State to review condo approval
BY TIMOTHY O'HARA
Citizen Staff
KEY
WEST — The Watermark condominium project cleared a major hurdle this
week with a 4-2 approval from the City Commission — but state regulators
who oversee growth management in the Keys say they have concerns about
the project.
A State Department of
Community Affairs planner read a letter at Tuesday night's meeting
outlining the agency's concerns about the Watermark project, a posh
25-unit condo complex with day spa and concierge at the site of the old
Jabour's motorcourt at the Key West Bight.
"The intent of [Historic
Residential Commercial Corridor District 1] indicates that the city
should apply specific formulas to avoid excessive intensity, to increase
waterfront exposure and reinforce the ambiance of the waterfront," DCA
Planner Rebecca Jetton wrote. The city's land-use plan "also requires
that in-fill development be consistent with the character and scale of
contributing buildings," she wrote.
Neighbors say the
building is too big and out of character with the neighborhood.
Developers say the buildings comply with city guidelines and fit in with
the old warehouses and other industrial buildings at the bight.
The project's
classification as residential is also ambiguous, DCA officials say. The
city calls it a residential project, but opponents of the project point
out that the condos, which go for $1.5 to $3 million, can be rented out
on a short-term basis. They call the project commercial. There is some
contradictory language in the city bylaws about what is commercial and
what is residential. City Planner Ty Symroski says hotels can be
considered residential.
The debate about whether
the project is residential or commercial is crucial to the argument
about floor area ratios complying with city regulations. Floor area
ratio is a measurement used by architects and planners to measure a
project's density. It compares the total building square footage with
the total site area.
Floor area ratios in the
zoning district where Watermark would be built can only be 1.0,
according to the comprehensive plan. Floor area ratios for the project
are 1.2, records show. However, city floor area ratio regulations have
never been applied to residential projects, Symroski said.
"The department agrees
there is some ambiguity between the [comprehensive] plan and the land
development regulations, however when there is a conflict, the
comprehensive plan controls," Jetton wrote. "The department has
encouraged the city to consider amending land development regulations
rather than approving variations from the requirements of the plan."
The letter came after
Jetton received several complaints about the project, she said.
"Our concern is that they
have not seen the updated plans and that they are only hearing one side
of the story," said Bobbi Holland, a spokesman for the development firm
Cortex Companies. "We are confident that we will resolve all of this on
our end."
The DCA has 45 days to
review the project and make recommendations or deny approval of the
project, Jetton said Wednesday. Because the Florida Keys are an area of
critical state concern, the state reviews all local land-use decisions.
tohara@keysnews.com |
