Clermont sends 2045 growth plan to state on 3-2 vote

Clermont’s new long-range growth plan is on its way to the state after the City Council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to send it for review.

The Clermont 2045 Comprehensive Plan replaces the plan the city adopted in June 2009. It sets how many homes can go on each type of land and where the city wants new town centers. Mayor Tim Murry voted no. He said the city does not yet know what more homes and taller buildings would cost its roads, water and sewer systems.

The vote is recorded in the city’s summary of actions for the Oct. 13 meeting. The plan, the ordinance and a staff report are in the agenda packet for the same meeting.

The council also dropped a proposed e-bike ban for downtown and the waterfront. The city manager withdrew it before any vote. More on that below.

What the plan would change

The city hired the planning firm DPZ CoDESIGN in fall 2025 to rewrite the plan. Staff said the city held 14 community meetings and a weeklong design workshop to gather ideas. Nathan Norris, the city’s director of economic development, told the council the work has taken about 13 months, according to the meeting video.

Among the new policies in the draft:

• density would be counted on “net” acres, leaving out roads, wetlands, conservation land, required open space and stormwater ponds
• the city would set no maximum floor area ratio, the usual cap on how much floor space a building can have; height, lot coverage and setbacks would control size instead
• new town centers and mixed-use areas would be encouraged along State Road 50 and U.S. 27
• newly annexed land would get a “Traditional Neighborhood” designation meant to produce connected neighborhoods with a mix of housing, not single-use subdivisions

The draft’s table of land uses lists these maximum densities, in homes per net acre:

The draft does not always agree with itself. The written policy for low-density neighborhoods says “up to sixteen dwelling units per acre,” not 18. The policies for downtown and the mixed-use corridor each say up to 60, below the table’s top figures.

The council’s motion deals with that. It directs that where the final text is inconsistent, the plan adopt “the lowest density and the highest quality standards” without taking away rights property owners already have. The motion also folds in changes from the planning firm and the Planning and Zoning Commission. It removes every reference to property owned by the Waterbrooke homeowners association.

Why the mayor and a council member objected

Murry said he was not against growth.

“I am opposed to approving significant increase in development capacity without adequate studies, clear financial projection and enforceable safeguards,” he said.

He asked who would pay for new roads and utilities, and whether impact fees would cover them. He said existing residents could end up bearing “some of the financial burden through taxes, utility rates” or reduced services. He asked the council to take more time before sending the plan. His remarks start about 3 hours, 24 minutes into the video.

Council Member Bryan Bain said he found close to 50 errors in the earlier draft that were fixed in the new packet. He said that left him almost no time to study the new policies. “There’s a lot in here I like, but process matters,” he said.

The summary of actions records the 3-2 vote but not how each member voted. Murry said “nay” from the chair on the video.

What happens next

The plan now goes to FloridaCommerce, the state’s land planning agency, and other state agencies for comment. The council will then hold an adoption hearing. The ordinance gives no date for it yet, only the year 2027.

The new plan takes effect only after the state finds it in compliance with Florida law. No permit that depends on it can be issued before then, the ordinance says.

E-bike ban withdrawn

The council did not take up Ordinance 2026-036, the proposal to ban e-bikes and scooters from sidewalks, trails and parks west of U.S. 27 and north of S.R. 50. The summary of actions lists it as “withdrawn.”

“The city manager is withdrawing item 12,” the council was told at the start of the meeting, so no vote was needed. That exchange is about 25 minutes into the video. No reason was given on the record.

Because the ordinance was never introduced, the Oct. 27 final hearing set in the legal notice will not go ahead on this version. Our earlier story on the proposal has been updated.

Other decisions Tuesday

• The consent agenda passed 5-0. It included the federal grant for 18 firefighters for a sixth fire station (our story) and the $15.36 million state water loan, half of it forgiven (our story).
• A rule limiting council members to three minutes each to question staff, applicants and speakers passed 3-2, as amended. Council Member Chandra Myers asked for the change.
• A land-use change and rezoning for 5 acres northeast of Oakley Seaver Drive and Hunt Trace Boulevard, planned for restaurants and indoor pickleball courts, passed first reading 5-0.
• The “dark sky” lighting rules were tabled to Nov. 10. Changes to the land development code’s administrative adjustments were tabled to Oct. 27.

What it means for you

The 2045 plan is the rulebook the council will use to judge rezonings for the next two decades. It can still change before the adoption hearing. You can speak at that hearing, or email the City Clerk’s Office at cityclerk@clermontfl.org before then.

If you ride an e-bike or scooter on the waterfront trail or downtown sidewalks, nothing changes for now. The existing city code and posted signs still apply.

The council meets next at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at City Hall, 685 W. Montrose St. Our building permits and zoning page explains how rezonings work in Clermont, and our who to call at City Hall page lists each department’s contacts.