Resident questions future land-use map

Emerald Harbor resident Bob Craft first looked into the 3.9-acre property at 5810 Gulf of Mexico Drive, located between his neighborhood and Spanish Main Yacht Club, in 1999, just before he closed on his home. He learned from the Planning Zoning & Building Department that the property is town-owned and designated as open space.

But although the property was deeded to the town for use as open space, parks and recreation as part of a 1988 land swap, the property is zoned R-SF3 — for residential, single-family development usage.

Craft said at the Longboat Key Town Commission’s March 5 regular meeting he has approached the town about making the appropriate changes every year or two since 1999. His inquiries at that meeting prompted town staff to research properties the town acquired over the years for which necessary corresponding adjustments to the town’s Comprehensive Plan and zoning code had not been made, Town Manager David Bullock said. Town Planner Steve Schield identified four such properties in a memo that could be forwarded to the P&Z Board for recommendation of a possible land-use amendment.

Craft spoke about why he thought the change was needed during the workshop.

“I’m sick and tired of people coming up to me and wanting to know who owns that property and what do they want for it because they have great plans to do something with it,” he said. “I don’t like great plans to do something with it when it’s open space.”

Under review
The following town properties are currently being researched:
• 5810 Gulf of Mexico Drive R-3SF (Single-family low-medium-density residential)
• 4110 Gulf of Mexico Drive (Former Two Hut property) C-1(Limited commercial)
• 561 Bay Isles Road (Tennis annex) PD (Planned development district)
• 100 Gulf of Mexico Drive (Quick Point) GPD (Gulf planned development district)