|
Madeira Beach clears way for new restaurant
By TOM GERMOND
| Article published on Tuesday, June 3, 2008 |
|
 |
MADEIRA BEACH – City officials put out the welcome mat for plans for a 150-seat restaurant expected to be open in John’s Pass Village in early July.
City commissioners granted a request May 27 to Kallico USA for a liquor license for the Time Out restaurant at 111 Boardwalk Place, where another restaurant had existed.
To make sure the restaurant has sufficient parking, the applicant has a shared parking agreement for the Hubbard parking garage. Approval was contingent on the city receiving a recorded copy of the agreement, city officials said.
Tampa attorney Ann Pollack, representing the applicant, said the restaurant would serve chicken, steak and other food “with a British touch.”
“We don’t expect any problems, and we worked with the city diligently to make sure there are no parking issues,” Pollack said.
“It sounds very nice to me,” Mayor Pat Shontz said.
“I think it will be a great addition to the village,” Interim City Manager Mike Maxemow said. “We all know it’s the No. 1 free destination in Pinellas County.”
According to a staff report on the issue, “the proposed use of the property will be attractive and will add to the character of the existing neighborhood by providing another restaurant option for the local citizens and tourists who visit the area.”
In other action, city commissioners adopted amendments to its comprehensive plan for growth as required by state law.
Every seven years, each local government in Florida must evaluate its comprehensive plan to determine deficiencies and make necessary updates, according to a state Web site.
The result of the process is called the evaluation and appraisal report, which addresses various elements of the plan such as future land use, transportation and conservation.
The city submitted its plan to the state Department of Community Affairs in January, and the agency returned its comments to the documents in March.
Gail Easley, a consultant for the city on the plan, said most of the objections involved data and “minor word changes.”
“There were no changes to the future land use plan map,” she said.
The city’s changes now will be sent back to the Department of Community Affairs, which is supposed to review it and issue a notice within 45 days indicating whether the amended plan is in compliance. The agency is limited in its next review to commenting on areas that it has already identified. Easley said she didn’t expect any problems.
“They can’t open up a new issue,” she said. “They have a very, very narrow window.”
City officials said it has been an 18-month process from the time they started on the revisions. The updated plan is expected to go into effect sometime before the end of summer.
On a related topic, density requirements, Easley said she expects to discuss the issue at a commission workshop in July. Many local governments have been discussing whether to adopt the county’s measures to increase densities for hotels and similar accommodations. County officials see increasing density as a way to recapture lost hotel rooms, estimated at about 5,000 over the past three years.
|
Article published on Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
