Questions surround changes to North Trail project

Out of the country last week and concerned about the status of his North Trail project, developer Jim Bridges sent a text message to City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch seeking some assistance.

Bridges is leading the development of The Strand, a residential project with more than 150 condominiums at 1889 N. Tamiami Trail. Before Ahearn-Koch joined the commission, she was president of the Tahiti Park Neighborhood Association, living near the site of The Strand. The two worked together as residents eventually offered support for the developer’s plans.

Now, nearly two years after the city approved the project, Bridges was reaching out directly to Ahearn-Koch, hopeful she could help provide some relief for what he painted as a dire situation.

“Jennifer, I just learned that our Strand development is falling apart,” Bridges wrote at the beginning of his June 30 message.

Because he was traveling, Bridges said he did not know much about the circumstances associated with the project’s issues. Here’s what he did know: The development team is seeking to revise the scope of the project. The proposed number of condos would shrink from 156 to 152. One of three residential buildings was eliminated from the plan.

Bridges said Joel Freedman, a development consultant working on the project, discussed the changes with city staff and was told the changes could be handled administratively. The development team completed its planning and financing with the understanding the changes wouldn’t be an issue.

Only now did Bridges learn that city staff did not think the changes could be approved administratively. Instead, the city wanted the proposal to go through the project’s original review process, which would require hearings before the Planning Board and City Commission. Bridges told Ahearn-Koch that could be disastrous for The Strand.

“I am reaching out to you since we all worked very hard to get this project approved and any further delays will jeopardize the development of this project,” Bridges said.

Ahearn-Koch forwarded the message to city staff members, who said they never told Freedman the proposed changes could be approved administratively. Tim Litchet, the city’s director of neighborhood and development services, is responsible for deciding whether site plan adjustments are a minor revision that city staff can handle, or a major adjustment that needs a public hearing.

Litchet determined the changes failed to meet three criteria necessary for classification as a minor modification. He said he communicated his belief the new plans wouldn’t meet the necessary criteria as soon as he learned about them.

“When Joel advised me of other changes that were going to be submitted, I remember specifically stating that I was very skeptical that would be a minor amendment to me, and Joel said he was confident his narrative would convince me otherwise when it was submitted,” Litchet wrote in a June 2 email.

Now back in the country, Bridges said the project is not in jeopardy because of this issue, but he is concerned about the prospect of a setback in the development process. He said he believed the changes were neighborhood-friendly, because they eliminated the building closest to Tahiti Park. And because the changes were removing an element of the project, rather than adding something, he believed they should be considered minor.  

“We could always go back to the old plan — but we don’t want to do that, because we’ve got a better plan now,” Bridges said.

But Litchet determined the changes potentially altered the project’s compatibility with its surroundings. Most notably, the elimination of one of the residential buildings added more units to a building along Whitaker Bayou. It also placed a surface parking lot closer to Tahiti Park. Litchet said his decision wasn’t making a value judgment about the quality of the new plan — it just suggested the revisions were significant enough to warrant further review.

“I’m not saying these are bad changes,” Litchet said. “The question is: Does it meet the criteria for minor changes under the code?”

Responding to Bridges’ message, Ahearn-Koch sought to set up a meeting between the developer and city staff to sort out the situation. That meeting is scheduled to take place next week, Bridges said. He emphasized his belief that the project will be a catalyst for activity in an area in need of redevelopment.  

“I often said that The Strand is the most exciting project that I ever had the pleasure of working on,” Bridges said in his message to Ahearn-Koch. “It will be a tremendous development and will help to energize the North Trail.”

Tahiti Park Neighborhood Association President Melinda Delpech said she did not know much about the proposed project changes, but she thought a public review process would give a residents a chance to learn more.

She said Bridges has been a good developer to work with, but she was still eager to get more information.

“I really don’t know enough about the changes to have opinions on them at this time,” Delpech said. “I am curious, but I can’t say I’m against it or for it.”