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Letter to the editor

Board gets new name, added tasks

It will deal with revamped land development rules that took effect Sept. 10.

By PAUL SWIDER, Times Staff Writer
Published October 3, 2007

St. Petersburg- Today's meeting of the Development Review Commission represents a milestone for the city of St. Petersburg as the first concrete showing of development regulations years in the making.

Formerly the Environmental Development Commission, the DRC assumes most of the old board's tasks and adds some new ones as part of the land development regulations that went into effect Sept. 10. The DRC's agenda still has cases filed under the old regulations, but with a new twist.

For instance, developments that used to ask for one-year extensions will now be able to get one five-year extension. Condos on Central, a large complex at 16th Street, is seeking an extra five years, as is Aegon for a second Carillon building and SunTrust for its new bank in Midtown. Developers of a large new gas station at 22nd Avenue N and Fourth Street are also seeking an extension.

The DRC will also decide on a change to the city's own development plan for its downtown area. Mulling how development rights are allocated is a task once reserved for the Planning Commission, which instead adds comprehensive plan changes and the word "visioning" to its name.

Like the boardbefore it, the DRC considers larger projects and their specific interactions with nearby properties and residents. It is made up of volunteer members appointed by the mayor to supply specific expertise and experience in related areas, such as architecture, environmental issues, real estate, engineering and so on.

DRC decisions are binding but can be appealed to the City Council.

Most of today's DRC agenda concerns old regulations and old cases, like the Porter Development plan to add a 135-unit apartment building to a shopping-office complex on 66th Street. Applications under the new rules will start showing up next month with a condo development on Beach Drive, a new movie theater at Tyrone Square Mall, and a self-storage building on First Avenue N at 11th Street.

Julie Weston, the director of the development services department, said some developers were waiting for the new rules to submit applications, but a host of applications came in for single-family homes under the old rules. She said the new rules require more attention to homes' design, so builders with stock models wanted to vest plans.

The transition from old development rules to new is confusing some residents and builders, but also adding work for staff.

"People who used to know our codes by heart are now having to look things up," Weston said. "We're working really hard to train our staff."

The change to new regulations is complicated by the loss this year of John Hixenbaugh, the zoning official who had responsibility for the old board. Friday was also the last day of work for Bob Jeffrey, Weston's assistant who was responsible for the new rules.

Paul Swider can be reached at pswider@sptimes.com or 892-2271.

Fast facts

If you go

The Development Review Commission formerly Environmental Development Commission meets today at 2 p.m. in City Council chambers, 175 Fifth St. N.

[Last modified October 2, 2007, 22:26:10]