"My biggest fear is Sample Road's going to look like New York City, driving with all these four-story buildings going up," Commissioner Joe McHugh said before voting yes on Coral Springs' expanded downtown zoning on Sept. 2, according to the Coral Springs News. The rezoning passed unanimously and took effect immediately. It covers the Promenade and Colonial Plaza shopping centers, Wings Plus, the Cook and the Cork, Runyon's, LaQuinta Inn and Suites, and the Belle Terre business center.
The four-story number McHugh objected to is one the city chose. The eight-story number elsewhere in the same ordinance is one the city says it was not allowed to lower. If you are weighing a home near Sample Road and University Drive, that difference matters more than any rendering. The two numbers come from different authorities, and one of them has an end date.
Two explanations for the same eight stories
The Coral Springs News reported that buildings near single-family homes are now limited to two to four stories, down from a proposed five-story cap after residents gave feedback. It also reported that "mid-rise general lots are permitted up to eight stories in compliance with the Live Local Act," with Modera, the apartment complex at Cornerstone, setting the height standard.
The city's own paperwork gives a different reason. The June 8, 2026 Planning and Zoning Board staff summary for cases ZR26-0001 and LDA26-0003 creates a new "Mid-Rise – General" lot type. That lot type allows a maximum of eight stories, or 100 feet, for non-residential uses next to the master parking areas on Sample Road and University Drive. The summary says this is "to be consistent with existing zoning as mandated by Senate Bill 180, which does not allow municipalities to adopt more restrictive code requirements until the bill expires in October 2027."
The staff report describes the eight-story allowance as something the old zoning already permitted and the city could not take away.
The hurricane law holding the line
SB 180 passed in 2025 and became Chapter 2025-190, Laws of Florida. Section 28 applies to every county listed in the federal disaster declarations for Hurricanes Debby, Helene or Milton, and to every municipality inside those counties. Those local governments may not "propose or adopt more restrictive or burdensome amendments to its comprehensive plan or land development regulations." The restriction runs retroactively from August 1, 2024, and lasts until just before October 1, 2027.
Broward qualifies through Hurricane Milton. A FEMA notice for DR-4834 says an October 15, 2024 amendment made Broward eligible for Public Assistance Category B, emergency protective measures. A 2026 Florida Senate analysis says all 67 counties appeared in at least one of the three declarations. It names Broward among the counties that would still be covered under a proposed narrowing.
That narrowing did not pass. SB 218 died in House Messages on March 13, 2026, and SB 840 died in a House subcommittee the same day. A challenge brought by several local governments was still pending on one unfunded-mandate count as of late September, after a judge dismissed the other five counts for lack of standing, Your Observer reported.
For a reader on the last Thursday of October 2026, the provision has roughly eleven months left on its current terms. SB 180 explains why the eight-story figure exists today. It does not say what the city will do once the window closes, and nothing in the record says what the city plans.
Where Live Local comes in
The Live Local Act is a separate mechanism that applies to a different kind of project. Under Florida Statutes 166.04151(7), a qualifying project must provide rental housing with at least 40 percent of its residential units affordable for at least 30 years. Eligible land includes commercial, industrial and mixed-use zones. A mixed-use project must put at least 65 percent of its floor area into residential use.
The height rule is more specific than the "tallest building within a mile" shorthand. As amended through Chapter 2026-179, the floor is the highest height currently allowed, or allowed on July 1, 2023, for a commercial or residential building within one mile, or three stories, whichever is higher. Buildings that themselves qualified under Live Local, or that received a height bonus, variance or special exception, are excluded from that comparison.
Modera is still the building people point to. The Cornerstone Modera buildings are eight stories each. Mill Creek Residential described the project as a 351-home first phase and a 353-home second phase at 3310 University Drive. Under the statute, though, a building only counts toward the floor through its allowed height and approval history. Its visible story count does not decide the question.
Since 2025, the law has also given cities a separate height limit for some sites next to single-family homes. The 2025 amendment applies when a site is adjacent on two or more sides to single-family-zoned parcels in a development of at least 25 contiguous single-family homes. In that case, the limit is 150 percent of the tallest adjacent building, the highest height the city allows, or three stories, whichever is higher, with a cap of 10 stories. The 2026 amendment says properties separated by a public road or a body of water, including manmade lakes or ponds, do not count as adjacent. Adjacent parcels must share more than one point of a property line.
That geometry is specific to Coral Springs. When the western downtown changes were first presented, TAPinto Coral Springs reported that the north side of Sample Road between Coral Hills Drive and NW 99 Way has commercial and multifamily buildings, "a 20-foot alley and then a single-family neighborhood." The Coral Springs News described the northern edge of the proposed area as reaching a row of triplexes next to the Coral Springs Lakes neighborhood. Whether a given parcel meets the statute's adjacency test is a question for a land use attorney. The test turns on exactly the features that run through this area: alleys, roads and lakes.
| Height rule | Who sets it | What it covers downtown | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two to four stories near single-family homes | City of Coral Springs | Edge subdistrict west of Coral Hills Drive | Until the city amends it |
| Up to eight stories, 100 feet | Existing zoning, held in place by SB 180 per city staff | Non-residential "Mid-Rise – General" lots along the Sample Road and University Drive master parking | SB 180 restriction ends before Oct. 1, 2027 |
| Live Local height floor | State statute | Qualifying rental projects with at least 40% affordable units | Subsection expires Oct. 1, 2033 |
| Adjacency limit, capped at 10 stories | State statute, used at the city's option | Live Local sites bordering single-family developments on two or more sides | Subsection expires Oct. 1, 2033 |
What the city kept in its own hands
The ordinance is not only about height. The staff summary describes the Edge subdistrict as the "lowest mass and scale within the Downtown compatible with adjacent single family residential homes," covering parcels west of Coral Hills Drive. In the General and Edge areas west of Coral Hills Drive, the city kept residential density at 20 units per acre. Anything above that requires conditional use approval.
Two other provisions affect timing. Existing buildings and uses may stay as they are, and owners do not have to rebuild to meet the new rules. The city also set street cross sections for the Sample Road master parking and NW 33rd Street. The city will build these to make room for sidewalk cafés, public art and landscaping, and they allow storefronts up to the property line. So the zoning sets what may be built. When anything gets built depends on each property owner.
The projects already in line
Two downtown proposals predate the vote. In January 2026, TAPinto Coral Springs reported that 32 Hundred, an 11-story residential tower with 300 units at 3200 University Drive, was early in review. City staff and the architectural review committee had raised design concerns. In May 2026, TAPinto reported that Amera had brought in Compson Associates as a partner on City Village West. The four-acre first phase was planned for about 300 apartments, more than 20,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, and a garage. The Community Redevelopment Agency had approved up to $7.5 million for Sample Road improvements. Both reports describe status as of those dates, not final approvals.
Checks before an offer near Sample and University
- Find the parcel's subdistrict on the regulating plan in the city's Downtown Mixed-Use Phase II materials. Edge, General and Mid-Rise lots carry different limits.
- Note what separates the home from the commercial lots behind it, such as an alley, a public road, a lake or a shared property line. The 2026 statute names roads and water bodies in its adjacency definition, so these are details to raise with a land use attorney.
- Ask the city's Development Services department which pending site plans sit within view of the home, and at what stage they are.
- Put October 1, 2027 on your calendar. That is when the SB 180 restriction on tighter local rules ends under the current statute.
This post is general information, not legal or financial advice. Zoning questions about a specific parcel belong with a land use attorney and the city's planning staff.
FAQ
Did the Sept. 2 rezoning approve any new buildings? No. It set the rules for about 58.31 acres west of Coral Hills Drive and south of NW 31st Court under Ordinances 2026-112 and 2026-113. Each project still needs its own approval.
Is any Coral Springs project confirmed as a Live Local Act project? Neither 32 Hundred nor City Village West has been publicly described as a Live Local application in local reporting.
Does the eight-story limit apply to apartments? The city's staff summary ties the eight-story Mid-Rise – General allowance to non-residential uses next to the master parking areas. Residential height for qualifying projects falls under the Live Local Act.
If you own near the downtown and want to know how these rules affect your home's value, or you are comparing homes on either side of Coral Hills Drive, Steven Kaminer and our team can go through the regulating plan with you parcel by parcel. Request a complimentary home valuation or speak with our team today.
