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November, '04: Part 1

Comprehensive Planning

The Town’s comprehensive planning work group has asked county planning staff to prepare an immediate amendment to the comprehensive plan that would allow town officials to approve a larger number of units in tourist facilities in return for design considerations.

The request came amid reports of growing interest among developers to convert tourist uses along the beach into condominium structures. At the same time, the work group has heard from tourist facility operators that they could resist such overtures if they could modernize and expand.

Planners have estimated it could take a year or more to get a complete revision of the Town’s comprehensive plan approved by local, county and state officials. The work group believes the tourist issue must be addressed sooner than that.

Planners agreed that amendments to deal with the tourist issue can be processed now, with additional changes coming later. They will bring back amendment proposals for the land use and any other plan element that needs to be changed to meet the Town’s tourist objective.

If approved by the work group, subsequent public hearings and action will be needed by both the Planning and Zoning Board and the Town Commission before the amendments can be forwarded to reviewing agencies, including the state Department of Community Affairs.

In addition to the Plan changes, the work group expects to develop more detailed design criteria to guide Town officials in determining what tourist facilities must provide in order to qualify for additional units. The criteria will also regulate the development of other projects in the commercial, commercial/tourist and multi-family zoning districts.

Finally, there will be a proposal to authorize the Town to enter into development agreements to further influence the characteristics of any new project proposed for the town.

These steps are increasingly being proposed for communities like North Redington Beach that are virtually built out, and are looking at redevelopment for future growth.

In other action at their October 20 meeting, the work group approved a Transportation Element for the revised Town Plan. It emphasizes the need for the Town to work with the county and state to meet its goals for Gulf Boulevard, including making the road safer for pedestrians and local motorists and for bicyclists. The new plan element also calls for stricter control of parking and on site circulation in new developments, and for enhanced trolley service.

The work group has now approved five new elements for the Plan. In addition to Transportation, these include Polable Water and Water Conservation, Solid Waste Management, Stormwater Management and Wastewater Management. They have also reviewed and given preliminary approval to a new Land Use element.

Beach Preservation

Keeping the town’s beach in top-notch shape is clearly a critical goal that virtually every resident wants the Town Plan to emphasize. To do this, the town is dependent on other public bodies. The county, state and federal government all play a part in funding and executing the restoration programs that bring additional sand to the beaches.

This cooperative effort was the major topic of discussion at the 48th Annual Conference of the Florida Shores and Beach Preservation Association meeting on Marco Island several weeks ago. Commissioners Bill Queen and Richard Bennett attended the session.

Commissioner Queen prepared a comprehensive report on the proceedings. It was the focus of discussion at the Town Commission meeting on October 12; and it raised serious concerns about the long-range prospects for beach preservation.

In the short term, Commissioner Queen reported some good news. He learned that the renourishment project for all the beaches on our peninsula has been moved up from 2006 to June 2005. This means an earlier start on restoring areas that were harmed by the recent storms. The work will be phased on a priority basis, starting with those that have the greatest need. The North Redington Beach measurements following the storms showed 74 linear feet of beach North, 55 feet in the Midsection and 47 feet South.

What concerned Commissioner Queen are the long-term prospects for keeping the beach in shape. There was once a plan to build breakwaters to protect the shore from erosion. This plan appears to have been abandoned. And there is growing concern about getting federal funds in the future for continued renourishment. There are also academics who feed this concern by questioning any policy that uses public funding to preserve beaches.

The discussion at the Commission meeting concluded that the Town must continue to monitor events affecting beach health, and that it must work through the association of beach communities (Big C), the county and state to make sure a long term plan remains in place to assure preservation.

A copy of Commissioner Queen’s report can be obtained from Town Hall.

Public Hearings

Five ordinances received first reading at the October 12 meeting. They will appear again on the November 11 agenda, at which time the Commission will take public comment before final passage.

Three ordinances deal with building permits, generally bringing town procedures and rules in line with those of the county, which administers the program for the town.

One ordinance changes the site review process by extending it to projects in the commercial and tourist zoning districts as well as the multi-family district. It also provides for initial review by the Planning and Zoning Board, with final approval by the Town commission,

The final ordinance establishes the date and procedures for the next election of town officers. The election will be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2005. The mayor and commissioners for Seats 1 and 2 will be on the ballot. Candidates who want to run must file qualifying documents between December 6 and December 17, 2004. Detailed information is available from the Town Clerk.

Radcliffe Park

The application for a $50,000 state grant to continue improvements at Harold Radcliffe Park has been sent to the state capital. Thanks to the Pinellas Planning Council and Linda Fisher for putting the finishing touches on the document.