On dovetailing with the community

This is the text of an email sent to our commissioners by Alistair McLeish, today (March 2). When he granted me permission to post it here, he added, "I don’t want to be partisan...and would want this to be as much directed at the forces for change as those defending it." Amen! (Due to its length, when you get to the "read more", click on it for the remainder of the piece.)

Dear Fellow residents,

There has been much made recently of changes in Anna Maria city.

Please may I  list why we fell in love with this wonderful Island and specifically AMC,  fourteen years ago and  why we so much appreciate the ambience and lifestyle prevailing there.

·         Its beauty and serenity

·         Its community and lifestyle

·         Its access to nearby  facilities and yet  their relative absence and consequent disruption  within this rather special city environment.

We have read with much interest the plethora of  comments from all sides over the last year. On the one hand we all have to accept that things change and nothing can remain static. However in the argument between commercial and residential it seems to us that one thing is very  clear. Historically Anna Maria city has not been a primarily commercially orientated locale and any commerce there has been to serve the interests  of the local community. It is also clear that  throughout the world there is renewed interest in understanding  how  the demographics   of communities  work and that to ensure their continued vigour, cognisance has to be take of how to preserve habitats and lifestyles for the  majority whilst allowing  reasonable evolvement. This is true of  urban , suburban and rural localities. I am told that this is now  the biggest area of research in understanding  land use planning and how communities work,  self regenerate and prosper.

It is quite clear that the majority of people in Anna Maria City are there because they appreciate the traditional qualities the city represents. They enjoy  a certain tranquillity and yet vibrant community  that fits their purpose, whilst  having  access to all the facilities they require in other parts of the Island and on the mainland nearby. I have yet to speak to a full or part time resident who has not made such a value judgement in terms of their residence in AMC. It is invidious therefore  for business speculators to develop businesses either in land use development  or retail/hospitality ,  just by  claiming that they too are residents. It is clear that  with the notable exception of Ed Chiles, whose family have a distinguished pedigree of community support, that most others currently seeking and funding such  radical change  have located precisely so as to change the  commercial infrastructure, not to  serve the community which  currently exists. Of course they would have every right so to do  if they became  the majority but  in this case  it is clear  that they are not; they are a  distinct  but  well funded minority.

So we see an entrenchment of views. I would prefer to see a sensible debate allowing the  city to continue to slowly  evolve but as long as such single minded  and self interested business interests  are vested against  the  largely silent  residential majority who merely wish to live their lives in the manner  which attracted to them to AMC in the first place, this cannot happen. Forgive our trenchant views therefore but  against this background  we personally  wish to see controls including:

·         No further commercial zoning at all in AMC- specifically no further motels , or retail premises

·         No change of use from residential to any other land use

·         No property or building  subdivisions

·         No change of use to multiple dwellings  of existing properties

·         No event/party or wedding license extension

·         No parking  spaces increase

·         Strict adherence to current  building height restrictions

We would like to see :

·         A reduction of existing retail premises as retail businesses seek to change ownership or use

·         Traffic access  restriction  at peak holiday times except for residential access

·         Increased facilitation of  cycles,electric vehicles and pedestrianisation of certain areas

·         Tighter police enforcement of speeding ( for instance Bay Boulevard ) and  inappropriate parking

·         Complete removal of street parking allowing beach access

By the way I am a business man with wide ranging  global interests including property development in three continents. I don’t think I  therefore come into the category of   starry eyed idealist. However I firmly  believe that any land use development should first and foremost  dovetail  within the general interests of the community in which exists. None of us  have a right to change  the substance of communities against the will of the majority, especially for commercial gain.

Kind regards,

Alistair McLeish