The Brooksville City Council voted 5‑0 on Oct. 6 to approve Ordinance 999, rezoning about 6.28 acres north of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and west of Hale Avenue to a planned development multifamily district for an age‑restricted, 80‑unit apartment project known in filings as Summit Villas.

The rezoning matters because the site is owned by the Brooksville Housing Authority and the project will convert the property into a ground‑leased multifamily development targeted to older adults. Council approved the rezoning with two explicit conditions: (1) allow a pitched roof that raises the maximum structure height modestly above the 45‑foot figure previously approved; and (2) require the developer to work hand‑in‑hand with the city's Department of Public Works on stormwater planning and permitting.

Daryl Johnston, the project's applicant, told the council the site plan had been revised to limit the development to 80 units and to remove a second building previously shown on earlier plans. Johnston said renderings were supplied showing a mansard/pitched roof option that would modestly exceed the 45‑foot number the council had discussed at first reading, and that the ordinance language could be amended to reflect that specific increase if the council chose to allow the pitched roof.

Paul Manuel, project engineer with Coastal Design Consultants, addressed drainage questions raised by council members. Manuel said the development team intends to use subsurface vaults and chambers under parking areas for stormwater staging, and that post‑development models would be prepared for review by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD). He told the council: “The goal is to leave that better from a drainage standpoint than it was in the precondition.” Manuel also confirmed the team can assess routing options that may tie into nearby city drainage infrastructure if the city controls the receiving system.

Council members pressed the developer on drainage because the site sits near the crest of a hill above Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. One council member asked the applicant to work with Public Works to explore sending some runoff toward a nearby master drain referenced in testimony (referred to in the meeting as “PecSync”) and to ensure vault sizing and additional water quality measures meet then‑current SWFWMD standards. The council's motion specified that the developer must coordinate stormwater design with city Public Works to reduce the risk of downstream impacts.

The council also clarified the project will be age‑restricted as stated in the application; staff and panel testimony noted the project's financing is tied to that restriction. Joe Chambers, speaking for the development team, explained the financing structure: a long‑term ground lease to a special‑purpose entity where the Brooksville Housing Authority will be the general partner for purposes of the transaction and future ownership.

The final motion—approving Ordinance 999 as amended to allow the pitched roof and to require Public Works coordination on drainage—passed on a roll call vote of 5‑0.

Council action summary: Ordinance 999 rezoning (approx. 6.28 acres) approved 5‑0 with conditions that the ordinance be amended to accommodate a pitched roof and that the developer coordinate final stormwater design and permitting with the city's Department of Public Works and SWFWMD.