Board backtracks on extending ROR district
By Rick Catlin. Islander Reporter
 |
Changing times
Professional comprehensive plan facilitator Tony Arrant discusses changes in the city's future land use map with the Anna Maria planning and zoning board March 27. A revised and approved FLUM must be part of the comprehensive plan the city will eventually send to the Florida Department of Community Affairs for approval. Islander Photo: Rick Catlin |
An extension of Anna Maria's retail-office-residential district
from Pine Avenue south on Gulf Drive to Palmetto Avenue in the city's
future land-use map now under revision was put on hold March 27 by the
planning and zoning board after two members changed their "votes" on
expanding the district.
Although not
allowed to vote at a worksession, the board consensus
at its Feb. 6 meeting was to extend the district - currently
only along Pine Avenue - on both the east and
west sides of Gulf Drive south from Pine Avenue to
Palmetto. The area is presently a mix of commercial
and residential uses.
Board members
Margaret Jenkins and Jim Conoly said that after careful
consideration of the issue - and a public outcry
from a number of residents along the affected area - they've
changed their minds. Jenkins said she reconsidered
and now believes "the present amount of commercial
property" in the city is enough.
"I did
not realize at the time that it [the ROR district]
would extend as far as Palmetto," she said.
Conoly said his
position was that people who bought their property
as residential in a residential neighborhood should
have that neighborhood protected. There's no
need for more commercial or ROR area in the city.
That decision
put the board back to square one to make a recommendation
on the proposed FLUM, which has stirred considerable
controversy since presented to the board by the ad
hoc comprehensive plan review committee last August.
Board member
Randall Stover said he would not oppose changing the
land-use designation back to residential, but newly
elected board chairperson Fran Barford noted there
were some "problems" with other properties
in the affected area.
"There
are obviously some issues," said Barford, who
asked Tony Arrant, the comp plan professional hired
by the city to facilitate the proposed FLUM and comp
plan, to come back to the board for an April 10 worksession
with proposals and suggestions for the "issues" discussed
March 27.
The board
was hopeful it could complete its recommendations on
the FLUM and elements of the revised comprehensive
plan to schedule the public hearing on the proposed
plan in April, but with the issues arising from the
FLUM and several other comp-plan elements to consider,
that's not likely, according to some board members.
The process to
revise the city's comprehensive plan and FLUM
began more than two years ago.
After holding
a public hearing and approving its recommendations
on the FLUM and comp plan, the city commission must
hold its own public hearings to approve a comp plan
and FLUM and forward those items to the Florida Department
of Community Affairs for its approval or denial.
Anna
Maria's
comp plan and FLUM were last revised in 1989. |
