Cell tower at top of Comp Plan interest

The Comprehensive Plan amendments approved by the Longboat Key Town Commission could impact the heights of structures such as elevator shafts, stairwells, antennae and cellular towers.

But attorneys and residents at the Nov. 17 special meeting didn’t seem interested in the potential impact on elevator-shaft heights. They were more concerned with the potential impact on a future cell tower — specifically a 150-foot stealth tower that has been proposed for the Longboat Island Chapel.

Resident Mitchell Rhoads said he might purchase a Grand Mariner unit but is holding off because he is concerned about the proposed tower.

But Mayor Jim Brown told him they weren’t talking about the proposed tower or doing away with height restrictions. They were talking about removing height restrictions in the Comprehensive Plan with the following words added: “But the town land-development regulations shall limit their height.”

Translation: Height restrictions will be in town codes, rather than the Comprehensive Plan.

“It’s very confusing, and that’s one of the reasons we wanted to be sure we covered our feelings,” Rhoads said.

“It is confusing. What’s happening is, you have a policy decision that’s being reached over here,” Town Attorney David Persson said, holding up his right hand. “At the same time, you have an application over here,” he said, holding up his left hand. “At the same time they tend to overlap.”

Like Persson, attorney Charlie Bailey, who represents Grand Mariner owners Ralph and Sheri Trine, raised both hands to visualize the separate processes but said that if he had a third hand he would raise it in the air as well to represent a third process that “we are very excited about”: the request for quotes to bring in an independent consultant to address island-wide cellular communications.

“We don’t think the town should be reactive with something it perceives to be an issue with the issue of the cellular tower, rather than being proactive as you are with the issuance of the RFQ,” Bailey said.

Michael Furen, who represents Accursio “Gus” Sclafani and his wife, Doreen Erickson, who have also challenged the cellular tower, also argued against the amendments. According to Furen’s argument, the Comprehensive Plan limits the height of towers and other impacted structures in the Community Facility Institutional District to 30 feet.

“By passing this amendment, you will be severely limiting your ability to deny it because you will have removed an obstacle to denying it,” he said.

But Commissioner Phill Younger said that denying the amendment would not be in the interest of the town because it could prevent commissioners from making whatever decisions they need to make.

Before the commission voted, Town Planner Steve Schield said that 99% of the proposed amendment had nothing to do with cell towers.

“This is a very minor side issue that we’ve kind of gotten distracted with,” he said.

The commission voted 5-2 to approve the changes. The amendments will be transmitted to state agencies, which will have 30 days to respond with recommendations.