Commission defers Clearwater planned‑development amendment after homeowners raise drainage, access and buffer concerns

The Mainland Planning Commission on July 1 deferred a proposed amendment to the Clearwater Planned Development District that would revise lot layouts, add townhome parcels along Highway 17 and change the PD text to allow more single‑family lots than the original PD limit.

Planning and zoning director Stephanie Leaf said the developer seeks to revise a PD originally adopted in the early 2000s. The existing PD capped single‑family lots at 300 and envisioned multifamily near Highway 17; the applicant (Trevitt Properties LLC) proposes townhomes on the Highway 17 frontage and new single‑family phases in the rear. Leaf said the applicant submitted a preliminary plat showing roughly 160 single‑family lots in the new single‑family area and approximately 144 townhome sublots along Highway 17; the changes and new lot configuration require a PD amendment because they alter the approved master plan and lot counts.

Engineer Jake Lemmings (Robert Civil Engineering) and owner/developer Harry Trevitt presented the concept and said they had met with the Clearwater homeowners association the night before the meeting. Several residents spoke at the hearing with concerns about stormwater and drainage impacts to existing lots and the lake, the need for a permanent secondary access to reduce congestion at the gated primary entrance, potential HOA governance and whether townhomes would have access to existing amenities. Residents asked for a minimum 20‑foot undisturbed green buffer along the property line where new lots would abut existing homes; the applicant indicated agreement to a 20‑foot undisturbed buffer in those locations and to discuss adding a permanent second entrance and related road improvements.

The applicant and planning staff agreed to continue discussions with the HOA and county staff to refine drainage, buffer and HOA governance issues. The commission voted 5–0 to defer the request to the August meeting to allow those conversations and any plan revisions to be documented for the commission's review.