Charlotte County moves fast to change zoning rules so U.S. 41 businesses will rebuild with a redesign in mind.
By TAMARA LUSH
Published November 14, 2004
PORT CHARLOTTE - Morton's was the quintessential small-town hardware store.
Saturday mornings its four buildings swarmed with people who came to buy paint and screwdrivers or, more importantly, to catch up on gossip.
Then came Hurricane Charley. On Aug. 13, the storm smashed the store, tearing off its concrete roof and sailing the pieces two blocks away. Owner Joe Waksler vowed to rebuild.
The blueprints for the new store call for one 12,000-square-foot building that resembles an old Florida bungalow. With a cupola and shutters, it would fit nicely in Key West or downtown Celebration.
Morton's may be the future of Charlotte County.
Many leaders say it is the perfect start for turning a sprawling U.S. 41 wasteland of stores, offices and industries into a landscaped and pedestrian-friendly Main Street.
"It's an opportunity to start afresh," said Mike Konefal, Charlotte County's community development director.
Last week, county commissioners passed something called the "U.S. Highway 41 Zoning District Overlay," a bureaucratic name for a plan to retool the entire area. They say they hope to capitalize on opportunities created by Hurricane Charley, which damaged or flattened hundreds of U.S. 41 businesses.
As of Nov. 9, inspections showed that only 69 of 656 commercial structures in Charlotte County escaped damage.
"Do we want to rebuild what we had?" County Commissioner Mac Horton said at a recent meeting. "No. We want to do something different."
Commissioners decided this week to move fast and change zoning rules before insurance checks are cashed and buildings are slapped up.
County leaders say they want to turn access roads on U.S. 41 into landscaped areas with angled parking, improved lighting and sidewalks.
Businesses from the Sarasota County line to Punta Gorda will be encouraged to rebuild at the front of a property and place parking in back. Architectural standards will also be suggested.
In the long term, live-work spaces will be considered, with two-story buildings that incorporate businesses on the first floor and condominiums or apartments on the second.
The changes, commissioners say, will reduce traffic and beautify the area.
"A lot of these buildings and signs are currently damaged, and this is a time to encourage a different kind of design," said Konefal, the community development director.
Opponents say it's too much, too soon.
"I don't know that now is the time," said Ken Roberson, owner of Roberson's Funeral Home on U.S. 41 in Port Charlotte. "It's just added stress to people. Most are just trying to get their businesses operating."
It's a debate that hurricane-ravaged communities around the state are grappling with, but none more than especially hard-hit Charlotte County: Should communities take advantage of the damage and rebuild to correct the zoning sins of the past?
"It's a great opportunity," said Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, a Miami architect and co-author of Suburban Nation, a book that espouses the idea of walkable, livable communities. "But it is often confounded by the desire just to get back into business as quickly as possible."
Plater-Zyberk and a handful of other South Florida architects were involved in a similar conversation after Hurricane Andrew. She said that group never went as far as the Charlotte County rebuilding plans.
U.S. 41 is like so many commercial areas in Florida. Think of U.S. 19 in Pasco and Pinellas counties, and Dale Mabry Highway in Hillsborough County. All were two-lane roads about 30 years ago, and over time, traffic and businesses on those roads grew.
"There was never any interest for physical and visual harmony," said Plater-Zyberk. "It was really just about regulating the land for user quantity."
U.S. 41 is Charlotte County's only real commercially zoned area. So car dealerships sit next to doctor's offices. Big-box retail stores are next to funeral homes. There are few sidewalks or bike lanes. And even where there are places to walk, it's too dangerous because the speed limit is 45 miles per hour.
"For years, I've wanted to do something with the U.S. 41 corridor," Sara Devos, a county commissioner, said with a sigh.
She and a group of other residents started a task force to consider how to spruce up the area.
That was in 1988.
While Devos and other commissioners voted to approve the new zoning district, they shelved a decision on sign restrictions. Initially, the community development office proposed making signs smaller and prettier, but because so many people in the community complained about the cost and changes, commissioners backed down.
"I can't afford to change my sign and open my business now," said Darlene Ward of New Hope Natural Healing Center.
While she applauds the commission's ideas, she said she hopes that in the future, businesses will be eligible for incentives to make aesthetic changes.
"The direction is great," Ward said. "We do need to spruce it up, we do need to make it accessible.
"It's an exciting time in Charlotte County."
Waksler, of Morton's Ace Hardware, was one of the most vocal opponents of changing the sign size.
"I have to be able to depend on people to see me when they're driving down U.S. 41," Waksler said. "I have to be seen, or I'll be out of business."
And that, Waksler said, has been the worst part of the hurricane. Not having to rebuild or debate with the county over sign ordinances - he said he loves his new building design and so does the county.
It's that he can't help anyone.
"It eats me alive that we're not there when the community needs us," he said. "I would have made sure they had what they needed."
Tamara Lush can be reached at 727 893-8612 or at lush@sptimes.com
