An Englewood contractor is one step closer to expanding its business following a June 9 vote to approve rezoning requests by the Charlotte County Planning and Zoning Board.
Truex Preferred Construction LLC, 3797 S. Access Road, is seeking to rezone three lots totaling 0.679 acres to allow construction of a new 4,800-square-foot building behind its existing office. The business is owned by Charlotte County Commissioner Bill Truex, who has operated the company for 20 years.
Principal Planner Jie Shao said the applicant has an existing 3,490-square-foot business on Lot 5 along South Access Road and vacant platted lots 19 and 20 in the rear of the business between South Access Road and Burlington Avenue near Strawberry Street.
South Access Road runs parallel to South McCall Road in the West Port area of the county.
The new building will be on Lot 19. “It is staff’s professional opinion that the proposed changes are supported by and consistent with the County’s Comprehensive Plan,” Shao said.
The request includes a small-scale plan amendment to rezone lots 19 and 20 from Medium Density Residential to Commercial, and a companion rezoning to Planned Development for all three lots. That would change the existing zoning mix of Commercial General and Residential Multifamily to Planned Development.
Big W Law Firm attorney Robert Berntsson, representing the applicant, said the Planned Development zoning was selected to provide better buffering from nearby residences. The surrounding neighborhood features a mix of multifamily homes, duplexes, vacant lots, commercial properties and a preschool.
Shao said there are conditions for the Planned Development zoning.
As part of the proposal, use of Lot 19 would be limited to a contractor’s office or similar commercial general uses, with a combined building area not exceeding 8,290 square feet. Building height would be capped at 30 feet — down from the 60 feet allowed under current zoning — and a 6-foot wall with landscaping would be added along the eastern boundary of Lot 19.
The Charlotte County Commission is expected to vote on the zoning change July 22.
