Islandside hearings continued for one week

The Longboat Key Town Commission received a week reprieve from Longboat Key Club and Resort Islandside renovation-and-expansion hearings Friday, Jan. 22.

During the morning session of the sixth day of hearings at Temple Beth Israel, Key Club Attorney John Patterson asked for and received a continuance until Friday, Jan. 29 so the club and town officials can work on the proposed project.

“We would like to take a time out for a week and take a look at this project from a conceptual standpoint, to see if there’s a better way to do it,” said Patterson, who said the days of testimony have helped club officials think of ideas for the project that might be more pleasing to the town. “We think it’s an outstanding plan, but maybe we can be creatively better with it.”

None of the parties had an objection to the requested continuance.

Islandside Property Owners Coalition (IPOC) attorney Michael Furen and Longboat Key Association (the Longboat Club Road association) attorney Richard Ulrich told the commission they hoped the week off would spur dialogue between all parties.

“We have no objection to continuing proceedings in the hope the applicants will consider a different plan than what’s before the commission,” Furen said.

The commission approved the request after Town Attorney David Persson supported the request.

Said Persson: “This project is more than two years in the making. If there’s any possibility of lessening the issues, we owe it to ourselves to do that and continue this meeting.”

For more information on the fifth and sixth days of hearings, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Jan. 28 Longboat Observer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].