BRADENTON BEACH – The Bradenton Beach Planning and Zoning Board (P&Z) has completed its preliminary review of several proposed future land use and/or zoning map revisions.
The revisions could potentially increase or decrease the value of specific properties depending on whether they increase, maintain or decrease the current allowed uses for those specific properties.
Requested and suggested by Building Official Steve Gilbert and City Planner Luis Serna, the map revision process is being undertaken to correct numerous map inconsistencies that exist throughout the city.
The P&Z review and recommendation process took place during four recent P&Z meetings, the last of which was on Wednesday, June 16. The staff- and P&Z-recommended map revisions will be compiled and formatted for future presentation to the city commission members, who will ultimately make all final decisions regarding any map revisions.
Potentially impacted property owners will be notified before any public hearings are scheduled and any final map revision decisions are made. The yet-to-be-scheduled public hearings will allow property owners and others to address P&Z members and city commission members before any proposed map revisions are finalized.
Recommended revisions
On June 16, the P&Z members supported the staff’s recommendation to create a new C-3 (Water Dependent Commercial) zoning designation and apply that designation to the Bradenton Beach Marina property. This proposed action would make the zoning designation consistent with the newly-created Water Dependent Commercial future land use designation.
Board member Fred Bartizal asked if marina owner Mike Bazzy is aware of the proposed zoning designation. Gilbert said he was, and he may have some concerns to share with the city commission at a later date.
City staff and P&Z members recommend the city-owned parking lot next to the Public Works Department building be rezoned from R-3 (Multi-Family Dwelling) to Public/Semi-Public.
The P&Z members recommend rezoning the waterfront residential properties along the east side of Bay Drive North, between Second Street North and the marina, from R-3 to R-2 (Two-Family Dwelling), and to change the future land use designation to medium density. The stretch of residential properties includes two large vacation rental homes currently being built at the south end of the street.
Staff and the P&Z members recommend rezoning several residential structures along Gulf Drive South, between Fourth Street South and Bridge Street, from the existing C-2 (General Commercial) to R-3 (Multi-Family Dwelling), with a high-density residential future land use designation.
Those potentially-impacted properties include a four-unit vacation rental structure owned by Wendy and George Kokolis, John Metz’s beachfront home – half of which is used as a vacation rental, the Linger Longer resort formerly owned by the late Bradenton Beach Mayor Bill Shearon, Capris Condos and The Sandcastle Beach Resort.
Gilbert said that despite the current commercial zoning designation, all of those properties have been used for residential purposes for many years now, including those used as vacation rentals or resorts. There are currently no commercial operations such as retail shops or restaurants along that side of the street on that stretch of Gulf Drive South.
Staff and the P&Z members recommend removing any existing zoning and future land use designations from the city-owned rights of way between the eastern edge of Bay Drive South and Sarasota Bay. Gilbert said no other city streets or rights of way within the city have zoning or future land use designations.
Gilbert said removing the existing E-1 (Preservation) zoning designation from that stretch of land and/or submerged land between Third and Fifth streets south would not impact the property privately deeded to the Old Bridge Village condominiums. He also said it would not impact the continued use of any existing docks along Bay Drive South, or the future construction of new docks in that area.
The recommended map revisions will now be summarized in a new document to be presented to the city commission and the public for preliminary review before any public hearings are scheduled.
