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Tag: Grassy Point Preserve

City inherits 93-year-old cottage

City inherits 93-year-old cottage

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Featured, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – An old cottage will soon find a new home at Grassy Point Preserve.

The cottage, currently located at 109 48th St., is planned to be moved to one of the two vacant lots the city owns adjacent to Grassy Point Preserve. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the city’s Public Works Department has budgeted $100,000 to move and temporarily place the structure.

City Planner Chad Minor said there is a lot of site work to be done at the location where the cottage will be moved, work that could take a year or two to fully complete before the cottage can be opened to the public. The first step, he said, is to get the cottage moved to its new location, secured and weatherproofed to prevent it from being demolished and allow for the city to continue working on the site.

Minor said his vision for the property is to make it a cultural center in conjunction with the Anna Maria Island Historical Society with a Florida-friendly garden and parking for Grassy Point. Commissioner Carol Soustek said she’d spoken with the Anna Maria Island Art League, which would like to use the cottage for art classes.

“There are a myriad of uses for that property,” she said.

Minor said the cottage has been in the Dupps family since it was built in 1931 and while the family wants to see it preserved, they’ve outgrown the structure and want to rebuild on their lot. Currently, the city is investigating moving the cottage in October.

Minor said a geotechnical study needs to be done to determine what kind of foundation needs to be built since the house isn’t a designated historical structure and therefore needs to meet FEMA standards. He added that he’s already spoken to Florida Power & Light along with the house movers and said it should be an easy move with the home placed on a temporary foundation until a full foundation can be engineered and built. Two line drops and a few trimmed tree branches should be all that’s needed to clear the way, he said.

Minor’s hoping to bring a more formal presentation on the cottage, the move and the potential future uses for it at an upcoming commission work session with the help of some members of the community.

“People are really excited about it,” he said.

Grassy Point Preserve gallery

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Photo Galleries.

Grassy Point Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun

Grassy Point Preserve - Cindy Lane | Sun

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Grassy Point Preserve in Holmes Beach offers mangrove tunnels on the bay side of Anna Maria Island on the Intracoastal Waterway and nearly 35 acres to explore on land, some of it accessible by boardwalk.

You may see roseate spoonbills (often mistaken for flamingos), roosting pelicans and white ibis, or even one of Florida’s threatened manatees.

Turn east at Gulf Drive and 30th Street, then north on Avenue C.

Grassy Point expansion plans stall

Grassy Point expansion plans stall

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Commissioners are concerned about what a potential donation of 26 acres to Grassy Point Preserve in exchange for road access along a city-owned right of way might mean for a 28th Street neighborhood.

The property is controlled by Nora Scholan who inherited the property and is executor of the will governing it. During a June meeting, she appeared before commissioners to offer the 26 acres to the city in exchange for access along a city right of way to buildable lots located off of 28th Street that otherwise would have no direct access to a street. While commissioners were at first enthusiastic about the trade, they now want to know exactly what they would be allowing to happen in that residential neighborhood before they sign on the dotted line, particularly what buildable lots would be opened up for development and how the surrounding mangroves and sea grapes would be affected.

City Engineer Lynn Burnett spoke to commissioners during a July 23 work session to give them a brief update on the project. She said that she had met with ecological professionals, walked the upland areas and was working on concept plans to be presented to commissioners in August for how the lower areas could be protected from flooding which she said could also have a positive impact for surrounding residences. She added that there was the potential to put in barriers that would be nearly invisible and minimally invasive in the area to hold back king tides and other high water events.

Burnett said the due diligence period for the land acquisition had been extended by 120 days to allow for more research. She said that she would have more information for commissioners when they reconvene Aug. 27.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said that she visited the site and saw the upland areas. After the visit, she said she wants a better idea of what the city is giving up and what the impact on the environment and surrounding homes would be if the city agrees to the deal.

If city leaders do agree, in exchange for the property, the city will create and finance the building of a road along city right of way to give access to the buildable lots that would still be owned by the Hames family and available for the building of residential properties or sale to new owners for development. The size and number of lots that would have access along the road are expected to be discussed at a future meeting.

Related coverage

Progress made on park improvements

No plans made for future Grassy Point development

No plans made for future Grassy Point development

No plans made for future Grassy Point development

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – There may be some improvements coming to Grassy Point Preserve in the future, but city commissioners want to weigh all of their options before making any decisions.

City Engineer Lynn Burnett appeared before commissioners at an April 10 work session to present an update on the passive park. She said that a survey of the city’s property and surrounding area is complete along with topographical elevations. With a normal high tide, she said the area of Grassy Point closest to the water remains relatively dry, however during king tides and other abnormally high tide events, the area floods. In her suggestions for the future development of the site, Burnett said a passive walkway, a raised boardwalk and building berms with culverts underneath and WaStop valves to combat sea level rise may all be good options for consideration.

“It’s a beautiful asset,” she said of the park.

Burnett is planning to present renderings of possible additions to the current park pathways to the city’s Parks and Beautification Committee during their Wednesday, May 1 meeting to get feedback before presenting the sketches to commissioners.

Commissioner Carol Soustek said she’s happy to know what property, submerged and otherwise, the city owns, however on second thought and after getting feedback from some residents, she’s unsure that a raised boardwalk or kayak launch are good options for Grassy Point.

With the renderings being presented at the commission’s first May work session, which is not yet scheduled, she recommended that any residents with suggestions or concerns email city hall or bring them before commissioners at that meeting.

Another topic for commission discussion is the nearly 30 unbuildable lots surrounding the city’s Grassy Point property. Attorney Patricia Petruff said the lots were declared wetlands and unbuildable by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection nearly 25 years ago, lowering the assessed value of each lot to somewhere around $500. Soustek suggested the city look into purchasing as many of the lots as possible to incorporate into Grassy Point as conservation lands.

Commissioner Kim Rash took the suggestion a step further, suggesting the city offer some sort of tax incentive to have people donate the land to Holmes Beach since it is considered unbuildable.

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Grassy Point Preserve gallery