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Tag: Planning and Zoning Board

The Building Official outlined multiple items to be prioritized and addressed

Building official updates P&Z board on priorities

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – At the request of the Planning and Zoning Board, Building Official Bill Palmer updated the board on building depart­ment activities and outlined multiple items to be prioritized and addressed at a Nov. 5 meeting.

“There are important items that need to be addressed and there are a lot of them,” Palmer said.

Palmer said the city’s floodplain ordinance needs to be updated to the minimum required for compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

“Right now, we’re not even at the minimum compliance that we need to be with the NFIP. We had to do mini­mum updates that should have been done a year ago or two years ago,” he said. “The issue that we’re having now, and this comes into play when we talk about looking into our pools and impervious surfaces and stormwater mitigation and making changes, is that our governor pushed to have SB 180 and it prohibits governments from putting any more restrictions on regulations during the time period until October 2027. Anything we do, quite honestly, would be more restrictive and we’re not allowed to do that. Our hands are tied with a lot of things.”

SB 180 prohibits local governments from enacting restrictive regulations through comprehensive plans and land development regulations.

Palmer said the reason that is problematic for the city is because there is a major FEMA audit coming up in April 2026.

“That ordinance needed to be done in order for us to meet the minimum requirements,” Palmer said. “FEMA understands that the state’s throwing a wrench in this because we can’t make anything more restrictive, so we’re at a standstill with the floodplain ordinance.”

He said the city’s FEMA consultant is waiting to hear from the agency for guidance.

“Until Tallahassee makes changes or until the time runs out in 2027, then we’re allowed to do some of the things that have piled up, but we just can’t do them right now,” Mayor John Chappie said.

Another item that Palmer said needs to be addressed is that the city’s comprehensive plan needs to be updated by a June 16, 2026 deadline.

“The city’s comp plan needs to comply with certain regulations which we’re not doing right now,” Palmer said.

“A review of stormwater mitigation and practices – we have that on our list, but again we cannot make any changes,” he said.

Palmer said general amendments to the city’s Land Development Code (LDC) are also needed.

“Since I got here and have gotten up to speed, we’re finding that it really needs to be cleaned up a lot,” he said. “Definitions are missing, definitions need to be modified or tightened up. We’re finding that when somebody wants to develop something, we may have an idea what the intent of it is, but the verbiage isn’t there for us to enforce it.”

“For us to take on all these other projects that need to be done it’s going to be a lot of work, so they need to be prioritized,” Palmer said.

Since the beginning of 2025, the building department has issued 778 permits, an increase of 69% over the previous year, and has conducted approximately 1,800 inspections, according to Palmer.

“Right now, we’re dealing with approximately 10 major develop­ment projects all at different phases of submittal and that’s taking up a lot of time,” he said.

Palmer said some of those applica­tions are incomplete at this time. He said it may be months before the Planning and Zoning Board would consider a major development project.

According to Palmer, those poten­tial projects, which are at various phases from design to submittal, are:

  • 2000 Gulf Drive N. – new hotel;
  • 107 Eighth St. S. – pool and density;
  • 104 First St. N. – mixed use café/duplex;
  • 900 Gulf Drive N. – parking lot;
  • 306 Gulf Drive S. – variance setbacks;
  • 135 Bridge St. – tiki hut;
  • 100 Fourth St. S. – motel;
  • 206 Church Ave. – bed and breakfast;
  • 201 Second St. N. – new fire station; and
  • 103 Church Ave. – mixed use development.
Fences, visibility triangles, parking discussed

Fences, visibility triangles, parking discussed

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – The Planning and Zoning Board is reviewing city regula­tions pertaining to fences located in street corner intersection visibility triangles and driveway intersection visibility triangles.

City Planner Ashley Austin and Building Department General Man­ager Dean Jones are assisting with these efforts.

VISIBILITY TRIANGLES

Section 90-2 of the city’s existing code of ordinances establishes street corner visibility triangles with the following language: “On a corner lot there shall be no parking or loading spaces, structure or planting, includ­ing trees, but not to include tree trunks where the tree branches are higher than 7 feet above the surround­ing grade, which materially obstructs the vision of vehicular traffic within 20 feet of the two intersecting street right-of-way lines measured from the intersecting corner of the rights-of-way involved.”

Fences, visibility triangles, parking discussed
Anna Maria city code includes this visibility triangle illustration. – City of Anna Maria | Submitted

Section 114-423 of the city code specifically addresses walls and fences, and the planning board recommends adding a text amendment to that sec­tion of city code that would allow solid fences up to 3 feet high, or 50% open, or transparent, fences 3-6 feet high, in visibility triangles. Transparent and partially transparent fences included rope and bollards, picket fences and split-rail fences.

Fences, visibility triangles, parking discussed
This is one example of a partially transparent fence. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Regarding street corner plantings, city code says plant masses or structures below 3 feet in height, and structures or tree foliage, not includ­ing tree trunks, 8 feet in height are not considered obstructions.

Board member Dusty Crane said the combination of vehicles parked within 20 feet of the intersection, foliage and fences at the corner of North Bay and Poinsettia make it difficult to pull onto North Bay.

“We’ve had an issue with that before. We’ve had to put up some bollards to try to mitigate that,” Jones said, not­ing that additional ropes and bollards could be installed where needed.

PASS-THROUGH LOTS

The board discussed fence heights on some of the ‘pass-through lots’ located along North Bay Boulevard. Pass-through lots, also known as through lots, are non-corner lots in which a property’s front and rear lot lines both abut streets.

Fences, visibility triangles, parking discussed
Several pass-through lots exist between North Bay Boulevard and North Shore Drive. – Google Maps | Submitted

Between Bayfront Park and the Rod & Reel Pier, 10 pass-through lots abut both North Bay Boulevard and North Shore Drive. Some of those homes have front entrances and front yards facing North Bay and others face North Shore. Austin said pass-through lots are not prevalent in Anna Maria, but there are some others elsewhere in the city.

Fences, visibility triangles, parking discussed
Pass-through lots are allowed four-foot-high fences in their front and back yards. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Crane noted at least one pass-through lot fence along North Bay Boulevard appears to be 6 feet high and she asked if that’s allowed. Board member Doug Copeland noted that 6-foot-high fences are allowed in the back yards, but Austin said the height limit is 4 feet on both the front and back yards for pass-through lots. Austin said she would look into that matter.

DRIVEWAY INTERSECTIONS

The board reviewed the existing code that addresses driveway intersec­tions and says, “At the intersection of a driveway with a street right-of-way line, there shall be no structure or planting, including trees, which mate­rially obstructs the vision of vehicular traffic within 10 feet of the intersecting street right-of-way line and the driveway pavement edge measured from both intersecting corners of the right-of-way and driveway involved.

Similar to corner lot landscaping, the code also says, “For purposes of this section, planting masses or structures below 3 feet in height, and structures or tree foliage, not to include tree trunks, 8 feet in height are not considered obstructions.”

Jones, who recently returned as a city employee, acknowledged he hasn’t studied that section of the city code in a couple of years but he believes street-side parking is prohibited within 10 feet of a driveway, and that would be a code enforcement issue.

Copeland said visitors and residents need to be made aware of the 10-foot parking prohibition because most people who visit Anna Maria don’t know about it. Jones said there are already approximately 798 signs in Anna Maria and the city doesn’t want to significantly increase that number by erecting additional signs that address the 10-foot parking rule. Jones said a sign could be placed at the entrance to the city and Copeland suggested ropes and bollards as a potential alternative to more signs.

Fences, visibility triangles, parking discussed
Parked vehicles, fences and foliage can impact intersection visibility. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

When the discussion ended, Austin said she would incorporate the board’s fence height and transpar­ency suggestions in a proposed text amendment to be discussed at the board’s June 26 meeting.

P&Z unanimously recommends approval of hotel project

P&Z recommends approval of hotel project

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – It’s all in the hands of city commission­ers now.

Following a unanimous recom­mendation for approval from the city Planning and Zoning Board, the future of a 106-room hotel/restaurant/retail project on Bridge Street and Gulf Drive will be decided by the city commis­sion.

The application for the yet-unnamed Bridge Street hotel project includes the hotel, a 60-seat restaurant, 2,485 square feet of retail and 99 on-site parking spaces. Property owners Shawn Kaleta, a local developer, and Jacob Spooner, business owner and Bradenton Beach city commissioner, made the applica­tion on Dec. 2, 2022.

After a 6.5-hour public hearing on Nov. 13, P&Z board members John Burns, Fred Bartizal, Ken McDonough, Dan Morhaus and Bill Morrow voted in favor of two separate motions, with conditions attached to their approval. One motion approved the establish­ment of a Planned Development Overlay District in the C-1 and C-2 district and the second approved the Major Development Plan Application.

The following conditions were recommended for both motions:

  • City commission approval of the major development plan/site plan accompanying the application;
  • Development of the property shall be consistent with the major develop­ment plan;
  • Consensus by the commission that the use of the hotel top deck is limited to hotel staff and guests and will not offer food or beverage service;
  • Consensus by the commission that live entertainment, food and beverages would only be allowed or permitted through a special event permit, approved by the city commission;
  • Guest drop-off, check-in and check-out shall be accommodated within the first level of the parking garage;
  • Applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the building official that the loading area can accommodate deliveries from a semi-trailer in order to receive a building permit;
  • Applicant cannot use any parking spaces wholly or partially on public rights of way to meet parking require­ments;
  • To the extent that the applicant cannot accommodate or seeks to reduce the number of parking spaces, the applicant shall use the special use permit process;
  • The applicant shall provide landscap­ing and physical barriers to the existing landscape easement along Gulf Drive.

City staff had also recommended that the hotel be furnished with blackout cur­tains and educational materials about the protection of sea turtles and prevention of lighting from rooms facing the beach and that the applicants provide an easement for access to the trash receptacles at Daiquiri Deck at 107 Bridge St.

Density vs. Floor area ratio

A disagreement between land use experts on allowable criteria – density versus floor area ratio – for the hotel was put to rest from the city’s perspective by City Planner Luis Serna.

Misty Servia, former Manatee County commissioner and a certified land use planner with 34 years of experience, said on Nov. 1 that the city’s comprehensive plan limits hotel density to just 18 units per acre.

Servia read from the City’s Comprehen­sive Plan.

“This policy states that hotel/motel/transient units are limited to 18 units per gross acre,” Servia said. “That’s very important because that’s also transcribed in your zoning and Land Development Code. The Comp Plan cannot be modified with the PUD zoning, and your comp plan limits the density to 18 hotel units per acre.”

The proposed 106-room project on 1.61 acres is clearly inconsistent with the comprehensive plan, she said.

“The number of units should be decreased to 28 hotel rooms,” Servia said.

Susan Swift, AICE certified planner, representing the project applicants, disputed Servia’s claim that 18 units per acre applies to hotels.

“That density is meant for residential,” Swift said. “We don’t use units per acre, we use Floor Area Ratio for commercial use.”

Serna said that because the hotel is commercial, the floor area ratio standard applies.

“It is my opinion that the application as proposed is within the PD (planned development) guidelines of the code and the comp plan specifically with regard to density,” Serna said. “As a PD, they can request more density.”

Serna noted the city has taken that position with other planned developments approved recently.

“There’s language in the comp plan that states a hotel is commercial and therefore is subject to floor area ratio rather than density,” Serna said. “Based on that, it’s our opinion they can proceed with the requested density as part of the PD.”

Morhaus questioned the guidelines in the comprehensive plan that allow for just 18 units per acre.

“They can vary setbacks as part of a planned development and density is part of that,” Serna said. “They amend or present their own standards of develop­ment and that’s what the PD drawings are for. It’ll be to approve this specific plan of development. That’s within the bounds of the comp plan and the code.”

Applicant rebuttal

The applicants were represented by Bradenton land use attorney Stephen Thompson of the Najmy-Thompson law firm, architect Shaun Luttrell, traffic engineer Jay Calhoun and Swift.

Luttrell presented a Nov. 9 memo­randum summarizing the applicant’s response to planning and zoning concerns and questions from the Nov. 1 meeting.

In that memorandum, Luttrell proposed that 17 parking spaces along Third Street be counted toward the off-street parking tabulation, offered free public parking in nine of the 17 parking spots with direct access from Third Street and offered that the applicant open the hotel parking lot to the public as paid valet parking.

In the parking tabulation, there were 140 parking spaces required for the hotel, open-air restaurant, putt-putt golf and retail. Applicants requested a 29.1% parking exception, lowering the number of provided spots to 99. Luttrell also said that in an attempt to limit the number of hotel guests with cars, a credit voucher toward local retail will be provided to those who use rideshare services or taxi to and from the airport.

Board members expressed concerns about parking, particularly the use of public spaces on Third Street and hotel check-in spaces on Bridge Street, noise from the rooftop deck, traffic and delivery and garbage truck clearances.

A public hearing in front of the city commission on the hotel project is scheduled on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Katie Pierola Commission Chambers, 107 Gulf Drive.

Related coverage:
Commissioners review hotel project

Bridge Street hotel prompts public opposition