On April 15, 2015, the City Council approved a site plan (SP-14-11) from Tropical Shipping USA, LLC, (hereinafter Tropical) by Resolution No. 40-15, which included development of a new two story 30,000 square foot office building, approximately 50,000 square feet of solar panel covered automobile parking and an employee walking trail, located at 1489 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.  Since then, Tropical has requested a site plan amendment (SP-16-06) which would provide a new phased development approach at this location (attached hereto as Exhibit ‘A’).

The most significant amendment proposed to the previously approved site plan is that Tropical will have a three year time period to either construct the aforementioned solar panel covered automobile parking element (known as Phase 2A) or to not construct the solar panel element and to instead finish the automobile parking lot renovations to existing City code requirements (known as Phase 2B).  Additionally, Tropical has provided correspondence indicating their desire to soon complete the solar panel covered automobile parking element following the approval of the site plan amendment.

City staff has determined that Tropical’s amended site plan proposal is consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations.  On May 26, 2016, the Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved the amended site plan application from Tropical.