BRADENTON BEACH – In the first of what will be multiple public hearings about an application for a 106-unit resort hotel at the corner of Bridge Street and Gulf Drive, the city Planning and Zoning Board will conduct a hearing on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. at City Hall.
In addition to the hotel, the proposed project includes a 60-seat restaurant, 2,485 square feet of retail space and 99 on-site parking spaces. The project area extends to Third Street South and would require zoning changes.
City Clerk Terri Sanclemente published notices for the Nov. 1 hearing as well as public hearings before the City Commission on Thursday, Nov. 16 at noon and Thursday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. All meetings will be held at City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N.
According to the notices, the hearings will be held regarding an ordinance amending zoning for 1.61 acres at 101, 105 and 117 Bridge St. and 106, 108, 110 and 112 Third St. S., establishing a planned development overlay district within the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts.
City Building Official Steve Gilbert told The Sun in December 2022 that a proposed development carrying a major development designation must be reviewed by the city’s Planning and Zoning Board and then approved by the city commission. Gilbert said multiple land development code interpretations will be required and multiple land use issues will need to be addressed before the proposed development can be advertised for public hearings before the planning board and city commission.
The Land Development Code application for the project was made on Dec. 2, 2022 by property owners Shawn Kaleta and Jacob Spooner. Kaleta is a developer on Anna Maria Island. Spooner is a Bradenton Beach businessman and commercial property owner and a member of the Bradenton Beach City Commission and the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency. As a sitting city commissioner, Spooner would have to recuse himself from any commission discussions and votes related to the proposed hotel development.
With Commissioner Marilyn Maro absent with excuse for an extended period of time, and with Spooner’s recusal, that leaves only three City Commissioner members – Mayor John Chappie and Commissioners Ralph Cole and Jan Vosburgh – to consider the application.
According to Bradenton Beach Code of Ordinances Section 10, however, an affirmative “supra-majority vote,” (at least four out of five members) of the City Commission is required to approve any comprehensive plan amendment including map or text amendments, rezoning, special exception, variance or vacation of any city rights-of-way.
“Luis (City Planner Luis Serna) and I agree that a PUD (Planned Unit Development) process should include an ordinance to apply a PUD overlay on top of the zoning map,” Gilbert said. “As far as our understanding is concerned, the ordinance adopting that PUD overlay will require whatever supra-majority vote the city attorney deems appropriate.”
Any interested party may appear at the meetings and be heard. Copies of the proposed ordinance are on file at Bradenton Beach City Hall, 107 Gulf Drive N., and may be reviewed between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, excluding holidays.
