Subject:
Title
Case No. FLU-24-03 (Dushyant Gulati)
A request for a Future Land Use Map amendment from Residential Suburban to Residential Low on approximately 1.02 acres located at 2281 Kersey Road in unincorporated Largo. (Companion to No. 25)
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Based upon the evidence and findings contained in the staff report and attachments, Case No. FLU-24-03 is recommended for approval:
An ordinance approving the application of Dushyant Gulati for a Future Land Use Map (FLUM) amendment from Residential Suburban (RS) to Residential Low (RL) on approximately 1.02 acres.
• If this FLUM amendment is approved, the applicant’s entire property (3.2 acres in total) would be designated RL.
• The applicant conducted a neighborhood outreach in December 2024, to listen to community concerns. A second outreach was done in February 2025.
• The Local Planning Agency recommended approval of the request (vote 4-2). Seven people appeared in opposition, mostly concerning the companion Zoning Atlas amendment case, citing lot size, buffering, traffic, access, and flooding concerns. Two letters in opposition have been received.
• A companion Zoning Atlas amendment (Case No. ZON-24-04) is also proposed and is contingent upon this FLUM amendment.
• The property, as well as all the immediate surrounding area, is designated Residential Low Medium on the Countywide FLUM. A Countywide Map amendment is not required.
• The applicant intends to redevelop the subject property and the immediate, contiguous 2.18-acre property to the south with an eleven-unit single-family detached subdivision, subject to the proposed conditions per the companion Zoning Atlas Map amendment.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Prosperity and Opportunity - Increase the availability of attainable housing
Healthy and Safe Communities - Enhance community safety
Summary:
Previous Case - Z/LU-20-12
On April 27, 2021, the Board of County Commissioners (Board) denied an amendment to the FLUM and Zoning Atlas Map, on 1736 Winchester Road, the property immediately south of the subject property and part of the companion Zoning Atlas Map amendment to this case. The applicant filed a Request for Relief and a Request for Mediation pursuant to Florida Statutes. A Special Magistrate issued a settlement and recommendation to the Board which included conditions for approval of the recommendation. On October 26, 2021, the Board reheard the request and approved (vote 5-2) an amendment to the FLUM and Zoning Atlas Map, with a Conditional Overlay (CO) on 1736 Winchester Road (case # Z/LU-20-12, see attached). At that meeting, the Board made a finding that the proposed RL FLUM and R-3-CO zoning district was compatible with surrounding FLUM categories and uses. The CO added further limitations to the development of the property such as, but not limited to, the maximum number of homes, minimum lot sizes, minimum building setbacks and buffering requirements.
Current Request:
The applicant wishes to redevelop the subject property and the immediate, contiguous 2.18-acre property to the south with an eleven (11)-unit single-family detached subdivision, subject to the proposed conditions per the companion Zoning Atlas Map amendment (ZON-24-05). In its entirety, the overall desired development consists of two (2) parcels totaling approximately 3.2 acres, located at 2281 Kersey Road (northern ‘subject’ parcel) and 1736 Winchester Road (southern, adjacent parcel) in unincorporated Largo. The subject property contains a single-family home, and the south property is vacant except for a barn and a couple of sheds.
The subject property is 1.02 acres in size and is designated as RS on the FLUM and is proposed to be amended to RL. The current RS designation allows up to 2.5 dwelling units per acre, which would allow up to three (3) dwelling units on the subject property. The proposed RL designation allows up to five (5) dwelling units per acre, which would allow up to five (5) dwelling units, a potential two (2)-unit increase to the subject property. The southern property consists of 2.18 acres and is designated RL, receiving this designation in 2021. The zoning designation on the subject property is Rural Residential (R-R), which allows for single family detached homes with a minimum 16,000 square foot lot size. The proposed zoning designation, R-3-CO, Single-Family Residential with CO, allows single family detached homes with a minimum 6,000 square foot lot size plus further limiting development conditions. The southern property has a zoning designation of R-3-CO. If this FLUM amendment is approved, the entire property subject to the applicant’s desired development as described above would be designated RL. Similarly, if the companion Zoning Atlas Map amendment is approved, the entire property will be designated R-3-CO zoning. As part of the companion case, the applicant is seeking to modify the CO component of the R-3-CO zoning.
In addition, the subject property, as well as all the immediate surrounding area, is designated RLM on the Countywide FLUM, which allows up to 10.0 residential units per acre. Therefore, this proposal would not require a Countywide Map amendment.
The subject property is mostly adjacent to single-family residential development of varied lot sizes and a vacant property immediately to the south. The properties to the west and east have a land use designation of RS. The property to the south is designated RL and properties to the north, across Kersey Road, are within the City of Largo. Additional RL land use-designated properties exist a few hundred feet to the east and southeast as well as to the north on unincorporated parcels of the County. Most of the lots in the neighborhood to the east are 60 feet wide, which is consistent with the minimum required dimension of the requested R-3 zoning district under the companion case. The other surrounding lots are larger, ranging from 1/3 of an acre to 2.86 acres. Smaller 50-foot-wide lots and a mobile home park are located to the north across Kersey Road within the City of Largo.
The subject property has a low flood risk. The subject property is neither within the Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) nor the Coastal Storm Area (CSA). The subject property lies within Flood Zone X.
Staff is of the opinion that the proposed FLUM amendment is appropriate and, with the inclusion of the companion Zoning Atlas Map amendment case, will allow for the site to be redeveloped to the County’s development regulations in a more appropriate manner, especially when considering the limitations being placed by the proposed CO. Property immediately to the south, in the neighborhood to the east, and unincorporated properties to the north also have RL land use designations. Lastly, staff finds the amendment consistent with the Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan.
Background Information:
The LPA recommended approval during its March 12, 2025, public hearing (Vote 4-2).
Surrounding property owners within 300 feet of the subject property were notified by mail. Two (2) signs advertising the public hearings were posted on the subject property.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Glenn Bailey, Director, Housing and Community Development
Partners:
N/A
Attachments:
LPA Report
Case Maps
Impacts Analysis
Traffic Analysis
Previous Z/LU Case
Ordinance
Certification of Ownership
Survey
Traffic Study (applicant)
Neighborhood Outreach - Dec 2024
Neighborhood Outreach - Feb 2025
Citizen Correspondence
Legal Ad
Legal Ad Map
Presentation