In Christine Tollette’s election campaign she promises to “Insist that the business district remain within the bounds of the existing ROR (Residential Office Retail) and commercial districts”. That sounds like a good promise but what is her record on expanding the business area?
Commissioner Christine Tollette took action to support changing the existing Residential designations of specific properties (totaling 33,000 sq. ft.) to commercial ROR designations during the updating of the City’s Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan). Tollette supported changing Residential designated land at the Palmetto Ave. & Gulf Dr. corner and on the north side of the 100 block of Pine Ave.. The changes did not go through.
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Saturday, October 31, 2009
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At the time of the Comp Plan updating process, there were many voting meetings where changes were proposed, including proposed changes to the Future Land Use Map (FLUM).
ReplyDeleteCity minutes of the October 3, 2006 Special Comp Plan voting meeting say:
“MOTION: Commissioner Christine Tollette moved to designate the northwest corner of Palmetto Avenue at Gulf Drive for Commercial land use on the proposed Future Land Use Map. Motion failed for lack of a second.” At the time of Tollette’s motion, this particular land was designated Medium Density Residential on the existing 1992 FLUM map and Residential on the P&Z Board’s proposed FLUM draft.
At the May 21, 2007 EAR Comp Plan Amendments Public Hearing, Tollette again attempted to make a motion to change this same land from Residential to a commercial ROR designation. City minutes say: “…Commissioner Tollette said no one could convince her it was a good idea to end Commercial in the middle of the block directly across from Commercial. She stated she has read all resident concerns, however, based on the City’s codes there would never be much of a change if permitted as ROR… MOTION: Commissioner Tollette moved to allow the properties located at 9702 Gulf Dr., 118 Palmetto Ave., and 116 Palmetto Ave. ACTION: Motion failed due to lack of a second.”
The audio tape shows that Tollette actually said “… I’m going to present a motion that we allow those properties to be changed to ROR”. She was asked to be more specific in the motion. She said “This would be designation for Lots 1 & 2, Block 31 at 9702 Gulf Drive, 118 Palmetto Avenue and 116 Palmetto Avenue.” The other Commissioners including John Quam and Dale Woodland would not second Tollette’s motion to change existing Residential designated property to business ROR. Over 20 residents who owned property close to that land (Lots 1 & 2, Block 31) registered comments stating they did not want the Residential designation to change to business ROR or Commercial. The bottom line is Tollette’s motion supported expanding the business land area by 11,000 sq. ft. at Palmetto Ave. and Gulf Dr. and reducing Residential land area by the same.
At the October 3, 2006 Special Comp Plan voting meeting, the Commission made a decision on the land designation for 4 lots on the north side of the 100 block of Pine Ave. The existing 1992 FLUM designation for all 4 lots was Low Density Residential and the P&Z’s proposed FLUM draft showed the P&Z’s proposed change to an ROR designation. Commissioner Woodland moved the 4 lots be changed back to the existing Residential land use category. The minutes say:
“MOTION: Commissioner Dale Woodland moved to change the four lots on the west end of Pine Avenue on the northwest corner of Pine Avenue and the Gulf of Mexico from the proposed ROR land use category to the existing Residential land use category. Commissioner Duke Miller seconded the motion.
Vote: Three Ayes; Two Nays. Motion carried.”
The audio tape of this motion and vote shows Commissioners Quam, Woodland and Miller were the AYE votes and Commissioners Tollette and Cramer were the NAY votes. Basically, Quam, Woodland and Miller voted to keep the existing Residential land use designation for the 4 lots and Tollette and Cramer supported the P&Z’s proposal to change the 4 lots from Residential to ROR. The bottom line is Tollette’s vote supported expanding the business ROR category by 22,000 sq. ft., the total land area of those 4 lots (5,500 sq ft each) on the north side of the 100 block of Pine Ave., and reducing the Residential category by the same.
The very bottom line is that the minutes and audio tapes show Christine Tollette supported changing the designation of a total of 33,000 sq. ft. of property from existing Residential designation to business ROR designation during the Comp Plan meetings cited above. Fortunately, the changes did not go through.