Hope Street residents likely will get the zoning change they requested to restrict development in their neighborhood.
By CANDACE RONDEAUX
Published May 21, 2004
TARPON SPRINGS - Big-time builders beware: There's not much hope for you on Hope Street.
Months after a group of Hope Street residents pressed the city to preserve their neighborhood and restrict large-scale developments, city officials said this week that they're likely to adopt tighter limits on what can be built.
City planning and zoning director Renea Vincent told commissioners during Tuesday evening's commission meeting that residents want to scrap a proposal to create a cultural preservation district for the neighborhood south of the Sponge Docks. Instead, residents want new zoning restrictions that will cut in half the number of homes built per acre in the area along Hope and Athens streets, Vincent said.
"It would be a good fit," Vincent said.
Under current city zoning rules a developer can build up to 15 units per acre in the area. But earlier this year many residents objected to those rules, saying high-density developments don't fit in with the distinctive homes and bungalows that dot the narrow roads there. As a result, city commissioners voted earlier this year to place a 90-day moratorium on development in the area and seek input from residents on the neighborhood's future.
Last month, dozens of residents raised concerns about maintaining the neighborhood's small town character during two public meetings sponsored by the city. But many worried that a cultural preservation district might be too restrictive.
Now, with just a few days left before the development moratorium is lifted, city staff say they will consult with area residents about the proposed zoning change. About 35 Hope Street residents signed a petition asking the city to change the number of units that can be built from 15 per acre to 7.5 per acre. But such a change would need commissioners' approval before it's implemented.
Mayor Beverley Billiris said she supports the Hope Street zoning change. She also asked city staff to begin talking to other area residents about adopting stricter zoning measures.
"We don't have to do this overnight," Billiris said. "But we do have an area that has requested (a zoning change) so let's give them what they want."
The mayor's words were music to the ears of Hope Street resident Richard Wittstruck. A former Sarasota resident, Wittstruck said he would hate to see Tarpon Springs turn into another high-rise city like Sarasota.
"It's unique, and if they lose that, then what have they got?" Wittstruck said. "The (zoning) change was the best compromise and the quickest solution."
The City Commission is expected to vote on the Hope Street zoning change within the next two weeks.
