Oldsmar council approves revised City Hall site plan to enlarge plaza and event space

The Oldsmar City Council on May 5 approved a revision to the conceptual site plan for the proposed City Hall site submitted by Stanbury Development Group, endorsing a change that steps a retail/restaurant building back to expand a front plaza and shield public space from State Street traffic.

Mark Hayes of Stanbury Development told the council the change creates “a greater plaza area up front” and better shields plaza activities from nearby traffic, while preserving the previously approved multifamily building and overall project footprint. Council members pressed for clarity about what exactly was before them; several emphasized that the vote concerned a revision to a plan the council had already approved, not a new entitlement for the site.

Council member (speaker 20) asked for public clarity, saying the current vote was to choose between the existing previously approved plan and the newly revised layout. “That vote already took place last year,” the council member said; “this vote is, do we like this site plan versus the one you showed us earlier in your slideshow?”

A nearby resident, TJ Murphy, raised traffic and safety concerns and urged closing Fairfield Street or adding turn lanes to avoid cut-through traffic into older neighborhoods if the project proceeds. The council and Stanbury representatives acknowledged those concerns and discussed parking shifts and potential traffic mitigation.

After discussion, a council member moved to approve the revised plan and the motion passed by voice vote. The council’s approval applies to the revision shown tonight; if council had voted no, the developer would revert to the previously approved plan and negotiations would continue.

The developer said the revision aims to maximize usable public space for events such as children’s choirs or community gatherings and includes pedestrian entrances and a mix of amenity and residential ground-floor configurations. The council did not adopt any new zoning changes at this meeting; next steps remain tied to the project's previously approved entitlements.