Commission approves Comp Plan amendments

The first ordinance the Longboat Key Town Commission approved at its Aug. 10 special meeting reflected the reorganization of the town’s Finance Department because of the retirement of the purchasing manager.

Suffice it to say that wasn’t the vote that drew approximately 50 people to Town Hall on a Wednesday afternoon.

The commission also unanimously approved on second reading two Comprehensive Plan amendments that relate to both Bayfront Park Recreation Center and the changes approved by the commission in May 2010 that relate to the Longboat Key Club and Resort’s Islandside renovation-and-expansion project — the latter of which drew public comment from more than a half-dozen supporters and opponents.

According to the ordinance, the “amendments are intended as a legislative interpretation of the original intent of the Comprehensive Plans adopted in 1998 and readopted in 2007, as amended, to allow and encourage a mix of residential uses and the clustering of density” within three future land-use categories.
But while supporters argued that the changes clarified the Comprehensive Plan, critics contended that the amendments were proposed to accommodate the Key Club.

L’Ambiance resident Maria Georgiev told commissioners that the amendments would change the character of the island.

“I plea with you, don’t ignore us,” she said. “You’re changing the zoning code at the expense of us residents to accommodate a single commercial party.”

Another L’Ambiance resident, Robert Clark, urged the commission to avoid rushing through Comprehensive Plan changes. He said that Longboat Key’s strengths include its low density and well-maintained beaches.

“You’re making changes that will adversely, I believe, impact those competitive advantages,” he said.

And attorney Robert Lincoln, who appeared on behalf of the Islandside Property Owners Coalition (IPOC), submitted an executive summary from the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council, which he said showed that the potential density created by the Key Club if the amendments were passed would be inconsistent with hurricane-evacuation procedures laid out in the Comprehensive Plan. He also pointed to the recent default by Loeb Realty Group LLC, which owns the Key Club, on a $90 million loan for the Renaissance Waterfront Hotel.

“I think that the recent report about Loeb’s recent problems in Boston should give reason for pause,” he said, describing many of the Key Club’s agreements with the town as “good-faith gestures” that could be difficult to enforce.

But supporters of the changes argued that they would benefit other businesses and, ultimately, the entire island.

Steve Queior, president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, told the commission that the changes could ultimately benefit the community by bringing new people to the area and, in the short term, could stimulate the local economy.

Resident Terry Gans told the commission not to be swayed by arguments that it was moving too swiftly; he said that many issues had been discussed for more than two years.

“Don’t fall for the baloney,” he said. “Let’s move forward with this.”

Before the vote, Commissioner Pat Zunz cited her experience on the Planning & Zoning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment prior to her appointment to the commission.

“Everything I’ve done has pointed to the fact that we need to make these changes,” she said. “It wasn’t anything specific.”

Mayor Jim Brown said that the town had already allowed residents to be heard on the issue.

“I’ve never seen a town let people have as much say as this town,” he said.

Michael Welly, general manager of the Key Club, said he was pleased with Wednesday’s vote.

“It obviously made the Comp Plan clearer,” he said.