P&Z Board votes for zoning changes of vacant parcels

The late Bob Craft told the Longboat Key Town Commission more than two years ago that he was tired of hearing people ask if the 3.81-acre vacant tract near his Emerald Harbor home was for sale.

Before he purchased his home, he had researched the nearby property and learned it was town-owned and designated as open space, which refers to land that is undeveloped. However, the site remained zoned for residential, single-family development.

Now, the town is one step closer to the change Craft sought.

The Planning and Zoning Board recommended rezoning two properties as open space to reflect their historic and intended uses at its Sept. 16 meeting.

The properties are the 3.81-acre tract at 5810 Gulf of Mexico Drive and a 0.71-acre plot at 4110 Gulf of Mexico Drive that’s currently zoned as commercial.

The change will make the properties’ zoning consistent with the town’s future land use map, which is the town’s visual guide to future planning that attempts to bring together all of the elements of the comprehensive plan, such as natural resources, economic development, housing and transportation and also reflects the open-space designation.

The town acquired the property at 5810 Gulf of Mexico Drive in 1988, as part of a land swap that required it only be used as open space. The site’s future land use designation was amended to open space in October 2012, and the future land use map was also revised to reflect the change, however, the zoning wasn’t amended.

The town purchased the property at 4110 Gulf of Mexico Drive with the intent of integrating it into a concept for the adjacent Bayfront Park. Similarly, the zoning designation for the property was not amended to reflect the future use of the property.

The rezoning of the properties will occur in December, if the Longboat Key Town Commission approves an ordinance adopting the changes on second reading.

Craft’s widow, Alycia, was pleased with the recent progress.

“I’m thrilled that issue got through to the Planning and Zoning Board,” she said. “Bob would have been glad the government has tended to this long-awaited issue.”