Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

County rethinks limits to flood-zone density

The Local Planning Agency delays pushing forward on its recommendation to eliminate a cap that limits development in Level A to five units per acre.

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published July 22, 2006

Pinellas County is considering doing away with rules that limit how much developers can build in high-risk hurricane areas.

The Local Planning Agency, composed of county staff members, decided July 13 to recommend abolishing a law that prohibits more than five units per acre in a flood zone, or Level A evacuation zone. After a public hearing, the agency planned to ask the County Commission to pass the proposal at its Tuesday meeting.

But after a closed-door meeting July 14, officials decided more time was needed to discuss the proposal. Instead of voting on the issue Tuesday, commissioners will likely discuss it and make suggestions for possible tweaks.

"We're not going to have them adopt it yet," said Paul Cassel, the county's director of development review services. "We're going to move it forward at some time."

The reason to delay is the same as the one that prompted officials to push it forward quickly: Golden Lantern Mobile Home Park. A developer wants to raze the park, at 7950 Park Blvd. in unincorporated Pinellas County at the edge of Pinellas Park, and replace it with high-end condominiums, apartments and a retail center.

Before the park can be redeveloped, the zoning and land use designations must be changed. The county agreed to do that, but Golden Lantern resident Charles Plancon filed a lawsuit to stop the change and complained to the state Department of Community Affairs, which must sign off on land use changes.

One of his chief complaints was that the county violated its own rules by approving a density greater than five units per acre in a Level A flood zone.

The state agency sided with Plancon, saying the county was wrong to change the land use, in part because Golden Lantern is in a Level A evacuation zone and the proposed density was too high. The state has scheduled a January hearing on the matter.

The county figured that the best way to solve the problem would be to simply remove the density cap, which had proved problematic with other projects, too, Cassel said.

"It's caused some issues over the years," Cassel said. "We've found that sometimes that policy really stood in the way of good land use (proposals)."

The idea was to have the commission make its decision Tuesday to meet a deadline to have the change adopted by the state before the Golden Lantern hearing.

"There was some urgency to respond to that," Cassel said.

When officials discovered that the state hearing wasn't scheduled until January, it gave the county more time to gather information and prepare its case, Cassel said. It also took some of the pressure off in needing to have the density rule changed so quickly. Staff members decided that they could take more time to work on the proposal.

It's unclear why the county's Local Planning Agency did not know or consider the January hearing date during the July 13 meeting.

But just because the commission will be asked to withhold its decision, Cassel said, does not necessarily mean that the Local Planning Agency's final recommendation to eliminate the cap will change.

[Last modified July 21, 2006, 20:56:13]