At the August 15, 2022, Regular City Council meeting, the City voted unanimously to approve the Mediation Settlement Agreement signed on August 2, 2022. The City participated in a mediation hearing between petitioner Croom Road Land Holdings Inc., and the City of Brooksville in an attempt to settle a dispute regarding RZ 2020-03, known locally as the Milk-A-Way Farms Development.
The two parties appeared before Special Magistrate Jimmy Crawford.
The rezoning request was denied on April 4, 2022, with the reasoning that the Comprehensive Plan for the area was not congruent with the development plan for a farm area in the middle of the project. As a result of the mediation, Croom Road Land Holdings will submit a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to the City Council for approval.
The City’s approval of the Mediation Agreement means the Council will hear the Comprehensive Plan amendment and possible rezoning request. Upon approval by the City, the Comprehensive Plan amendment will be sent to Tallahassee for approval and sent back to the City for a second hearing. The process takes 3-4 months. The rezoning hearing will take place afterward.
The following conditions were agreed upon by both parties:
1. Increase the buffer of the east boundary of Pod 2 shall be 150 feet in width, containing a six-foot high berm with plantings consistent with the proposed landscape plan within 5 feet of the highest berm elevation, subject to SWFWMD requirements.
2. All infrastructure lighting except individual residential lots shall include full cutoff fixtures and shall be between 20 feet and 25 feet in height.
3. Areas designated for CROP usage outside the 15-acre agricultural area shall be limited to horticultural use only and annual crops shall be prohibited.
4. All existing vegetation within buffer areas shall be preserved as is practical. Other
buffer areas shall be planted pursuant to the landscape plan.
5. PETITIONER shall apply for a comprehensive plan amendment to allow for and define the farm operations allowed within the 15-acre agricultural area.
6. Lots along the property boundaries of Pods 2 and 3 shall be 65 feet minimum in
width.
The ultimate plan for the development is 940 residential units consisting of 675 single-family homes, 120 villas and townhomes, 145 multi-family units, 50,000 square feet of commercial floor space, and a Community Garden / Farm.
