09/18/1996 (2)
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EAB
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, Environmental Advisory Board
Minutes
Date
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ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY BOARD
CITY OF CLEARWATER
September 18. 1996
Present:
Jill Melkonian
Anne Garris
Mike Foley
Allan Stowell
Alan Smith
David Rhame
Leslie Dougall-Sides
Tom Miller, Assistant Director
Gwen Legters
Whitney Gray
Absent:
Chair
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Assistant City Attorney
Eng i ne eri ng/Environ me ntal
Board Reporter
Vice Chair
To provide continuity. the items are listed in agenda order although not necessarily
discussed In that order.
The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. in City Hall. Mr. David Rhame
was welcomed as a new member.
c::>
City Correspondence
Mr. Miller distributed and highlighted the following: 1) a correction to Page 2 of
the EAB procedure manual; 2) documentation of Mr. Rhame's appointment to the EAB;
3) a fax from EAB Chair Melkonian to Mr. Miller relating items the board wishes to see
on the September agenda; and 4) a letter from City Manager Deptula requesting
advisory board members to refrain from wearing or displaying political campaign
materials during meetings of boards on which the members serve.
Minutes Approval ~ August 21, 1996
Member Foley thanked Mrs. Legters for an excellent summary of his jet ski impact
report. No amendments or corrections to the minutes were indicated. Followwup
discussion of topics reported in the July 17 minutes appears below. under Discussion
Items.
Member Stowell moved to approve the minutes as submitted in writing to each
member by the Board Reporter. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
Confirm Agenda - Establish Consent and Regular Agenda Items
Regular Agenda
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1. Old Business
a. City Comorehensive Plan
Mr. Miller reported Central" Permitting Director Scott Shuford has incorporated the
board's comments into the document and submitted it, with the board's changes. The
City submitted the Evaluation and Appraisal Report to the Department of Community
Affairs on July 22 and should receive their comments within 45 days. Two public
hearings on the matter are scheduled for March, 1997.
One member expressed strong concern with the changes made to language in
Section 22.2.9 regarding protection of the Bayfront from undesirable land uses. She
expressed .concern that construction below the bluff, once prohibited by Charter, is
now to be allowed through policy guidelines. She protested changing the
Comprehensive Plan to make it conform with the Downtown Redevelopment Plan,
when it had once been reported the two plans were not in conflict.
Member Garris moved to request urgently, that the City Commission return to the
original Comprehensive Plan language for Section 22.2.9 which was: IIProtect,
through amendments to the Land Development Code, the Clearwater bayfront area
from undesirable land uses and/or further construction, encroachment and destruction
of the bluff and the bayfront shoreline, in accordance with the City Charter. II
Discussion ensued regarding the motion. Some members expressed agreement,
citing concerns with: 1) allowing staff to decide what is desirable or undesirable;
2) vague wording in the revised draft; and 3) violation of the City Charter requiring
referendum approval of construction on specific locations on the bluff. Mr. Miller
stated the Comprehensive Plan is a document meant to provide guidance to staff. The
attempt has been to draft language that will provide the flexibility to advance the
Downtown Redevelopment Plan in the way the City Commission decides in the future.
Citizen approval of a referendum question would still be needed before any
development occurs. One member pointed out the language "In accordance with the
City Charter..." had been added as a compromise, in response to the latter concern.
One member stated the time has come to stop compromising and protect two of
Clearwater's most valuable environments; the bayfront and the bluff.
Member Garris restated her motion for the record. The motion was duly seconded
and carried unanimously.
A question was raised and discussion ensued regarding removal of Section 22.5.1,
regarding maintaining the integrity and natural function of wetlands. It was indicated
board members had expressed concern the language was nebulous and open to
interpretation, Consensus had been to drop policy 22.5.1 and let the more definitive
policy 22.5.5 serve as the mechanism. (When 22.5.1 was eliminated, the remaining
policies were renumbered and the new policy 22.5.5 became 22.5.4.)
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Member Garris moved to recommend approval of the amended Conservation Element
of the Comprehensive Plan, with the amendment to policy 22.2.9, as approved by the
board in the previous motion. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
b. Stormwater Video -- Tom Miller
Member Stowell moved to continue this item to the next meeting, due to time
constraints. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
c. Memorial Causeway ParkinQ Lot Proiect -- Engineering Director Rich Baier
Mr. Baier displayed an aerial photograph of the proposed location for a 48-space
parking lot on the southwestern end of the Memorial Causeway. The project was initiated
because of a request by marina tenants for additional parking. A parking feasibility study
demonstrated increased Clearwater beach parking needs resulted from recent beach
redevelopment and increased event programming. The City Commission directed staff to
develop the proposal and solicit input from marina tenants and several advisory boards. He
explained construction elements, configuration. ingress and egress considerations, effect
on the surrounding area, retention requirements, and costs. The parking lot would not be
accessible to westbound traffic due to the difficulties involved in obtaining a DOT permit
for a median cut. The lot was designed specifically for overflow parking associated with
the Marina building and activities.
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In response to questions, Mr. Baier discussed impervious versus permeable surfacing in
terms of cost, aesthetics, and maintenance. He stated the Parks and Recreation Board
and Beautification Committee did not favor of the proposal, citing concerns regarding loss
of green space, effect on the environment, and aesthetics of a parking lot at the entrance
to the beach. Marina tenants and the Marine Advisory Board felt the additional parking is
sorely needed to help alleviate the parking deficit and enable expanded charter boat
passenger capacities. In response to a question, Mr. Baier said metering was
recommended so the lot could bear its share of the cost of beach maintenance. It was not
known how current maintenance costs for the subject property would compare with the
cost of maintaining and enforcing meters at the parking lot. A safety concern was
expressed with exiting the parking lot on a blind right-hand curve into fast-moving
eastbound traffic coming off the bridge. Mr. Baier stated he shared this concern, and an
acceleration lane will be provided.
One member, who did not support the parking lot, referred to recent discussion of
constructing a parking garage in the Pelican Walk area of Mandalay Avenue. She
requested a comparison of the walking distance to the Marina from the Pelican Walk area,
versus from the proposed parking lot. She stated the Jolley Trolley could not serve
patrons of the proposed parking lot, but could serve the Pelican Walk area. She displayed
an enlarged photograph of the south side of the causeway as it exists currently, expressing
concern with aesthetics and the impact of losing green space. Mr. Baier briefly related
details of a public/private partnership that had been considered for a parking garage at
Pelican Walk, stating it was not felt to be feasible.
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Additional discussion ensued regarding consideration of permeable block paving and
heavy landscaping to soften the visual impact of the parking lot. Mr. Baier said
landscaping costs are factored into the plan. but pervious block pavers would cost $8 to
$ 1 2 thousand more than asphalt. One member requested a continuance of this item to
allow time for board members to walk the area and evaluate the impact of the proposal.
One member expressed concerns the proposal would set a dangerous precedent for
unwanted development of Memorial Causeway. He felt people would not want to park
their cars in the salty air of this location every day. He indicated he has never had a
problem parking at the marina, but frequently experiences a beach parking shortage. It
was indicated the proposal would not help alleviate the beach parking problem. He pointed
out the proposal is in conflict with Comprehensive Plan Polley 22.4.1 to ensure Memorial
Causeway's major contribution as an aesthetic gateway and landmark to City beaches.
One member stressed the need for publlc transportation to bring people to the beach
and avoid additional paving. Because of the mangroves, she stated the proposed location
is one of the few remaining open vistas. She reiterated her concern with the negative
visual impact of a parking lot spoiling the view. Mr. Baier responded these points have
been examined as part of the parking feasibility study. He stated staff is looking at
reconfiguration and restriping, better signage, and better traffic direction to existing
parking spaces. He pointed out Clearwater beach has more than 800 parking spaces, a
large amount compared to other similarly sized beaches.
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Consensus was the board needed more time to review the proposal and prepare its
recommendation. Staff was requested to provide for the next meeting a cost comparison
of maintaining the existing land versus maintaining and policing the parking meters on the
proposed parking lot.
Member Foley moved to continue this item to the October meeting. Members
Melkonian, Foley, Stowell, Smith, and Rhame voted "Aye": Member Garris voted "Nay.tt
Motion carried.
d. Memorial Causeway BridQe Uodate -- Rich Baier
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Mr. Baier reported the next local Interest Group meeting is October 15, 5:00 p.m. at
428 Cleveland Street in the Calvary Baptist Church storefront. The preliminary design
phase is about one-third completed. He displayed conceptual drawings of the four bridge
alignments under discussion. The goal is to accommodate trip oriented passerby traffic
that currently takes up roadway capacity and does not provide economic benefit for
downtown. He explained eliminating heavy beach traffic from downtown streets will
enable a more pedestrian friendly environment for downtown people. He discussed the
problems and advantages with each of the proposed alignments, related to channel
impacts, permitting, vista aspects, property acquisition, and infrastructure requirements.
He responded to questions regarding non-work and work related State DOT project
funding, and replacement schedule requirements. While there is no urgent need to replace
the Memorial Causeway bridge, he noted the bridge is functionally obsolete and is the site
of many traffic accidents. He indicated it is important to be prepared with funding and a
plan for bridge replacement, before an immediate need arises.
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Mr. Baier discussed view and vista aspects. displaying illustrations of potential view
corridors from various sites. He discussed engineering considerations related to bridge
construction. traffic flow, parking considerations and green benefit. A question was raised
regarding the potential for a public transportation system on Clearwater beach. Mr. Baier
said a beach mass transport system cannot be marketed effectively to our automobile
dependent population unless public parking is eliminated on all Pinellas beaches. In
response to a question. he said specific direction regarding bridge design and location
should be available by the end of next summer. The board thanked Mr. Baier for his
presentations and asked him to bring any new information to the October meeting.
e. Downtown Lake
Staff recommended postponement of this item until November. A status update was
supplied at the board's request. It was indicated the City Commission is studying the
information provided to them during a recent special meeting. Doing the lake in a market
driven fashion, and determining feasibility by preparing an economic and mathematical
model. are topics to be discussed at tomorrow night's City Commission meeting.
One member felt the public and City Commissioners are not adequately aware of the
lake's potential environmental benefits. She noted the lake has the potential of turning an
area that has been a handicap into an asset, enhancing Clearwater's image as a leader in
protecting and improving the environment.
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Member Garris moved to recommend that the City Commission continue gathering
information about environmental benefits and funding possibilities of the lake project,
before they decide whether or not to proceed with the project. The motion was duly
seconded.
Discussion of the issue continued. One member was excited about the potential of
the lake to improve downtown drainage issues, and encouraged the City Commission to
allow more time to study the issue. It was felt, as nearly $200 thousand has been spent
already, it would be appropriate for the new Economic Development Director to have the
opportunity to look at the issue. Another member was reluctant to support the downtown
lake concept, indicating it is unlikely the lake would ever have habitat value because of
pollution from storm water runoff and ground contamination. He suggested a mechanical
means of treating stormwater runoff might be more cost effective than a $50 million lake.
The Chair called the question.
Upon the vote being taken, it carried unanimously.
f. Adoot a Pond Project -- Consensus was to continue this item to the next meeting,
or until November, if the Downtown lake presentation is ready for EAB review in October.
Discussion Items
Follow-up ensued regarding discussion at the July meeting. Staff was requested to
forward Member Foley's jet ski impact report and the fact the board had requested water
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quality testing at popular launch sites, to the TBNEP (Tampa Bay National Estuary Program)
and the ABM (Agency for Bay Management.) The board requested information once staff
obtains the results of the water quality tests.
A question was raised regarding the status of the Comprehensive Conservation and
Management Plan (CCMP) proposad by the TBNEP Intergovernmental Agreement. Mr.
Miller reported the plan received approval and a consultant is in the process of putting
together a framework for the interlocal agreement. He and Assistant City Attorney.
Dougall-Sides are involved as technical advisor, and legal negotiator, respectively.
Mr. Miller'stated the City can be proud of the framework, and questioned whether the
board wished to review it in more detail, or wait for a presentation of the draft agreement
by Dick Eckenrod. Consensus was to wait for presentation once the agreement is drafted.
Due to concerns about the proliferation ot mangroves on the Memorial Causeway,
staff was requested to invite a County representative to address the board regarding the
County's delegated mangrove trimming authority. Mr. Miller concurred, stating he will
provide a copy of the City's environmental policy regarding mangrove trimming on public
property .
Establish Agenda for October 16, 1996
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1 . Recommendation on the Memorial Causeway parking lot issue
2. Downtown lake (if feasible)
3. Adopt-A-Pond (if feasible)
4. Mangrove Trimming
Adjournment
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The meeting adjourned at 6: 15 p.m.
Cp.t~; (}~
Chair
Environmental Advisory Board
Attest:
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