North Port commission approves 75 Park Place storage facility master plan amid neighbor concerns

The North Port City Commission voted unanimously on March 10 to approve the development master plan for 75 Park Place, a proposed personal storage facility for recreational vehicles and boats on about 6.37 acres near North Chamberlain Boulevard and I‑75. The plan calls for 175 parking stalls, a C‑shaped building that screens most storage areas, a 30‑foot landscape buffer, and an 8‑foot wall along Chamberlain Boulevard.

Staff planner Adrianna Silva told the commission the petition was submitted before the city’s updated Unified Land Development Code took effect and therefore was reviewed under the 2010 ULDC. Silva said staff found the proposed low‑intensity personal storage use compatible with surrounding residential parcels so long as required buffers, screening and site development details are met; the Planning and Zoning Board had recommended approval unanimously on March 5.

Applicant Frank Feeney, the project’s engineer of record, said the design aims to preserve existing perimeter trees where possible, augment buffers requested by neighbors and limit traffic impacts by using porous pavement and a concrete apron at driveway transitions. He told the commission the project holds a Southwest Florida Water Management District permit that will be modified to reflect a porous pavement approach, and that stormwater controls and a discharge control structure would limit off‑site impacts.

During public comment, nearby residents raised questions about access to I‑75, flooding in heavy rains, large trucks potentially using local roads, security and whether the project would create local jobs. Feeney and staff responded that the site is intended as a drop‑off storage destination (not a daily trip generator), leases will prohibit inhabitation of RVs or boats, and fire‑department comments prompted the plan for two points of access to accommodate emergency operations.

Commissioners from across the dais voiced support while stressing safeguards. Vice Mayor Langdon and Commissioner Stokes praised the enhanced buffer, the porous pavement approach and the applicant’s responsiveness to neighborhood input; Commissioner Petro thanked the applicant for holding neighborhood meetings and addressing pumping concerns. The vice mayor moved to approve the petition with four conditions as listed in the staff report; the motion passed 5‑0.

Votes at a glance from the March 10 meeting: the consent agenda passed 5‑0; Resolution 2026‑R‑15 (easement vacation at 5270 Halquette Terrace) passed 5‑0; Resolution 2026‑R‑16 (easement vacation at 5617 Rosette Road) passed 5‑0; Resolution 2026‑R‑02 (adoption of the Sarasota County Unified Local Mitigation Strategy) passed 5‑0; the commission continued the second readings of Ordinances 2026‑005 and 2026‑006 to March 24, 2026 (each procedural continuation passed 5‑0). Commissioner Petro was appointed to the auditor selection committee 5‑0. A separate motion approving a letter to the school board supporting vape‑detection monitors passed 4‑1 (see separate item).