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Board of County Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Final December 3, 2024 open mind and can base their decisions on the evidence presented and the applicable law. Commissioner Moss disclosed that she had received the traffic analyses for Red Tree Cove. The Chairman opened the public hearing, and the Deputy Clerk administered the Oath to all persons who wished to speak at the hearing. Patrick Murphy, Chief of Long Range Planning, presented the Emerson Oaks Planned Development formerly known as Red Tree Cove. He noted that on November 15, 2022, the Board of County Commissioners approved the Red Tree Cove development plan, which allowed for up to 175 detached single-family homes at a density of 2.39 homes per acre. The applicant received waivers for minimum lot size, setbacks, and building coverage in exchange for dedicating road right-of-way (ROW) and contributing to a future bridge on 17th Street SW. He stated that this was back before the Board because the project has since been renamed Emerson Oaks and now included increased building coverage, which would reduce the open space from 69.7% to 60.73%. To mitigate this change, the applicant had agreed to dedicate additional ROW and realign the intersection of 43rd Avenue SW and 13th Street SW, resulting in a decrease of four homes from the total proposed plan. Mr. Murphy presented these details using a PowerPoint presentation and stated that on November 14, 2024, the Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) recommended approval of the project. Mr. Murphy responded to Commissioner Moss and stated that the open and green spaces would remain as originally approved. The homes would take up more space on each lot, reducing the open space on individual lots while keeping the overall open space for the entire project the same. Jim Vitter, BGE, Inc., the project civil engineer, concurred with Mr. Murphy. Resident Charles Festo raised concerns about the development's impact on the canal at 13th Street Southwest, noting that it was overwhelmed during the 2017 Hurricane, causing backups into the lakes. He also highlighted potential traffic issues on 43rd Avenue, particularly when turning north from 13th Street, suggesting the need for a traffic light at 17th or 13th Avenue Southwest or speed bumps to curb speeding. Mr. Murphy explained that this development's approved traffic study was conducted in 2022, Emerson Oaks featured fewer lots than initially planned, so a revised study was unnecessary. The study concluded that the development did not require a traffic signal at the intersections. However, the Public Works Department reviewed major roads and intersections annually to address traffic concerns, and had lengthened turn lanes to improve traffic flow. Indian River County, Florida Page 14