Dunedin Local Planning Agency Meeting – November 12, 2025
Dunedin Local Planning Agency Meeting – November 12, 2025
The Dunedin Local Planning Agency (LPA) held a regular meeting on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 6:00 PM at City Hall. The board unanimously approved the previous meeting minutes and recommended approval of a design review application for a 21-unit short-term rental vacation home project, Azul Ave Vacation Homes, after hearing staff presentations, applicant testimony, and one public comment in opposition. The meeting adjourned at 7:00 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of September 10, 2025 LPA Minutes: Motion by Debora Kynes, seconded by Kevin Benjamin, carried unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Thomas Michaels (owner of 1370 Pinehurst Rd., property immediately south of the subject site) opposed the project, stating the 21-unit, two-story development does not blend with the surrounding one-story neighborhood of offices, homes, and duplexes. He submitted a letter and noted earlier submission to the Architectural Review Committee had not been reviewed.
Discussion Items
- Application DR-2025-0004 – Azul Ave Vacation Homes: A proposal for a two-story, 21-unit short-term rental (transient use, less than 90 days) on 1.02 acres at 1380 Pinehurst Rd., zoned Form-Based Medium (FX-M) with Retail & Services land use. The site is currently vacant, formerly a charter school. Staff reported the project meets all dimensional and design standards, preserves a 47-inch Grand Live Oak, and includes 45 parking spaces, underground stormwater system, and solar readiness. A citizen participation plan was voluntarily conducted. The architectural review committee approved after three reviews. Staff recommended approval with conditions.
- The applicant (Walter Penachio, Azul Ave LLC) and his team answered board questions regarding drainage (25-year/24-hour storm design, pre-development release rate), parking (2 spaces per unit plus 3 extra), traffic (14 peak trips, 100% FDOT visibility), noise (HOA rules, quiet hours), solid waste (dumpster service, no on-site food preparation), and potential Blue Jays use (11 rooms via email, not a contract). The board discussed compatibility with surrounding FX-M zoning and the project’s role as a catalyst for redevelopment.
- Community Development Director George Kinney noted that the compatibility analysis considers both existing conditions and future land use intent; most surrounding properties are FX-M, allowing similar intensity.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to Recommend Approval: Kevin Benjamin moved, Sally Caron seconded, to recommend that the City Commission approve Application DR-2025-0004 subject to the conditions outlined in the staff report. The motion carried unanimously (7-0).
- The City Commission will hold first reading on December 18, 2025, and second reading at a future date.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome. This November 12th, 2025 meeting of the local planning agency of the City of Dunedin will now come to order. The local planning agency is an advisory board of the citizens appointed by the City Commission. This board is comprised of volunteers who represent the thoughts and concerns of the community. The purpose of tonight's meeting is to make recommendations to the city commission regarding each item on the agenda. Except for item one B, tonight's format will be as follows. I will introduce the item on the agenda after which the city representative will present information about it. Thereafter, the members of the local planning agency will have an opportunity to ask questions of the city representative. Finally, anyone from the public may come forward. Those wishing, those from the public wishing to provide comment will need to please approach the lecturer and state your name and address, and then utilize the speaker's lector in order for their comments to be recorded. Individual public speakers will be limited to three minutes of time, and we kindly request that speakers are request or are respectful of the clock countdown. Citizens speaking on an agenda item or during citizen comment will not engage in loud, boisterous or disruptive speech or comment. Never happens here. Any speaker that has continued inappropriate or irrelevant comments will be requested to relinquish the podium by me, the chair. Item 1A, which is the first item on the agenda, is to approve the September 10, 2025 LPA minutes. Are there any corrections, additions, or deletions to make? I may not be in favor. Second. All in favor? Aye. I thank you. And we are open for public comment about our minutes. We've never had anyone comment on those. But we have to ask. Okay, so we're done with the public comment. All right, so we will move on. While the local planning agency is not a quad quasi-judicial board and therefore has no final decision-making power, our procedure, procedures for quasi-judicial items. Somebody needs to get rid of those words. Are structured in a quasi-judicial manner for the benefit of those who come before it. And the format will be as follows. I will introduce the item after which the city representative will present information about it. Thereafter, the members of the LPA will have an opportunity to ask questions of the city representative. The applicant will present information about the item. Thereafter, the members of the LPA will have an opportunity to ask the applicant questions. Finally, anyone from the public may come forward. Those from the public wishing to provide testimony will need to approach the lector and state their name and address, and then utilize the microphone at the speaker's lecture in order for their comments to be recorded. Individual speakers will be limited to three minutes of speaking time, and we request that speakers re be respectful of the clock countdown. The voice vote is the rendition of the order of the board, and there will be no written decision issued by the board. Anyone in the audience wishing to give testimony to any items on the agenda would need to be sworn in by the deputy city clerk. The deputy clerk will now swear in all persons wishing to speak or give testimony to tonight's quasi-judicial agenda item. Do you swear the testimony you were about to get in this proceeding is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Yes. Thank you. As anyone on the LP had any expert communications regarding this item. No, no. Thank you. We are now into application DR 2025 0004 request for design review approval for the development of a two-story 21 unit residential vacation home project called Azure Avenue Vacation Homes, located at 1380 Pinehurst Road. Thank you, uh Chair Broom members of the board. Excuse me. George Kinney on behalf of the community development department.
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