Mhm. >> Mhm. >> I call the uh Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to order June 18th, 6:30. Uh please stand for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. >> Our dear heavenly Father, we pray for guidance as we take the business of the
city of Leesburg. We pray that the decisions made here today will be pleasing in your sight. We pray this in your most holy name. Amen. >> Amen. >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one
nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you very much. Have you had a opportunity to look at the minutes? Are there any corrections, deletions, additions to the minutes? If not, I'll accept a motion to approve.
>> I'd like to make a motion that staff amend the minutes as submitted. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> I second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> All opposed? Thank you very much. >> [clears throat] >> Um
before we get started anybody wishing to speak on any of the issues today needs to [clears throat] fill out one of these forms up there. If you don't have one, you're you won't be able to speak. Just to let you know that. Um
Dan, you want to go ahead and do your thing? Oh, yeah. Thank you. You want to swear everybody in? Anybody that's going to speak today, please stand to be sworn in. >> Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give is the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? >> I do. >> Thank you. Thank you, Dan. I knew I was forgetting something. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Welcome everyone to the June 18th, 2026 Planning Commission meeting of the City of Leesburg. My name is Dan Miller,
Planning Director for the city. Staff present today includes Deputy Director Candy Harper, Executive Assistant Sabrina Mitchell, Senior Planners Diane Yeckley, and Max Van Allen, and Planners Melissa Metters, De La Santos, and Mel Ortiz. Also, City Attorney Jennifer
Cotch is here as well. Today's agenda and speakers registry is available on the table by the exit door out here. If you wish to speak on a case, we would ask that you do please sign the speakers registry and turn it in to Ms. Mitchell, who's seated here to my left. Under the rules
of participation, the meeting is conducted using the following process. Everyone wishing to speak is sworn in as you have been. Uh the chairman will announce each case. The staff will then present exhibits for the record, which will include maps,
photos, text, as shown on the screens up here. Staff will then provide background on the case, consisting of general information about the request, and read a recommendation into the record. The applicant will then have an opportunity
to speak on the case, and the public will be offered an opportunity to comment. Then the applicant will be allowed to respond. The chairman will then close the case to the public. The The Planning Commission will then discuss the case.
The chairman will then close the case, and a motion to vote will be taken, and then they will move on to the next item on the agenda. The Planning Commission, it consists of citizens appointed by the City Commission. They're charged with two
primary functions. The first is to make final decisions on cases such as variances and conditional use permits. And that's The second is making recommendations for issues to be heard by the City Commission.
Today on the agenda, there is one variance case, which will receive a final decision. There are four other cases that will be recommendations. The Those recommendations will then go on to the City Commission for final
decisions. >> [clears throat] >> The city staff provides its recommendations to the Planning Commission based on the city's comprehensive plan, the city's land development regulations, and the state of Florida statutes.
There are also tentative dates on the for the City Commission hearings for these cases, the four cases that will go forward to the City Commission. Those are listed in bold on the agenda. These dates are subject to be changed, so we do ask that you would check with
our office or the city clerk's office to be sure of the final hearing date so you don't waste a trip. And finally, on behalf of the city of Leesburg planning staff and Leesburg planning commission, we do thank you for your participation in today's public hearing process. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
>> Thank you very much. Uh before we get started, I just found out that uh you've been here for 20 years. Congratulations. >> Thank you. >> I appreciate that. >> [applause] >> Good job. >> You're doing a great job.
Okay. Under new business, um the first two cases are related, so what we do is we we read both of them and present all the information on both cases together and then um vote on them separately. We'll do that for one and two and four
and five. So, on case number one, it's public hearing case number LSC P 26905 Merit Ranch large-scale comprehensive plan amendment. And number two is public hearing case number PUD 26906
Merit Ranch plan unit development. >> Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under the background, this project consists of an annexation small-scale comp plan and rezoning. This is on a site consisting of a 445 plus or minus undeveloped acres. It's generally located on the south side of County Road
48, west of North Sumter Road, and east of the Sumter County line, as you can see on the screens above. Under the overall proposal, the future land use application for the project is requesting a change from Lake County rural and city neighborhood mixed-use
to city estate. The zoning application for the project is requesting a change from Lake County agriculture and city R1A, which is single-family residential, to City of Leesburg plan unit development. So, the request for this The request is
for approval of this zoning and future land use for future development consisting of 523 detached single-family residential units at a gross density of 1.17 units per acre. Senior Planner Diane Yekel will be presenting the maps and
photo exhibits, including the aerial zoning, future land use, surrounding land use, wetlands, flood zone maps, uh commission maps, and CRA maps. >> Thank you, Mr. Miller. So, starting off
with the extended aerial, we have uh the subject property being shown as south of County Road 48, west of North Austin Merritt Road, and the east of the Sumter County line. And for the aerial, it's a closer view
showing that it is south of County Road 48 and east of the Sumter County line. For Lake County future land use, part of the subject property does have Lake County rural future land use, which
there is also some to the northeast and to the south. And the majority of the subject property has an FLU of city neighborhood mixed use, which is also to the north and east, and there is also city estate
residential to the southeast. The proposed future land use is estate residential. For Lake County zoning, part of the subject property has an A agriculture zoning, which is also to the south, and
there are a few parcels to the east and north. For the zoning, the subject property is most mostly zoned R1A, a residential, which is also to the east, and we have age-restricted development
to the north, and RE1 estate density residential to the southeast. The proposed zoning is PUD, planned unit development. For surrounding land use, to the north, we have vacant unbuilt unbuildable
residential or flood