Commissioners may authorize staff to proceed with Pinecraft plans

The pinecraft neighborhood and the areas surrounding it have changed at a different pace, and in different ways.

A group of residents has been working with the county to keep some elements of Pinecraft, threatened by modernization and urbanization, intact. At its Feb. 17 meeting, commissioners will consider authorizing staff to continue plans for an overlay district and a mobility plan for the area.

In 1964,  Beneva Road was a sand road that ended at the Palm Grove Mennonite Church. At that time, Pinecraft was already about 40 years old, originally established as 500 platted lots near Bahia Vista Street and Phillippi Creek.

Since then, the neighborhood’s historic character coupled with modern zoning ordinances have created conflicts. Unlicensed businesses, such as bike rentals and short-term housing rentals, are common. Additionally, many Amish and Mennonite residents travel by bike or on foot, which can be dangerous on Bahia Vista, now a five-lane collector.

County staff presented the idea for an overlay district at the Jan. 7 Planning Commission meeting. An overlay district is essentially a large-scale zoning amendment applied to an area with unique needs. Siesta Key is covered by an overlay district, where activities such as painting murals and some short-term rentals are governed by ordinances particular to the district.

In Pinecraft, an overlay district could allow the county to address issues like short-term rentals, bicycle rentals, home businesses and nonconforming buildings.

It will also allow the county to perform safety inspections in rented accommodations, according to Dave Swartzentruber, a Pinecraft winter resident who is part of a steering committee charged with coordinating efforts with the county.

A mobility plan could address vehicle and pedestrian facilities, crossings and signage and possibly legalize golf carts on some district roads.

“We want to preserve Pinecraft and don’t want to have it commercialized,” Swartzentruber said in an earlier interview. “We don’t want it to be a tourist attraction. We don’t want big-box stores. We want a quaint, pedestrian-friendly, bike-friendly community.