PALMETTO – Over 30 citizens residing in the Riviera Dunes area attended the Palmetto City Commission meeting Monday night to voice concerns over a new addition to Manatee School of the Arts located on Haben Boulevard. The main area of opposition was the parking situation during afterschool pick-up which residents feared would expand with the estimated 300 additional students. There were many apprehensions to supporting a go-cart track that would serve an outdoor testing facility for a new physics program where students learn to modify the engines as part of the curriculum.
”Personally I don’t want this literally in my backyard,“ said home-owner Carlene Johnson. ”We’ll have to listen to construction for years as this project progresses, and then with the go-karts – that just adds salt to the wound.“
The PCC approved the first two agenda items which would rezone the site to unify the various properties acquired by MSA over the years into a single zoning district. This would allow the project to get started, but they postponed the other two agenda items until the next regular meeting on March 21, 2011. The city attorney will revise the items to include stipulations to ease residential tensions.
The school was hoping to be approved last night to get the process started so new facilities would be open prior to the start of the 2012 school year. The city staff recommended approval with the following stipulations; a landscape buffer on the south side of the property adjacent to the Riviera Dune Hammock neighborhood, more parking to stop afternoon blockage, and a rule that the cart track may be utilized only during daylight hours with no more than one cart on the track at a time. The staff and applicant would work to establish reasonable noise guidelines that could be enforced by the Palmetto Police Department.
Robert Wilson, president of the home owners association at Riviera Dunes, asked the Board to change the hours to 8 – 5 p.m. instead of sundown and requested that the arena lights on the school track are turned off at night unless there is a school function.
At the time of the Planning and Zoning Board public hearing some issues, like the parking, remained unresolved so staff recommended that during construction plan review the applicant provide a traffic study to demonstrate that there is adequate stacking of vehicles dropping off and picking up students. The traffic study should also address any additional improvements to existing access points including entrance lanes into the project and left and right turn lanes onto Haben Boulevard.
”The biggest problem to the homes at Riviera Dunes is the parents parking at our entrance while waiting for their children,“ said Wilson. ”There are times when residents are blocked from getting in or out of the subdivision.“
The PPD is close to going out and writing citations for parents not complying with parking regulation. Rick Wells, chief of the PPD criticized the school for not providing a solution to the problem.
”We’ve already had discussions about the parking situation,“ said Wells. ”The problem has to be taken care of and it has to be taken care of immediately.“
Although the entire expansion didn’t get approved, advocates of the MSA program were optimistic.
”I am confident that we can meet the concerns of the neighbors and get this approved,“ said Fredrick Hillier, the teacher who molded the curriculum after the book the Physics of Nascar. ”Even if it is a temporary approval with a probation periods, we are willing to take the risk because we know we can compromise and meet the needs of both parties.“
Board Action:
1. PUBLIC HEARING ORDINANCE NO 200141 (Approved 4-1 with 1 member abstaining)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PALMETTO FLORIDA PROVIDING FOR FINDINGS OF FACT ANNEXING APPROXIMATELY 1.043 ACRES OF REAL PROPERTY INTO THE CITY OF PALMETTO GENERALLY LOCATED AT 735 15T AVENUE DRIVE EAST PALMETTO PROVIDING FOR AMENDMENT OF CITY BOUNDARIES PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE
2. PUBLIC HEARING ORDINANCE NO 200151 (Approved 4-1 with 1 member abstaining)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION FOR THE CITY OF PALMETTO FLORIDA AMENDING THE CITY OF PALMETTO COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ADOPTING AN AMENDMENT TO THE FUTURE LAND USE MAP FOR AN AREA OF APPROXIMATELY1.043 ACRES GENERALLY LOCATED AT 735 15T STREET EAST REDESIGNATING CERTAIN LANDS FROM COUNTY R6ES RESIDENTIAL 6 UNITS PER ACRE TO CITY PC PLANNED COMMUNITY PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE
3. PUBLIC HEARING ORDINANCE NO 200161 TAB 12 (Postponed until March 21, 2011)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF PALMETTO FLORIDA PROVIDING FOR FINDINGS OF FACT APPROVING AND AMENDING THE ZONING TO THE PLANNED DEVELOPMENT MIXED USEPMDUZONING DISTRICT FOR APPROXIMATELY 21.58 ACRES OF PROPERTY GENERALLY LOCATED AT 600 700 AND 822 HABEN BOULEVARD AND 735 1ST AVENUE DRIVE EAST PALMETTO PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE
1. PUBLIC HEARING ORDINANCE NO 20017 TAB 13 (Postponed until March 21, 2011)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF PALMETTO FLORIDA PROVIDING FOR FINDINGS OF FACT AMENDING ORDINANCE 90N8906TO APPROVE AN AMENDED GENERAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR A MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL WITH A MAXIMUM OF 1650 STUDENT STATIONS AND AN EDUCATION RELATED KGAROT FACILITY FOR THE PROPERTIES GENERALLY LOCATED AT 600 700 AND 822 HABEN BOULEVARD AND 735 1ST AVENUE DRIVE EAST PALMETTO AND LOCATED IN THE PMDU PLANNED DEVELOPMENT MIXED USE ZONING DISTRICT PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF ORDINANCES IN CONFLICT PROVIDING FOR
SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE
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