Commission Concerns Could Derail Firmenich Deal

Monday night’s city commission meeting was a relatively uneventful affair, until the final minutes that are set aside for individual reports. 

It was during this late portion of the meeting that Mayor Andy Steingold made a seemingly innocuous comment that could end up derailing the entire Firmenich property development proposal. 

After receiving a lot of feedback regarding the proposal in recent weeks, the mayor questioned the need to move forward with the project if so many people have strong objections to the deal going through as it stands now.

“I believe at this point they are expending money to move this project forward,” Steingold said of the Richman Group of Florida, the company that has proposed a multi-purpose commercial and residential complex on the site. 

“But I am deeply puzzled with continuing to proceed with the project.”

The comment touched off a discussion over the parameters of the project and whether or not the city should move forward with future meetings on the matter. 

“One issue being raised is the building height,” Community Development Director Matt McLachlan said. “If this commission is no longer comfortable with the four-story height, the staff needs to know.” 

“I’m not as concerned about the number of units as I am about the height,” Commissioner Nina Bandoni admitted. “I’d like less of a bulk look and more of a community look.” 

“I did indicate concern about the height,” Commissioner Nancy Besore added.

Other key concerns with the proposal, which calls for 296 residential apartment units and 37,900 square feet of commercial development, include traffic on SR590 and the number of units in the complex. 

“The two items I would like to see addressed are the height and the traffic,” Commissioner Cliff Merz said. 

These issues being raised after the Planning & Zoning Board recommended the proposal be brought before the commission for final approval in November could lead to the dissolution of the deal, according to McLachlan. 

“I’ve been told on multiple occasions that the unit count is non-negotiable,” McLachlan said. “They’re committed to four-stories.”

When asked by Vice Mayor Joe Ayoub if the developer is firm about the number of units and the height of the buildings, McLachlan replied, “They’re firm on the height and the number of units.”

“If the essential terms have changed that make this project viable, they need to know,” he added.

The commission came to a consensus that they would like to see the height of the buildings reduced from four stories to three; they could not come to a consensus on the number of units or the traffic issue.

City Manager Matt Spoor said he would let the Richman Group know about these latest developments.

“We’ll communicate to them tomorrow morning and let you know what we hear,” he told the commission. 

Afterwards, Mayor Steingold said the reason he brought the issue up at this time was to save the community time and money. 

"My duty as mayor is to be fair to any developer trying to proceed with projects like this," he said.

“But we’ve got an obligation based upon the sentiments in the community ... to convey any changes we wish to be made to the agreement," he added. "Then they can decide to either agree with the changes or decide not to move forward.”

Related Coverage

Community Reacts to Firmenich Property Decision

Community Members Voice Opinions on Firmenich Property Proposal

Commissioners Split on Firmenich Property Proposal

What's Your Opinion on the Firmenich Property Proposal?

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