Board approves Martin Manor redevelopment package, residents and historians press for protections

The Planning & Zoning Board on April 4 approved a suite of measures to permit the Martin Manor redevelopment at 1350 North Dixie Highway, voting 6–0 on each of five related agenda items: a small‑scale comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning to R‑5A, conditional use approval for an existing nursery and after‑school program, site plan approval for three new three‑story buildings totaling 95 low‑income units, and associated variances and technical deviations.

City planner Jacob Grama told the board the project replaces the existing Dixie Manor units with three new buildings, preserves a 4,929‑square‑foot community center and adds a clubhouse and outdoor amenities. Grama said the project will provide approximately 42.9% open space, meet minimum parking requirements through a reduced but supported parking program and include EV‑ready spaces that can be converted later. The plan calls for right‑of‑way dedications along North Dixie Highway and Glades Road and a meandering sidewalk and street trees adjacent to the new buildings.

Ellie Zacharias, representing the applicant and development partner Atlantic Pacific, said the team has secured state funding and that the immediate plan is to construct the 95 replacement units on the north side of the 10‑acre site while allowing about 47 existing households to remain on the southern side during phased construction. "We have hired relocation specialists," Zacharias said, and she told the board that 84 of the 95 families had been interviewed as part of the relocation process.

Several public commenters urged the board to protect historic elements of Pearl City and Dixie Manor and to consider tenant protections and parking adequacy. Charles Graves noted the site is on the National Register of Historic Places and criticized the timing of tenant meetings that limited resident participation; he also objected to reducing parking from 197 spaces to 124. John Martin and Marie Hester urged preservation of specific trees, features and portions of the historic site. The applicant said it had met several outreach meetings with residents and the historical society and would provide historical materials in a community center display; the applicant also noted HUD and low‑income housing tax credit requirements that constrain some options.

Board members pressed on tenant protections, parking counts and whether the low‑income housing tax‑credit program would govern rents and tenant eligibility; staff and the applicant said the tax‑credit program defines eligibility and conditions and that conditions of approval require continued low‑income housing program governance. After discussion, the board voted 6–0 on each of the five items: the comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning, conditional use, site plan and variances.

Next steps include finalizing ordinance language, implementing the relocation plan with the appointed relocation specialists, and coordinating preservation elements with the historic society as a project condition and as required by state and federal rules governing funding and historic designations.