Big Step Taken to Reducing Density Along Old Cutler Road & Protecting Pine Rocklands

Monday, March 19, 2018, was a very positive day for Palmetto Bay and for everyone who values preservation of endangered lands, properly controlling development and seeing less, not more density along Old Cutler Road.

Flinn, Singer and Siegel Lara voted to cap the unit count to NO GREATER than 389 units.  Voting on the prior ordinance put an open ended number at risk: an absurd risk of 680 units! 400 vested units on the main site, with an open fight over the development rights of the pine rocklands – the property owners testifying that they had an arguable right to an additional 280 units for a total of 680, far greater than 485.

It is unfortunate that this was not a unanimous action. The Vice Mayor and one council member don’t want resolution, but want instead to place our village at risk for uncontrolled development along Old Cutler Road by repealing the traffic safeguards put in place on May 2, 2016.

Three out of five Village Council members are committed to working together to make this happen for the good of our community:

I applaud the efforts of Council Member David Singer who brought forth an amendment to the Vice Mayor’s Ordinance (the latter, which, by the way, does NOT deny any development – under the Vice Mayor’s repeal ordinance, 400 units –300/100 — remain as a matter of right with the fight moving back to the potential for unfettered development of the pine rocklands, which staff and attorneys have consistently opined was developable). Council Member David Singer’s amendment to that ordinance are based upon actual evidence; a traffic analysis that was completed and provided to the Village on March 15, 2018 – but which requires the traffic controls found only in the 2016 ordinance that the Vice Mayor seeks to repeal in its entirety.

I am proud to have voted with Councilman Singer and Councilwoman Siegel Lara to protect 22 acres of pine rockland from development right along Old Cutler Road and lower the cap of development down to 389 units – a number less than the 400 units, plus a hotel, plus probable development on the pineland that the Vice Mayor’s Ordinance would have allowed.

Why would the Vice Mayor and another council member vote against reducing traffic along Old Cutler Road,  Why would they vote for more development, to put 22 acres of valuable pine rockland back on the development block – a vote that risked an absurd possibility of a total of 680 units on Old Cutler Road. This was a time for reasonableness and evidence, not emotion and politics.  It is undisputed that the Palmetto Bay Village Center owners have vested rights to 400 units on their main property, plus rights to development on the sensitive Rock Pineland. The ordinance passed on first reading caps all development at 389 and could go lower – and protects the Pine Rocklands.

Political ambitions nearly costs us!

TRANSPARENCY:

Transparency is not the enemy of staying current as information and/or evidence develops. Facts and evidence often changes between the time an item is placed on an agenda and action is actually taken at the meeting. To argue against any modifications, actions taken at the meetings, would restrict all votes to a simply “yes” or “no” on an item as it was placed on the agenda, irrespective of the testimony by residents or experts at a hearing.

Transparency is how you handle an item to conclusion.  Councilwoman Larissa Siegel Lara, Councilman David Singer and I agreed that the Singer amended ordinance shall not reach final vote without at least two (2) public hearings (not including Monday, 3/19) and the final vote will take place on the same date as the zoning hearing on any site plan application made by the Palmetto Bay Village Center.

The amendment to the Ordinance protected the village from the harm that may have occurred had the original Ordinance been approved.

This is a great day for Palmetto Bay and for everyone who values preservation of endangered lands. We have a park and protections from rampant development along Old Cutler Road.

More to come …