County Commission Changes Future Land Use Designation and Sub-District for 3.9 Acres Along Lake Daisy
by James Coulter
To help ensure the Future Land Use Map remains consistent with existing residential uses, as well as reduce restrictions on those properties, county commissioners have approved changing the future land use designation and sub-district of 3.9 acres of land located along Lake Daisy in Winter Haven.
At their regular meeting on Tues. Aug. 19, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) voted unanimously to approve two agenda items related to property situated along Lake Daisy.
The first item was to change the Future Land Use from Residential High (RHX) to Tourism Commercial Center (TCCX). The second item was to change the sub-district from Residential Low-1 (RL-1) to Residential Low-4 (RL-4).
According to the staff report, that land, which is within the 100-year floodplain, had initially been given its special designation by the Zoning Advisory Board in 1985. However, since then, as the report explained, “With advancements in technology, FEMA floodplain data now accurately identifies flood-prone areas, eliminating the need for a special designation.”
“Since then, Lake Daisy has been fully developed with single-family homes,” the report continued. “The ROS designation on the properties may be restrictive. For instance, if homeowners wish to add an accessory structure—such as a carport, shed, or detached garage—the ROS designation could create complications with permitting and setbacks.”
As such, these changes were proposed as a “cleanup of a mapping error” to put it in compliance with current residential use and the city’s Future Land Use Map.
