Venice — The Venice City Council approved on first reading a pair of related actions affecting a portion of property at 705 South Tamiami Trail: a comprehensive-plan future land-use amendment to change part of the site from high-density residential to Mixed Use Corridor, and a zoning map amendment to change a rear portion from Residential Multifamily 3 (RMF-3) to South Trail Area 2 (ST-2). Both measures passed 5-2 and were scheduled for final reading.

The council and the applicant agreed to binding stipulations intended to reduce development intensity on the property. Among the provisions the council recorded were a prohibition on hotel uses across the site, vehicle access prohibited from Gill Drive for the rear lots, and a limit that the rearmost lots permit only multifamily residential uses and associated parking. The applicant’s representative said the changes would reduce potential building heights by roughly one to two stories compared with prior allowances.

"We are proposing a binding stipulation that ... effectively implements a prohibition on any hotel," said Marty Black, representing the applicant, recounting negotiations with the property owners and neighbors. Brittany Smith, the city planner, explained the stipulations would be codified in the rezoning ordinance rather than in the comprehensive-plan amendment.

Why it matters: The property sits at the interface of Business 41 and adjacent residential neighborhoods. Council members and neighbors raised concerns about potential hotel-related noise, traffic and building scale. The stipulations narrow uses and lower the by-right height on the back portion from the RMF-3 allowance (noted in staff materials as roughly 46 feet plus an allowance for understory parking) to the ST-2/mixed-use corridor standard (35 feet by right), which the applicant and staff said reduces the development envelope.

Council action and next steps: Ordinance 2025-04 (comprehensive-plan change, petition 24-04CP) passed on first reading by a 5-2 vote; it will return for final reading. The related ordinance 2025-05 (zoning map amendment, petition 24-5RZ) was approved on first reading with the applicant’s stipulations incorporated; council directed staff to include those binding conditions in the rezoning ordinance before second reading. The items were the product of follow-up meetings between the applicant and nearby residents after the prior meeting resulted in a tie vote.

What supporters and opponents said: Applicant representatives emphasized they had worked with owners and nearby residents to address concerns, including eliminating hotels as a possible future use. Council members who voted in favor said the stipulations reduced intensity and responded to neighborhood concerns. Council members in opposition said they wanted stronger or clearer protections on unspecified future uses and raised enforcement questions about stipulations.

Documentation and public record: The comprehensive-plan ordinance and the rezoning petition numbers were read into the record at the meeting; written stipulations were provided to council in advance as supplemental materials. The zoning action was taken under the city’s quasi-judicial procedures and included staff comments and applicant testimony.

The measures return to the council for final votes consistent with the city’s ordinance-reading schedule.