Town of North Redington Beach

1/31/2006

There were several comments on policies that reviewers felt needed clarification. The county planning staff has responded to these by modifying the policy language, and Town officials have approved the changes.

This means the Comprehensive Plan is now ready for final approval.

That will happen at the Commission meeting of February 9, following a second public hearing. The revised document will then be resubmitted to the State Department of Community Affairs, which generally holds it for 21 days to allow additional comment. That is normally followed by final acceptance, making the Plan the official road map for future development.

Wine Cellar Project Moves Ahead

Improvement of the Gulf Boulevard corridor is one of the key elements in the new plan. The Town proposes to make this happen with enhanced safety, the undergrounding of all utility lines, street beautification and private redevelopment.

A major proposal in the latter category has come from the owners of the Wine Cellar, who want to build a new tourist facility on their Gulf Boulevard property. The project could provide as many as 80 new hotel rooms as well as a new restaurant and other facilities that support tourist activity.

To make this possible, the Town had to get a change in the county’s future land use map. The proposed change was reviewed and recommended by the Pinellas Planning Council at its December meeting. And this month, the Board of County Commissioners, acting as the County Planning Authority, accepted that recommendation.

Crosswalk Safety Program Started

Now that the Town’s new crosswalks are in place and warning signs have been erected, officials have launched a combined education/enforcement program to make sure residents and visitors are aware of the legal and personal requirements to assure safe use.

Flyers have been distributed to Gulf Boulevard tourist facilities and businesses with recommendations on crosswalk use. These will in turn be given to individual patrons.

At the same time, the Town has hired additional deputies to enforce both the new speed limit and the state law requiring motorists to stop for pedestrians entering a crosswalk.

Officials have heard from residents that not all motorists are complying. So pedestrians will still have to exercise caution.

Pedestrians are urged to make sure vehicles are prepared to stop as they enter the crosswalks, Making eye contact with drivers can help. Never assume a car will stop.

The crosswalks are situated so that there is a safety island in the middle of the boulevard. Once a pedestrian reaches the island, the same care should be taken before proceeding across the remaining two lanes.

It’s important to make sure the motorists see you and are stopping in each lane.

The crosswalks were placed in what were considered the highest traffic areas. They purposely avoided intersections because there are no traffic lights in town and the turning motions at intersections can sometimes be hazardous.

While crossing at an intersection is legal, pedestrians are urged to walk the few extra steps and use the crosswalks.

This is only the first step in making Gulf Boulevard a safer thoroughfare. The Town will continue to work with the Florida Department of Transportation to identify and establish other safety measures.