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Mayor seeks special meeting
BY TRAVIS
JAMES TRITTEN
Citizen Staff
Writer
County Mayor
Murray Nelson was fighting what appeared to be a losing battle this week
to reassert his vision of a limited ban on development in the county's
native hammocks and pinelands.
The fight is
not over. On Friday, Nelson was planning to call a last-minute special
county commission meeting that likely will be his last chance to
recapture support before a final vote on the ban May 19.
The building
ban is the keystone in a conservation deal that Nelson crafted and
helped negotiate with the state Department of Community Affairs in
January. The deal will allow construction of hundreds of new homes and
expedite the public purchase of $93 million worth of sensitive natural
lands.
But fellow
commissioners are having trouble seeing Nelson's moratorium vision.
While Nelson was absent last week, Commissioner George Neugent led the
commission in a unanimous vote to greatly expand the ban to cover nearly
all undisturbed natural lands in the county.
"I spent nine
days of my life negotiating this deal and he wouldn't put off this vote
until I was there," Nelson said, referring to Neugent. "I would say that
is inconsiderate at the very least."
The moratorium
version favored by Nelson would halt development for one year on parcels
2 acres or more of the county's most pristine lands, an area designated
Conservation and Natural Areas.
The proposed
ban is meant to give the county more time to create laws that
permanently protect threatened hammocks and uplands.
At least three
commissioners, including Neugent, said this week that an expanded ban
covering all hammock and uplands of 1 acre or larger would be a better
choice. Commissioner Charles "Sonny" McCoy was not available for comment
this week, according to his office.
"I am in no
way going to flip my vote because I think it is the right thing and I
don't think there are going to be negative affects," Neugent said.
On Tuesday,
Nelson sent a letter to local hospitals, utilities and community groups
stating the commission's new direction could endanger the construction
of much-needed workforce housing in the county and further drive up real
estate costs, among other problems.
"My major
concern on this issue is the taxpayers of Monroe County and the working
families will be negatively affected by this," Nelson said.
The county
could be responsible for the purchase of lands within the expanded
moratorium, according to Nelson, which could be more than the county
purse can handle.
"There is a
huge amount of land that is going to be added to this Conservation and
Natural Area," he said. "If we protect every lot, where are we going to
get dollars to do that?"
Nelson also
said there is scientific data to back up claims that there are no
natural lands smaller than 2 acres that have significant habitat, so a
1-acre moratorium is not necessary.
Commissioner
Dixie Spehar, who often votes as a block with Nelson and McCoy, said
only the 1-acre ban can be drawn with existing county maps, and that she
will not support any 2-acre moratorium that is not clearly mapped
beforehand.
"I am not
going to approve a moratorium on a person's land unless I can tell them
whether they are in or out," Spehar said.
She said it is
unlikely that the county staff could create 2-acre moratorium maps
before the final moratorium vote this month.
Commissioner
David Rice said he doesn't share Nelson's concerns and does not see a
reason for shifting the county decision to expand the ban.
"I frankly
don't agree with him on those issues," Rice said. "There may be other
things I haven't heard yet and I will certainly listen to them."
The political
debate may be healthy for the county though, he said.
"I think this
whole process ... is designed to do exactly what we are trying to do,
which is craft the best decision that we can," Rice said.
No firm date
for the special commission meeting was available Friday, though it must
be scheduled within the next two weeks.
Nelson said
the meeting will be open to the public, but the commission will not take
public comments.
DIFFERING
VIEWS
A political
battle is erupting over a planned county ban on development in hammocks
and uplands for one year. Monroe County commissioners voted last week to
expand a proposed moratorium and County Mayor Murray Nelson has been
casting dire warnings over the changes. A final vote on the measure will
be taken May 19.
Nelson
says:
* Not
considering paved residential roads as boundaries will allow challenges
to every permit issued in Monroe County using the argument that a lot is
contiguous with other lots, thereby meeting the 1-acre size requirement.
* There is no
reason to have a moratorium on Tier II and Tier III lots and lands
because that is where the county wants development to occur.
* Working
families will be delayed by one to two years in building homes on any
wooded lot — lots they have owned and paid taxes on for years.
* A county
plan to build 100 homes in one year for workforce housing will be
derailed. The county may not be able to move forward on workforce
housing projects on any land that contains low-quality hammocks.
* Further
land-taking legal claims could result.
* Local
property owners could be alienated and angered, creating additional
mistrust of county government.
* The county
changes will be construed as pandering to special interest groups with
an agenda to stop workforce housing and market-rate permits for local
working families.
* Rapidly
rising real estate values will diminish the ability of the state and
county to buy existing environmentally sensitive lands and land for
workforce housing.
Commissioner George Neugent says:
* Tier maps
were never discussed — and this moratorium will only affect the
properties within the Conservation and Natural Area and parcels of 1
acre or more outside of the CAN.
* There is a
pipeline of more than a year's worth of building permits that is
grandfathered.
* No one,
including working families, will be affected during the 12-month period.
* There are no
public facilities, that are presently proposed, that will be affected.
* County
policy already adds negative points to properties in these areas that
make it very difficult to build. And county policy does not allow
permitting of affordable housing in this designation.
* Mistrust is
created by those who disseminate misinformation and/or confusing and
inaccurate information.
* Four
commissioners, who I assume did their homework, voted in support of this
amendment for the positive things it accomplishes.
ttritten@keysnews.com |
