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09/25/2001 - 7:05 PM - Island Estates Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District MeetingISLAND ESTATES NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION OVERLAY DISTRICT MEETING St. Brendan’s Church – 245 Dory Passage September 25, 2001 The meeting was opened by opened by Planning Director Cyndi Tarapani at 7:05 p.m. at St. Brendan’s Church, 245 Dory Passage, Clearwater. Other members of the Island Estates Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District Study Committee who were present included Phyllis Boksom, Jack Heckert, and Lars Warn. ITEM #2 – Introduction of City Commission and City Staff; Description of NCOD (Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District) Presentation – Cyndi Tarapani, Planning Director No members of the City Commission were present. City staff included Planning Director Cyndi Tarapani, Assistant Planning Director Lisa Fierce, Long Range Planning Manager Gina Clayton, Neighborhood Services Manager Fredd Hinson, Senior Planner Richard Kephart, Planner Lochen Wood and Neighborhood Services Coordinator Melody Benbow. City Planning Director Cyndi Tarapani said the NCOD project has 2 main goals: 1) What NCOD does and what it can be; and 2) the purpose of the NCOD and why everyone is here tonight. The next step is to identify strengths and weaknesses for the neighborhood. The public will break up into groups and perform exercises that would enable them to address their concerns, and provide their input on the negatives and positive aspects of the neighborhood. Ms. Tarapani provided a list of NCOD Study Committee telephone numbers. She said this process would be interactive and the public could e-mail or call staff and find the telephone numbers for Planning Department staff as well as NCOD meeting minutes on the City web page. The web site also lists all NCOD meeting dates and times. All meetings will be held at St. Brendan’s Church. Ms. Tarapani said the NCOD process intends to recognize the uniqueness of each neighborhood. It addresses infill and redevelopment in stable neighborhoods, outlines a plan with goals and objectives, and implements that plan with appropriate development standards. Designation criteria in the NCOD plan requires that the neighborhood be fully developed, well maintained, with stable or increasing property values, and a low number of code violations and nonconforming uses. The designation process requires 60% of owner approval. The City Manager makes a recommendation to start the NCOD, approves a neighborhood planning study, and appoints a Study Committee. The special area planning process starts with public meetings. In addition to the plan, a group of text amendments and rezonings would be adopted. The public process would include 5 public meetings, writing a neighborhood plan, creating a unique set of development standards, and a final neighborhood vote. A City/neighborhood partnership would occur. Another benefit is that the NCOD process would develop into better working relationship between neighbors. Ms. Tarapani said Coachman Ridge is the only neighborhood that has gone through this process. Their NCOD plan was completed in September 2001. Ms. Tarapani said some of benefits of an overlay district include: 1) Common neighborhood vision; 2) guide for future development; 3) enhanced City/neighborhood partnership; and 4) blueprint for neighborhood improvement. She referred to an Island Estates district map indicating residential areas to be included in the NCOD. She said the Island Estates NCOD Study Committee recommended the commercial areas highlighted in yellow be excluded from the NCOD, as it would be too difficult to craft a plan to include those areas and enforce compliance. The NCOD includes condominiums as part of the residential aspect. Ms. Tarapani reviewed the schedule of upcoming public meetings regarding the Island Estates NCOD plan and said staff would facilitate the meetings, process the information and public input, and provide the final results to the public and the Commission. ITEM #3 - Questions about Overlay Process Ms. Tarapani gave a presentation on the NCOD overlay process. In response to a question, she said the City’s Planning Department staff have all been involved in special area plans. The planning process is the same regardless of the different neighborhood issues. Staff uses all possible means to engage the public. She said both neighborhood strengths and weaknesses will be discussed. Goals to address each one will be proposed. Ms. Tarapani said 60% of the Island Estates neighborhood has already elected to proceed with the NCOD process. Some residents expressed concern that they were not aware of the vote to start the process or were not asked to vote. Ms. Tarapani said all Island Estates residents were informed of the process. Approximately 65% of residents indicated they wished to start the NCOD process. Signatures are on file with the City Planning Department for public review. Ms. Tarapani said the City Planning Department staff would only facilitate the meeting as requested by residents. Both the plan and the zoning code amendments must go to the Commission for approval. The NCOD plan requires a final vote of residents present at the fifth and final meeting. Each property owner can vote on each zoning regulation. The Commission makes the ultimate decision to approve or deny the NCOD. Results of how many people voted, etc. will be calculated. In response to a question, Ms. Tarapani said it is difficult to classify the planning processes for the beach and the downtown as “successes”, as their goals differ. The beginnings of success are evident with the rework of the downtown plan and the development associated with Beach by Design. In response to a question, Ms. Tarapani said the Island Estates residents would have to petition the Commission to change the entire planning area to include commercial properties. Residents were encouraged to provide their input by participating in the scheduled NCOD public meetings. She said although the process has started, staff has no preconceived ideas as to what should or should not be in the plan. In response to a question, Ms. Tarapani said although the Island Estates NCOD Study Committee introduced themselves, this is not a Study Committee meeting. They merely wanted the public to know who they were and how to contact them. In response to a question, Ms. Tarapani said if the NCOD were applied to Island Estates, the zoning regulations in the final NCOD plan as agreed upon by the Island Estates residents will overlay the existing zoning regulations. In response to a question, she said the City’s consultant Charlie Siemon developed this concept. Ms. Tarapani said an overlay district is not unusual in many cities. She said Code violations in the Island Estates neighborhood have occurred in approximately 8% - 9% of the neighborhood. In response to a question, Ms. Tarapani said no impact studies have been done regarding how an NCOD would affect future property values because the NCOD is not in effect yet. The goal of the NCOD is not to add unnecessary regulations, but regulations that are unique to Island Estates. The NCOD would not replace the City Code in other areas. The Commission has asked City Planning staff to monitor the NCOD plan in the 2 neighborhoods (Coachman Ridge and Island Estates) and evaluate it after 1 year upon implementation. It was remarked that property values have escalated nicely since a year ago and “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Concern was expressed that residents would want to place additional regulations on what already exists. Ms. Tarapani said at end of this process, residents might feel the NCOD plan is working fine but may want to set some goals for the neighborhood to achieve even better results. In response to a question, Ms. Tarapani said condominium associations would have one vote. Condominium residents were encouraged to participate in their neighborhood association meetings. In response to a question, Ms. Tarapani said the City would only enforce NCOD regulations, not deed restrictions. She said the City would review: 1) If the Island Estates recommendations regarding the NCOD plan are constitutionally enforceable by the City; and 2) if the City can enforce those regulations with the available City staff. It was remarked the parking on the Memorial Causeway near Island Estates should be removed, as it is too dangerous. In response to a question, Ms. Tarapani said the City did not poll the Study Committee members appointed by the Commission regarding their opinion of the NCOD plan prior to their appointment. ITEM #4 – Neighborhood Strengths & Weaknesses Exercise – Melody Benbow, Neighborhood Services Coordinator Explanation/Description AND Brainstorming AND Posting of Ideas AND Discussion of Next Steps Neighborhood Services Coordinator Melody Benbow explained the exercises to be performed by members of the public. She asked them to consider positive and negative aspects of the community they would like to address. She said this exercise is the foundation for neighborhood planning. She reviewed a list of suggested areas that residents could consider. The attendees broke into groups at 8:14 p.m. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 p.m.