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October, '04

Comprehensive Planning

The town’s comprehensive planning work group and county planning staff meet again on Wednesday, October 20 at 3 p.m. to continue discussions on land use, transportation and coastal management issues. This meeting like all of the planning sessions is open to the public. The meeting is at Town Hall.

Results of the meeting will be posted within several days.

This site has been one of the primary sources the town is using to keep residents informed of what is happening with the planning process. It is not the only resource the town is using, but it does contain the most current information.

The town has also held several public meetings on planning issues and has distributed a newsletter about the planning process to every household.

The Town Clerk keeps Minutes of all the planning meetings. So, if anyone wants more information than is provided through these public information methods, a visit or phone call to Town Hall can provide it.

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.