05/20/2025 Community Development Board Meeting Minutes May 20, 2025
City of Clearwater
Main Library- Council Chambers
100 N. Osceola Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33755
e
Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
1 :00 PM
Main Library - Council Chambers
Community Development Board
1
City of Clearwater
Community Development Board Meeting Minutes May 20, 2025
Roll Call
Present 6 — Chair Michael Boutzoukas, Board Member Diane Achinelli, Board
Member Aubrey Haudricourt, Board Member Kurt Hinrichs, Board
Member Michael Mastruserio, and Board Member Michelle Chenault
Absent 2 - Board Member Andrew Hupp, and Board Member Andrew Park
Also Present— Jay Daigneault —Attorney for the Board, Matthew Mytych —
Assistant City Attorney, Lauren Matzke — Planning & Development
Interim Director, and Nicole Sprague — Deputy City Clerk
1. Call To Order
1.1 Roll Call: (Chair) Boutzoukas; Members: Achinelli, Chenault, Haudricourt, (Alternate)
Hinrichs, Hupp, Mastruserio, Park; Assistant City Attorney Matthew Mytych; Attorney Jay
Daigneault; and City Staff
The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m.
2. Approval of Minutes
2.1 Approve the minutes of the April 15, 2025 CDB meeting.
Board Member Haudricourt moved to approve the minutes of the April
15, 2025 CDB meeting. The motion was duly seconded and carried
unanimously.
3. Citizens to be Heard Regarding Items Not on the Agenda
Bill Jonson reviewed citizen survey results and provided statistics on how
Clearwater residents view the community in comparison to other cities.
Alex Stein and Joseph Castellano reviewed matters unrelated to City
business.
4. Consent Agenda: The following cases are not contested by the applicant or city
staff. If no objections are raised by a member of the public, and member(s) of the
Board do not request to remove an item from the Consent Agenda, items will be
approved by a single vote at the beginning of the meeting.
4.1 FLD2024-04010: Flexible Development approval to construct a detached dwelling in the
Commercial (C) District as a Comprehensive Infill Redevelopment Project for the
property located at 848 Dempsey Street. The building will not exceed 25 feet in height
and includes two parking spaces. Requested is flexibility to allow the use in the
Commercial District. (Community Development Code Section 2-704.F.) (Level Two
Application)
Case: FLD2024-04010 - 848 Dempsey Street
Owner(s): Matthew Vincent Raymond Tiernan
2
City of Clearwater
Community Development Board Meeting Minutes May 20, 2025
Applicant: Richard Badders, Shorelines Design Group; 793 San Christopher
Drive, Dunedin, FL 34698; phone 727-736-7611; email: Rich@sdgfl.com
Location: North side of Dempsey Street approximately 140 feet west of Shore
Avenue. (0.11 acres)
Request: Flexible Development approval to construct a detached dwelling in
the Commercial (C) District as a Comprehensive Infill Redevelopment Project
for the property located at 848 Dempsey Street. The building will not exceed 25
feet in height and includes two parking spaces. Requested is flexibility to allow
the use in the Commercial District. (Community Development Code Section
2-704.F.)
Associations: Board of County Commissioners, Clearwater Neighborhood
Coalition, Lake Belleview Neighborhood Association, MIMA (Milton Park/
Magnolia Heights) Neighborhood Association, Pinellas County School Board
Assigned Planner: Ted Kozak, AICP, Development Review Manager; email:
Ted.Kozak@MyClearwater.com; phone: 727-444-8941
Kevin Sexton said he received a copy of the meeting notice and
requested party status.
Board Member Hinrichs moved to grant Kevin Sexton party status. The
motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Attorney Mytych requested to accept Ted Kozak as an expert witness in
the fields of general planning, zoning, annexations, land use/rezoning
amendments, demographics, site plan analysis land development code
and land development code amendments, comprehensive planning,
special area plans and overlay districts, tree rating and assessment/
inventory, tree preservation techniques, Florida grades and standards for
landscape material and trees, International Society of Arboriculture
standards, and land development code regarding trees and landscaping.
Board Member Haudricourt moved to accept Ted Kozak as an expert
witness. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.
Development Review Manager Ted Kozak provided a PowerPoint
presentation.
In response to questions, Mr. Kozak said the Commercial zoning will
remain. Residential usage is allowed in a Commercial zone so long as
certain criteria is met i.e. does it meet the intent of the comprehensive
plan and is the design compatible with the surrounding properties. The
subject property is across the street from Medium Density Residential
zoning.
Applicant Rich Badder reviewed the request. He said there is not enough
square footage on this parcel for commercial development. Other single
3
City of Clearwater
Community Development Board Meeting Minutes May 20, 2025
family homes sit adjacent to this property in the Commercial zoning
district. In response to questions, Mr. Badder said the community garden
will go away and the new construction will be an income property for the
owner. The community garden was created with good intentions to teach
low-income families how to grow fresh produce.
Mr. Sexton spoke in opposition and said the community garden
caretakers are homeless individuals and people gather on the vacant
property causing chaos. He said he has called the police several times
for homeless gathering and sleeping on his property.
In response to a question, Planning and Development Interim Director
Lauren Matzke said short term rental is a permitted use in the Commercial
zone.
One individual said any infill project should match the character of the
neighborhood.
One individual expressed concern with a residential establishment in a
Commercial zone.
Discussion ensued with comments made that a fence around the
property may limit undesirable activity.
Board Member Achinelli moved to approve FLD2024-04010, 848
Dempsey St., based on the evidence and testimony presented in the
application, the Staff Report and at today's hearing, and hereby adopt
the Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law stated int he Staff Report
with conditions of approval as listed, including the installation of a
non-opaque, six-foot fence along the east, north, and west boundaries
from the front wall of the house facing Dempsey St. to the rear of the
property. The motion was duly seconded and carried with the following
vote:
Ayes: Chair Boutzoukas, Board Member Achinelli, Board Member
Haudricourt, Board Member Mastruserio, and Board Member
Chenault
Nays: Board Member Hinrichs
4.2 FLD2025-03002 Flexible Development approval to construct a two-unit Resort Attached
Dwelling in the Tourist (T) District and the Old Florida Character District of Beach by
Design for the property located at 633 Mandalay Avenue. The building will not exceed 65
feet in height and includes four parking spaces. Requested is flexibility from setbacks.
(Community Development Code Section 2-8031. and Beach by Design) (Level Two
4
City of Clearwater
Community Development Board
Application)
Meeting Minutes May 20, 2025
Case: FLD2025-03002 - 633 Mandalay Ave
Owner(s): Clearwater JV V LLC
Applicant: Katherine E. Cole, Hill Ward Henderson, 600 Cleveland Street, Suite
800, Clearwater, FL 33755; phone: (727) 259-6791; email:
katie.cole@hwhlaw.com
Location: Northeast corner of Mandalay Avenue and Royal Way. (0.28 acres)
Request: Flexible Development approval to construct a two -unit Resort
Attached Dwelling in the Tourist (T) District and the Old Florida Character
District of Beach by Design for the property located at 633 Mandalay Avenue.
The building will not exceed 65 feet in height and includes four parking spaces.
Requested is flexibility from setbacks. (Community Development Code Section
2-803.L. and Beach by Design)
Associations: Board of County Commissioners, Clearwater Beach
Association, Clearwater Neighborhood Coalition, Pinellas County School Board
Assigned Planner: Austen Dole, Planner II; email:
Austen.Dole@MyClearwater.com; phone: 727-444-7351
Member Hinrichs moved to approve Case FLD2025-03002 on today's
Consent Agenda based on evidence in the record, including the
application(s) and the Staff Report(s), and hereby adopt the Findings of
Fact and Conclusions of Law stated in the Staff Report(s), with
conditions of approval as listed.
5. Director's Report — None.
6. Board Members to be Heard — None.
7. Adjourn
Attest:
The meeting adjourned at 2:25 p.m.
City Clerk
City of Clearwater
5
Chair, Community Dev l pment Board