HOLMES BEACH – Ben ten Haaf, the owner of the vacant property at 2902 Ave. E, seeks voter approval to vacate a city-owned alley so he can build two beachfront homes on his undeveloped land.
As required by the Holmes Beach City Charter, vacating a piece of city-owned property requires approval from the city’s registered voters. In June, with Commissioner Dan Diggins absent, the city commission voted 4-0 to place the alley vacation request on the November ballot.
Ten Haaf, an Anna Maria resident, bought the property in January 2024 and later demolished the old, hurricane-damaged home that sat on it. The property is divided by an unused, 150-foot-long, 10-foot-wide sand alley that runs parallel to the Gulf shoreline.
In a letter recently sent to Holmes Beach’s registered voters, ten Haaf noted he and his family have lived on Anna Maria Island for 14 years and he’s preserved existing buildings in Anna Maria and Holmes Beach, including the 1920 building occupied by The Porch restaurant in Anna Maria.
The letter notes the Avenue E property was originally platted as six lots, and that a remnant of an old alley was inadvertently left in the middle of the property. The city-owned alley separates the three Gulf-front lots from the three lots closer to Avenue E.
– Ben ten Haaf | Submitted
“In 1959, by resolution, the alley to the north was vacated, leaving behind the 150-foot long dead end alley. Even though a survey prepared in 1988 shows the entire length of the alley was vacated by the city of Holmes Beach, research in 2024 by the same surveyor could not locate a resolution or legal document that included the small stretch of alley that remains in the middle of 2902 Avenue E,” ten Haaf’s letter says.
“Unfortunately, the alley remnant changes the way the lot can be developed. Approaching the area respectfully, attempting to avoid increasing density and intensity in the area, ideally the land would include two single-family homes. Vacating the remaining portion of the old alley will simply complete the steps taken in 1959 by the city of Holmes Beach,” the letter says.
“The property is able to be built upon in its current state with the alley splitting the three lots to the Gulf and three lots to Avenue E. We believe this configuration, with six lots, no longer fits the neighborhood and the density is not positive for the community. We believe two well-constructed homes on the property is the appropriate balance and we hope you do as well,” the letter says in closing.
During an Oct. 1 visit to the property, ten Haaf and MuniPlan owner and consultant Monica Simpson discussed the request to vacate.
Ten Haaf noted that a still-functional portion of the alley crosses over and runs perpendicular to 30th Street, a block or so north of his property.
“The only way to use the property right now is to build houses back here and houses up here,” ten Haaf said when pointing to the land on both sides of the indistinguishable sand alley that runs through his property.
“Because these are actual platted lots, there could be six houses there with the alley still in place, but that’s not what Ben wants to do,” Simpson added.
“What we want to do is split it right down the middle and just have two houses,” ten Haaf said, noting both houses would have a Gulf view and would likely be offered as vacation rentals.
He also noted the two-home development would be capped at eight bedrooms, with four bedrooms per home.
Regarding the request being made of Holmes Beach voters, ten Haaf said, “As it stands today, we can build six without any vote. By doing this, you’re going to get the lesser density. The density is going to go down. It’s zoned and platted for 24 bedrooms and we’re just asking to put up two houses.”
