BELLEAIR BLUFFS – An outcry from affected residents and a prominent business owner has resulted in the city turning down proposed changes in its land development code that had been months in preparation.
The surprise move was taken by the City Commission at a special Monday meeting and followed a rejection of the changes by the city’s planning board earlier that evening.
Mayor Chris Arbutine said at the outset of the meeting that objections had been raised to all of the recommended changes except for two parcels of land located along West Bay Drive. Proposed rezoning of that area would extend the commercial district somewhat, he said.
The land use changes are part of the city’s review of its Comprehensive Plan, which is required by state law to be undertaken every seven years. The report recommending the changes was prepared by planning consultant Gail Easley with input from the Pinellas Planning Council and the city. Similar efforts are under way in communities throughout the area.
Arbutine said the city had received a lot of objections to the proposed land use changes after postcards were mailed out to affected residents and business owners informing them of the situation. The opposition appeared to take city officials by surprise. Arbutine noted the changes have been in the works for some time.
“We held plenty of workshops to discuss this; it didn’t happen overnight. Nobody paid any attention before,” Arbutine said.
Admitting that “the process we used to make these changes didn’t work,” Arbutine recommended that the commission reject all changes against which objections had been lodged.
“These changes are causing too much controversy,” he said.
The commission agreed, and will undertake a small-scale process to look at each area in detail before taking any further action.
Few in the audience that packed City Hall for the meeting chose to speak on the issue. After the meeting, several citizens were overheard thanking the mayor for his action.
Those who did speak during the meeting voiced their concerns with the recommendations. Elizabeth McCord, owner of the south end of Antique Alley, protested a proposed rezoning of her property from ROR (residential-office-retail) to RM (residential medium).
“I have invested in the Alley. It’s not fair to try to tear down my commercial buildings and put up half a dozen condos or apartments,” McCord said.
A property owner on Jewel Court said he feared the proposed changes would put a halt to ongoing improvements being made to the triplexes in the neighborhood.
Arbutine reassured the citizens that the commission had acted on their concerns.
“We have decided to only change parcels 1 and 2 (on West Bay Drive). Everything else remains status quo,” he said.
