Convenience Store Proposed for First Street North in Winter Haven
by James Coulter
Drivers traveling along First Street North might be able to fuel up and grab a bite to eat if city commissioners approve a proposed rezoning.
At one of their meetings last month, Winter Haven city commissioners reviewed the first reading of an ordinance to rezone less than one acre of land along First Street North.
Located at 2001 First Street North, the subject property is surrounded by three other parcels to the south, west, and southwest. All three parcels are currently zoned at Commercial- Highway (C-3), while the subject property is zoned at Mixed Use (MX).
Beacon Six Holdings, LLC, which owns all four properties, has petitioned the city to zone the subject property to Commercial- Highway (C-3), thus matching the zoning designation of the other three surrounding properties.
The site is proposed to be redeveloped into a convenience store with fuel sales, a development not allowed under the Mixed Use (MX) zoning district, but allowed under the Commercial- Highway (C-3) zoning district.
“Additionally, unified zoning across all parcels would facilitate cohesive site design and consistent application of development standards,” wrote Senior Planner Heather Reuter.
Other properties include a vacant building recently approved for a restaurant to the south, two vacant parcels to the west and across Avenue U NW, and a convenience store across First Street North/State Road 544 to the east.
The proposed site sits in a prime location for a convenience station, being located at a major intersection of First Street, North/SR 544, and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
“Additionally, the adjacent right-of-way is included in the Florida Department of Transportation Lucerne Park Road/SR 544 Widening Project (Segment One), which is currently in the design phase,” Reuter explained.
City staff recommends approval of the proposed rezoning, stating that “the surrounding pattern of commercial and vacant properties, and the petitioner’s ownership of adjacent C-3–zoned parcels, the requested rezoning to Commercial-Highway (C-3) is appropriate and compatible with the surrounding area.”
This proposed rezoning will be one of several other properties in the city that have been rezoned for commercial purposes. Other recent examples include a multi‑unit commercial building north of Highway 540 West, a liquor store along Cypress Garden Boulevard, and a commercial development at 8th Street NW/US-17 & Avenue X NW.
As this was the first reading, city commissioners did not yet vote on the ordinance.
