City of Venice Planning Commission Meeting Summary — November 3, 2026

The City of Venice Planning Commission met on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at 1:30 PM in Council Chambers. All seven commissioners were present. The commission approved the previous meeting minutes, conducted two public hearings (one quasi-judicial and one legislative), and received staff updates. No members of the public spoke during audience participation or either public hearing.

Call to Order, Roll Call, and Minutes

• Chair Wilson presided; all seven members were present: Hale, Sherberg, McKeon, Fresca, Jasper, and Ferlagi.
• The commission unanimously approved the minutes of the October 20, 2026, regular meeting. Commissioner Jasper moved approval; Commissioner Hale seconded.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No speaker cards were submitted for general audience participation.
• No members of the public offered testimony at either public hearing.

Public Hearing: 26-31SP — Catholic Community Foundation of SWFL Site and Development Plan (Quasi-Judicial)

• Public notice was certified as advertised October 17, 2026. No conflicts of interest were declared; some commissioners disclosed only a site visit as ex parte communication.
• Staff planner Brittany Smith presented on behalf of Nicole Tremblay. Bobbi Claybrooke, PE of AM Engineering LLC, represented the applicant, Catholic Community Foundation of Southwest Florida Inc.
• The request was to demolish the existing office structure at 205 Harbor Drive North and construct a 2,159-square-foot office building. The site is approximately 0.17 acres; the transcript reflects confusion with a 1.17-acre figure and a 9.5 percent lot-coverage figure that staff identified as a carryover from another project. The correct calculated lot coverage was stated as 29 percent, below the 40 percent maximum.
• The property has a future land use of institutional/professional and is zoned Office/Professional/Institutional (OPI). The proposed FAR is 0.28, below the 0.5 maximum; building height is 22 feet 2 inches, below the 35-foot limit.
• Parking: four spaces would be on site, with a fifth remote space in the nearby Epiphany Cathedral overflow parking lot on Manatee Court; one golf-cart space and handicap-accessible parking were also mentioned.
• Applicant testimony stated the existing impervious area of 0.14 acres would be reduced to 0.11 acres, adding about 1,300 square feet of green space. Stormwater runoff from the site would continue to flow toward the street.
• The architectural design was reviewed and approved by the Historic and Architectural Preservation Board (HAPB) and is based on Venice historic precedent.
• Commissioner Jasper moved approval under Land Development Code Section 1.9.4; the commission voted 7-0 to approve Site and Development Plan Petition 26-31SP.

Public Hearing: 26-52AM — Section 7 Garages and Façade Colors Text Amendment (Legislative)

• Public notice was certified as advertised October 17, 2026. Staff planner Brittany Smith presented the request.
• HAPB requested amendments to two sections of the Venice Historic Preservation Code after a 6-0 vote, with one member absent.
• Facade colors (Section 7.10.4): The current language requires three colors at set percentages, which HAPB found too restrictive and not historically accurate. The proposed language would allow more flexibility, including up to 80 percent of a non-residential wall surface in one approved color. Staff stated that, after consulting with the city attorney, it would adjust the language to say "at least 20 percent must be a corresponding approved color" to allow options such as a 70/30 distribution before forwarding to City Council.
• Garages (Section 7.10.6.D): The proposed clarification would require garages on smaller lots to be front-loading or entered from the street and garages on larger lots to be rear-loading where possible, with side-loading as a secondary option; new garages should not be built forward of the primary structure, particularly on larger lots. HAPB also recommended removing language about side-loading garage doors facing away from pedestrian entry because that configuration is already implied by the term "side loading."
• Commissioner McKeon moved to recommend City Council approval of Text Amendment Petition 26-52AM, finding it consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and Florida Statutes Chapter 163, Part II. Commissioner Sherberg seconded. The motion, which the mover confirmed included staff's proposed "at least 20 percent" change, passed unanimously.

Staff and Commission Comments

• Planning and Zoning Director Roger Clark announced that the November 16, 2026, Planning Commission meeting is canceled; the next scheduled meeting is December 1, 2026.
• He provided a Parks Master Plan update: the online survey is open through November 8; consultants gathered input at Sun Fiesta and the Farmers Market, where the market session ended early around 11:00–11:30 a.m. due to weather; public workshops were held the previous Tuesday and Thursday, with the evening workshop drawing more attendees; and stakeholder meetings were held. The consultant team is now developing the needs assessment before returning to the citizen advisory board and city boards.
• The Clerk's office reminded commissioners of annual Sunshine Law training scheduled for December 7, 2026, and advised against using reply-all for emails to avoid sunshine conflicts.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the October 20, 2026, regular meeting minutes unanimously.
• Approved Site and Development Plan Petition 26-31SP (Catholic Community Foundation) by a 7-0 vote.
• Recommended City Council approval of Text Amendment Petition 26-52AM (Garages and Façade Colors) unanimously.
• Canceled the November 16, 2026, Planning Commission meeting.