Legislative Hearing - Ordinance 17-035 to amend City Code Section 22-16 - Designation of overlay districts, specifically (a) South Beach Overlay District (1) Applicability and Purpose & (2) Delineation of the district; to amend Figure 1 which designated the boundaries of the overlay district, removing approximately 18.02 acres of land, known as 601 Seaway Drive, from the South Beach Overlay.  FIRST READING

• The applicant, G Flash GP Inc., owner of property located at 601 Seaway Drive, and representative, James H. (Mac) McCarty, Jr., Esq., have filed a request for a Text Amendment to Chapter 22-Zoning, to amend the South Beach Overlay District to remove property located at 601 Seaway Drive, eliminating applicability of the standards and guidelines contained within the South Beach Overlay from the subject property, known as Causeway Cove Marina.
• The South Beach Overlay was established via Ordinance K-441, adopted by the City Commission on January 16th, 2007. The purpose of the South Beach Overlay District is to promote good planning and site design that produces quality development that is functional, an asset to the community and in keeping with the general character of South Hutchinson Island.
• The district regulations affirm a residential density limitation subject to the underlying zoning district, but in no instance exceeding eight (8) units per acre. The district further establishes maximum heights for each zoning district within the overlay, most notably limiting residential development in the C-5 district to 45 ft., and both commercial and residential development in the C-3 district to 45ft.
• The proposed amendment would eliminate applicability, to the subject property, provisions of the South Beach Overlay district that affirm residential density limitations on the barrier island at eight (8) units per acre and provide a limit of building height to forty-five (45) ft, providing capacity to pursue land use amendment to increase residential density and development height of up to two hundred (2oo) feet.
• The amendment, as presented, conflicts with established policies of the comprehensive plan therefore is not wholly consistent with the basic amendment standards adopted by the City land development code.
• The Planning Board, at their October 10th, 2017 meeting, voted 4 to 1 to recommend approval of the amendment.
   

The proposed amendment to the City’s land development code does not demonstrate consistency with the basic amendment standards required of City Code Section 22-131, the Comprehensive Plan, and is inconsistent with the Western Peninsula Charrette Report therefore Staff recommends the City Commission disapprove the amendment as presented via Ordinance 17-035.

 

The City Commission may alternatively consider acceptance of a modified amendment consistent with the City’s Comprehensive Plan, the basic amendment standards of the City’s land development code, and the South Beach Western Peninsula Charrette report referred by the applicant. An alternative may feature an amendment to the South Beach Overlay which advances objectives of the Western Peninsula Charrette report, or the coupling of updates to Section 22-33. - Tourist Commercial Zone (C-5) which reflect basic use standards, consistent with the general character of South Hutchinson Island and the Comprehensive Plan.

Kori Benton, Senior Planner

Technical Review Committee