Polk County Land Use Hearing Officer · March 26, 2026
Meeting date: March 26, 2026Summarized 2026-09-01 17:12
# Summary: Polk County Land Use Hearing Officer Meeting — March 26, 2026
This was a routine quasi-judicial land use hearing with no budget items, contracts, or dollar amounts involved. No formal votes with movers/seconds are recorded; the LUHO (a single hearing officer, not a board) received staff recommendations and public input on each case. No decisions/rulings are documented in the minutes beyond closing the public hearing portions — the LUHO's final determinations are not stated in this text.
**Items continued (no hearing held):**
- **LDLSE-2025-14 (West Bass Street SE):** Continued to May 28, 2026
- **LDLVAR-2025-78 (WH Vending Machine):** Continued to April 23, 2026
**Items heard:**
1. **LDLSE-2026-1 (Juan Sanchez SE)** — Special exception request for commercial vehicle parking in a Residential Suburban (RS) district at 4100 Shady Hammock Drive. Staff (Andrew Grohowski) recommended approval. Applicant's representative (Crystal Beaudoin) agreed with staff recommendation. No public support or opposition. 42 mailers sent (no responses), 1 posted board, legal ad published 3/11/26.
2. **LDLVAR-2026-4 (Indian Creek ADU Variance)** — Variance to allow an accessory structure exceeding 1,000 sq. ft. in a Residential Low-1 (RL-1) district at 6935 Indian Creek Park Dr. Staff (Aleya Inglima) recommended approval. Applicant (Megan Ray) agreed with staff recommendation. No public support or opposition. 19 mailers sent (no responses), 2 posted boards, legal ad published 3/11/26.
3. **LDLVAR-2026-13 (Rural Fire Service Connection)** — Polk County itself requested a variance to reduce right-of-way, side, and rear yard setbacks from 50/15/20 feet to zero (0) feet for a carport structure at 17240 Commonwealth Avenue (SR 33), located in an Agricultural/Residential Rural district within the Green Swamp Area of Critical State Concern. Staff (Erik Peterson, serving as both presenter and case planner) recommended approval. No public support or opposition. 19 mailers sent (no responses), 1 posted board, legal ad published 3/11/26.
**Notable/unusual:** Item 5 involves Polk County as the applicant requesting a full setback reduction to zero feet on county-owned or county-related property — a significant reduction from standard setbacks, though presented without opposition and with staff self-recommending approval (Erik Peterson served as both the Land Development presenter and case planner for this item).
**Minutes approval:** Draft minutes from the January 22, 2026 hearing were listed for approval; no discussion or vote outcome is recorded in the text.
**Adjournment:** 1:56 (p.m., inferred).