|
Monroe County Commission
ignores community input
Beginning in 2000, Monroe
County started gathering the community-image views of residents between
Mile Markers 91 and 97 as part of the "Livable CommuniKeys Program" or
LCP.
The introduction to the
LCP Master Plan states, "The Livable CommuniKeys Program is a
community-driven planning effort to address the very specific needs of
unique island communities within the Florida Keys. The overall goal is
to determine the appropriate amount, type and location of additional
development within the LCP planning area."
After four years and
countless hours of community-consensus building, the LCP process is
boiling down to a battle between Greed and Self-Determination.
This community determined
to limit new commercial development to 2,500 feet per structure, without
limitations on existing commercial development, and to limit housing to
no more than four units per structure, without limiting the number of
units per acre. In addition, we wished to be known as a rural community
and to protect historic resources. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)
refused all of these reasonable and legal requests, saying that we
should be happy having attained all but four of our goals. But these
four items are the vital organs of our effort and we will fight for
them.
Because there are
financially successful duplexes and single family homes — even in the
"Affordable Housing" category — and many thriving businesses that are
smaller than 2,500 square feet in Monroe County, it appears that the
BOCC has concluded that some unspecified interests of large-scale
developers are more important than the very specific goals of their
constituents. Their objections to our harmless "rural" and "historic"
goals are baffling.
Note that the Planning
Commission has supported the community twice on this matter.
It is disappointing that
we need to circulate the following petition to demonstrate to the BOCC
the depth of support for these principles.
|
We, the undersigned
members of Unincorporated Monroe County believe:
1) That, within the
limits of the law, the members of each Keys community have the right
to define their community character, the density of housing, the
scale of new commercial development and to protect historic
resources within their respective communities.
2) That the Monroe
County Board of County Commissioners should reverse their November
17, 2004 (Agenda Item T-4) position regarding these community-driven
goals and that the Department of Community Affairs should postpone
their endorsement of the changes to MM 91-97 Master Plan until after
the BOCC has reconsidered the issue.
If you live in
unincorporated Monroe County, you may wish to join your neighbors by
copying, signing and mailing these two statements to the Tavernier
Community Association, P.O. Box 72, Tavernier, FL, or fax to (305)
852-6158. Be sure to include your 1) signature, 2) printed name, 3)
address, and 4) Mile Marker. |
The matter will be heard
again at the February Key Largo BOCC meeting.
John Hammerstrom
Tavernier |
