both Dominium votes, Chairman Sennett and Vice-Chairman Sanders were the only two who voted to approve (voted No on the disapproval motion). Marshall, Carter, Bowersox, and Robertson formed a solid four-vote denial bloc. This 4-2 split (with O'Kelley and Akkerman absent) could define Leesburg development politics going forward.
• Flex space continues to sail through unanimously: SPUD-25-704 (Leesburg Flex) passed 7-0, continuing the pattern from September's Legacy Commerce flex space approval. Commercial/light industrial flex space is the path of least resistance through the Leesburg Planning Commission — it creates jobs without residential density or traffic concerns.
• Post-meeting discussion reveals Commission anxiety about legal exposure: Vice-Chairman Sanders explicitly asked the City Attorney whether the Commission can be sued for denying projects that meet code requirements. Attorney Cotch confirmed the Commission makes recommendations only (City Commission makes final decisions), but the question itself reveals awareness that denying code-compliant projects creates legal risk. Dan Miller noted the Dominium project "falls within regulations of the City."
• Magistrate vs. Commission debate resolved — Commission survives: Dan Miller announced that staff will present pros/cons of Planning Commission vs. Magistrate system to City Commission. This is the culmination of the Lake 100 recommendation discussed in September. The Commission members expressed strong concern about their continued existence and pride in their community work.

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Raw Notes

• Minutes from October 23 meeting approved 6-0 (Commissioner Simeone abstained from vote count — only 6 present members voted as Robertson was newly sworn in October).
• Dan Miller introduced new Planner Mel Ortiz (University of Houston MPA graduate, started October 27).
• Staff working on new Planning Commission binders — planned for next month distribution.
• Staff to present Planning Commission vs. Magistrate pros/cons at Monday City Commission meeting.
• Vice-Chairman Sennett raised concern about temporary signs violating signage rules; suggested Code Enforcement involvement.
• Dan Miller noted regional traffic growth context: "Leesburg growth, Minneola, Clermont, and Mascotte; we all experiencing."
• Commissioner Sanders stated his opinion that the Dominium project "is a perfect fit, falls within regulations of the City."
• Dan Miller expressed he would have been "distraught" if Commission had denied the Leesburg Flex project given the 45-68 job estimate.