Looking Good
Key West planning board approves variance for Flagler Avenue rebuild
KEY WEST, Fla. — A long-vacant eyesore on one of Key West’s busiest streets is a step closer to revival after the city’s Planning Board unanimously approved a variance Thursday for the redevelopment of 3201 Flagler Ave., a mixed-use property destroyed by fire three years ago as Hurricane Ian brushed past the Florida Keys.
The property’s owners, Flagler Center III Condominium Association, want to rebuild within the same footprint as the original building, which housed 14 residential units and several commercial spaces before the fire.
“This approval moves the project forward while ensuring it complies with updated stormwater requirements,” said Greg Oropeza, the developers’ representative with Oropeza, Stones and Cardenas.
The board agreed with planning staff’s recommendation to grant variances from certain landscaping requirements. New regulations designed to improve stormwater management conflicted with older site conditions, requiring adjustments before construction could begin.
The project has already cleared several procedural steps, including Development Review Committee review in July and a Tree Commission review of conceptual landscaping and tree removal in August. The final landscaping plan still requires Tree Commission approval.
Consultants found the redevelopment will not increase demand on potable water, wastewater, solid waste services, or traffic. In fact, stormwater management is expected to improve with a new exfiltration trench designed to capture runoff.
City staff recommended approval subject to conditions, including compliance with detailed site and drainage plans prepared earlier this year and limits on landscaping: if palm trees are used, they may not make up more than 25% of total tree requirements.
The Planning Board’s decision now enters a 10-day local appeal period. If no appeal is filed, the project advances toward final approval by the City Commission.
For many residents, Thursday’s vote marks progress on a property that has sat burned and blighted for years along one of the island’s main corridors.
“This is an important step forward for the condo association and for the community,” planning staff wrote in their recommendation.