Commission to debate Palm Avenue zoning

City commissioners will discuss a new zoning district on South Palm Avenue.

Residents in seven condo buildings on South Palm Avenue formed a group called the Coalition of Bayfront Citizens to fight a proposed time-share hotel from being built in their neighborhood at Alderman Street.

The CBC has proposed instituting an overlay zoning district on South Palm Avenue that would prohibit commercial development among the residential properties and create development requirements, such as height limitations and setback standards, and north and south ends of the neighborhood, where commercial already exists.

CBC members also hope it would shut out the proposal for the Plaza Hotel, at South Palm Avenue and Alderman Street, or any similar commercial developments.

The 173-room hotel was proposed as more of a time-share property. But developer Al Hochstadt sold two of his six lots so the hotel project is no longer viable. The CBC is still pushing for the overlay district to prevent any similar project.

Robin Roy can be reached at [email protected].