Planning board deadlocks 7–7 on RangeWater’s 222‑unit Merritt Island rezoning; no recommendation to commissioners

A rezoning request from RangeWater (Merit BIDCO) to allow roughly 222 apartment units on an 11.24‑acre Merritt Island parcel ended in a 7–7 tie at the Planning & Zoning Local Planning Agency on Jan. 14, leaving no advisory recommendation for the County Commission.

RangeWater representatives and consultants presented a conceptual plan and said they reduced initial unit counts to 222, committed to a 100‑foot building setback along the east property line and a 50‑foot north buffer, and pledged to preserve delineated wetlands and negotiate a proportionate fair share (PFS) contribution for transportation mitigation if needed. Traffic consultant Daniela Jurado reported preliminary trip generation of about 1,379 daily trips and an anticipated PM peak of 115 trips; the team said it had scoped a formal traffic impact analysis with county and FDOT staff.

Neighbors and community groups raised repeated concerns about Pioneer Road/North Courtney Parkway capacity (including school dismissal queues), flood and drainage impacts, parking ratios, and an active bald eagle nest that federal guidelines protect with a 660‑foot buffer. Chelsea True, speaking for adjacent residents, said the corridor “is already experiencing peak hour congestion” and that planned FDOT median changes and continued growth mean short‑term traffic snapshots may understate future congestion.

Board members debated access geometry, queuing, and whether proportionate fair share commitments and a 100‑ft buffer are sufficient mitigations. A motion to approve (moved by Neil, seconded by Debbie) produced a 7–7 roll call tie; a follow‑up motion to deny also resulted in a 7–7 tie. The chair directed staff to report the tied vote to the County Commission for final consideration.

What’s next: The project will appear before the County Commission with the Planning & Zoning board recorded as split 7–7. Staff and the applicant indicated additional traffic, stormwater and tree‑preservation details will be developed at the site‑plan stage or in a BDP should the Commission approve the rezoning.