ST. PETERSBURG - The contractor wants to build a house. If the builder meets certain conditions, the city issues a building permit.
So far, so good?
Not for residents in some deed-restricted communities, who contend that the current process leads to misunderstandings. According to Linda Testa, who is chairman of the deed restrictions committee for Venetian Isles, builders frequently don't know that the neighborhood association in a deed-restricted community functions in a way similar to a condominium association and often has the final say on a structure's uses, design, or physical location. She wants the city to require a letter of approval by the neighborhood's architectural review committee before issuing a building permit.
After hearing Testa's appeal, the Council of Neighborhood Associations on Wednesday passed a resolution to suspend building permits in deed-restricted communities until the neighborhood association has signed off. CONA's resolution is a recommendation and has no legal power. At least as many members abstained as voted in the 10-3 tally.
There are about 525 homes in Venetian Isles, the island just past Snell Isle, but more are coming. Because the neighborhood's own restrictions are sometimes more exacting than the city's requirements for building permits, conflicts can ensue.
In a recent example, the association steered an incoming neighbor from building a three-story house, which the city permits but Venetian Isles does not. Architects have since redesigned the structure for two stories, Testa said.
The city contains several deed-restricted communities including Bayway Isles, Barcley Estates and Placido Bayou. But most of the opposition to existing practices over building permits has come from Venetian Isles, said Julie Weston, who directs the city's Development Services Department.
Weston said that since residents have complained, the city has added a line to building permit applications advising that permits do not mean the applicant has complied with deed restrictions. Builders also can walk into the construction services division and check a map which identifies deed-restricted communities.
That's about as far as the city will go in what Weston called a private matter. "People have a right to receive building permits if they meet the criteria," Weston said. "We evaluate the criteria. One of the criteria is not, "Have you complied with deed restrictions?' "
Venetian Isles president Bob Johnson, who did not attend the CONA meeting, said he has asked the city to change its policies since 1995, and has taken legal action over structures approved by the city.
"The city should be concerned about our deed restrictions," Johnson said. "They are not. I think our last hope is CONA."
Neighborhoods are gearing up for celebrations June 6-8 of the city's 100th birthday celebration and the 300th birthday of St. Petersburg, Russia. Albertson's stores at 3900 66th St. N, 3700 Fourth St. N, and 3030 54th Ave. S have agreed to supply 30- to 40-person sheet cakes to participating neighborhoods for $10 - about half-price.
Neighborhoods can also request lettering. The city will provide official anniversary T-shirts, which can be used for raffle prizes. For more information, call anniversary coordinator Marilyn Ulen, 551-3377.
Lakewood Terrace hosts its annual residents' barbecue and fundraiser 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the property at Seventh Street and 38th Avenue S. The Lakewood Terrace boundaries run from 34th Avenue S to Bayou Boulevard S between Sixth and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets S.
The city will sponsor another planning workshop for Greater Pinellas Point Civic Association Tuesday at 7 p.m., at Bay Vista Recreation Center, 7000 Fourth St. S.
