DRC flags photometric and code constraints for Apopka Pickleball project near railroad right-of-way

The Development Review Committee on Aug. 13 discussed a resubmittal for the Apopka Pickle project, proposing three pickleball courts, a ticket office and restrooms at 106 West Fourth Street. Conrad, an engineer with Common Engineering representing the applicant, addressed department questions about proposed lighting near the railroad corridor.
Conrad said the applicant had contacted their lighting consultant about shielding options but had not yet provided a revised photometric plan. Committee staff and attendees discussed a code limitation on light spill: in areas abutting property lines in mixed-use downtown commercial zoning, the maximum allowable illumination at the property line is 1.5 footcandles. A DRC staff member summarized the code distinction: “the security exemption plan was really for the fence, and that’s all the power that is in the code for an — That’s just for fencing? Just for fencing, not lighting.”
The project team noted the adjacent railroad right-of-way is about 50 feet wide and that an eight-foot fence accompanying the project could provide some shading, but staff said they must follow the photometric limits that apply where courts abut the property line. The applicant and staff agreed to continue coordinating on shielding and photometric adjustments.
Other departments reported their prior comments had been addressed; fire and building staff raised no outstanding substantive objections during the Aug. 13 discussion. No formal approvals or permit issuances were completed at the meeting; the consultant said the team would continue to work on lighting shielding options and provide updated plans.
The committee did not adopt a different standard or grant an exemption for lighting at the Aug. 13 meeting; staff reiterated that the security-exemption mechanism discussed in the application pertains to fencing, not to lighting allowances.