A Publication of the Pinellas Planning Council
SPRING 2007
In This Issue...
• PPC Helps St. Petersburg Achieve Vision • Latest News for Pinellas by Design • Council Membership Changes • Meet This Year’s Officers • Consistency Efforts Updated
PPC Helps St. Petersburg Achieve Vision
The Council hears a presentation by St. Petersburg staff members Rick MacAulay and Bob Jeffrey. Between March and May 2007, the PPC and Countywide Planning Authority (CPA) approved an ambitious series of Countywide Plan Map amendments by the City of St. Petersburg. The changes, which aff ected approximately 10,350 acres and 47,600 parcels, are intended to implement a six-year citywide visioning effort known as Vision 2020.
PPC staff worked with city staff for more than a year, providing technical review and feedback. City representatives made presentations to the Council and the Planners Advisory Committee in the spring of 2006 to introduce the proposed changes. In addition, city staff provided input into a Countywide Rule amendment that created four new future land use categories, three of which were to be used by the city, and which are designed to allow local governments flexibility in planning for redevelopment through special area plans.
The Vision 2020 effort was undertaken in parallel with Pinellas by Design, the five-year countywide planning initiative spearheaded by the PPC and Pinellas Economic Development Department. The two plans embody many of the same core principles, such as creating a vibrant network of centers, corridors, neighborhoods, and districts; protecting and enhancing established neighborhoods; and improving the desirability of the community to residents, workers, businesses, and visitors. The PPC created the new “planned redevelopment” Countywide Plan Map categories as part of the implementation of the Pinellas by Design plan, and St. Petersburg is the first local government to apply them.
Every effort was made to ensure that citizens were notified of the proposed amendments. In accordance with the public notification requirements of the Special Act that created the PPC, prior to the meetings, PPC staff mailed out approximately 47,600 notices explaining the process to affected property owners. PPC and city staff were available to answer follow-up questions by phone and email. Information was posted on the PPC web site, and a dedicated web page was created by the city. In addition, during both PPC meetings, St. Petersburg staff set up computer kiosks in an adjacent room, from which they were able to pull up information about specific properties in response to citizen inquiries.
Approval of the amendments carried a number of conditions. The city is required to prepare a separate plan for providing workforce housing, bring any future amendments to the Vision 2020 special area plan back to the PPC and CPA for approval, and in five years, submit an assessment of how well the effort has met its goals.
St. Petersburg plans to implement the amendments through a proposed set of land development regulations, to be adopted later this year. The regulations are designed to recognize and preserve the unique characteristics of historic neighborhoods and districts, which tend to be more densely developed and pedestrian-friendly than their modern counterparts, and to require increased attention to architectural design, pedestrian connectivity, and mixed uses.
Latest News for Pinellas by Design
Work is progressing on the implementation of Pinellas by Design: An Economic Development and Redevelopment Plan for the Pinellas Community,which was approved in 2005 after a five-year outreach and education effort that included local governments, the development community, and the public. Twenty-three local governments passed resolutions in support of the plan, which is designed so that each community will be able to define its future vision within a shared planning framework. Implementation of the goals, strategies, and actions outlined in the plan was begun last year, and these efforts continue.
To implement the planned redevelopment objectives outlined in the plan, in June 2006, the PPC added four new flexible redevelopment-oriented categories to the Countywide Future Land Use Plan and Rules. The City of St. Petersburg has been the first to amend its own future land use map to include the categories, and has applied them to approximately 10,350 acres. Other communities have expressed interest in exploring the new options.
A detailed study of the supply and demand of industrial land in Pinellas County was begun last year (see PPC News, Fall 2006), and is nearing completion. During the course of the study, approximately 2,000 businesses in targeted industry clusters were surveyed about their use of, and need for, industrial-designated land and other types of real estate. This feedback was combined with an analysis of the existing land supply using geographic information system (GIS) technology. The final report is anticipated this summer, and will recommend a long-term strategy for ensuring a supply of appropriately located, economically viable real estate that can accommodate high-wage primary employers.
In January 2007, the PPC approved a proposed amendment to the Countywide Rules regarding temporary lodging units (see PPC News, Fall 2006) and transmitted it to the Countywide Planning Authority (CPA) for their consideration. The amendment would allow temporary lodging densities in some future land use categories to be increased if certain conditions are met. The changes were crafted in order to help hotel and motel uses, which are vital to support the local tourism economy, remain economically competitive with high-end residential condominium redevelopment. The CPA has agreed to proceed to a public hearing on the amendments, following the conclusion of a special state legislative session regarding property taxes in June.
Finally, planning has begun for a redevelopment and economic development summit to be held in the fall of this year. Building on the success of the three-part summit series that led to the creation of the plan, this event will focus on the practical aspects of applying the Pinellas by Design planning framework to achieve high-quality planned redevelopment at the local government level. More details about the summit will be announced in the coming months.
Information about Pinellas by Design, including the history of the effort, a downloadable copy of the plan, a discussion of local redevelopment opportunities, and other resources, can be found at www.PinellasByDesign.org.
COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP CHANGES
Vice-Mayor John Doran
New Member
City of ClearwaterVice-Mayor Doran was elected to the Clearwater City Council in March 2005. He has a bachelor's degree in accounting, a master's in business administration, and a juris doctorate, all from Indiana University. He served in the U.S. Army from 1968-1970. He is a member of the Pinellas Homeless Planning Policy Group. He has been a restaurant developer and college bar owner in Indiana, and currently serves clients as an attorney, CPA, and Realtor, with an office in downtown Clearwater. He is a Hoosier by birth, a Floridian by choice, and a Clearwater beach resident since 1983.
Mayor Jim Ronecker
New Member
City of OldsmarMayor Ronecker was elected to the City Council in 2003 and became mayor in 2007. He was born in New York, and has lived in Oldsmar for ten years. He graduated from Countryside High School and St. Petersburg Junior College. He has served on the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the Agency on Bay Management, and he was chairman of the Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is the owner of a printing business in Oldsmar, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Printing Association of Florida.
Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton
Departing Member
City of ClearwaterCouncilmember Hamilton was, until recently, a lifelong Clearwater resident. Elected to the City Commission in March 2001, he was also active in the Clearwater Beach Rotary Club, the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Barrier Islands Governmental Council.
A member of the Council since 2002, Mr. Hamilton served in a number of officer positions, including chairman in 2006. The PPC will miss his strong leadership and committed approach to the countywide planning process.
Mayor Jerry Beverland
Departing Member
City of OldsmarMayor Beverland has lived in Pinellas County for most of his life. He has a long history of local government experience, serving several terms on the Oldsmar City Council beginning in 1970. He was elected mayor in 1995 and 2001.
A member of the Council since 2002, Mr. Beverland served in a number of officer positions, including chairman in 2007. His wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as his humor and warmth, will be missed.
MEET THIS YEAR’S OFFICERS
Vice-Mayor Sandra Bradbury
City of Pinellas Park
ChairmanVice-Mayor Bradbury was born in New Orleans and moved to Pinellas Park when she was four years old. She holds an associate's degree from St. Petersburg Junior College, and is the Marketing Team Leader for Sam's Club in Pinellas Park. First elected in March 2002, she has previously served on the city's Board of Adjustment. She has been recognized by the Pinellas Park Chamber of Commerce for her efforts in economic development, and by the United Stated Marine Corps for volunteer services during Operation Desert Storm.
Mayor Robert Hackworth
City of Dunedin
Vice-ChairmanMayor Hackworth was born in Fort Ord, California. A Dunedin resident from 1970 to 1984, he relocated to Colorado, then returned to Dunedin in 1995. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Florida. He has followed an eclectic career path as a professional runner and cyclist, owner of a sports marketing firm, real estate developer, and currently, partner in an educational publishing company. He began his tenure on the Dunedin City Commission in 2002, served as vice-mayor in 2003, and was elected mayor in 2006.
Mayor Beverley Billiris
City of Tarpon Springs
TreasurerMayor Billiris has a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida and a master's degree from Nova University. She has participated in the Florida League of Cities Institute for Elected Municipal Officials and International Relations Academy, National League of Cities Leadership Program, Pinellas County Sheriff 's Community Policing Program, and USF Florida Institute of Government Community Water Leadership Program. A former educator, she now owns a retail shop and import/export business, and has over 20 years of accounting and business experience.
Vice-Mayor Jerry Knight
Town of North Redington Beach
SecretaryVice-Mayor Knight was appointed to the Town Commission in 2003, and was reelected in 2004 and 2006. Originally from Ohio, he holds a bachelor's degree in radio speech and communications from Ohio State University, and was the founding director of a regional council of governments in the Youngstown-Warren metropolitan area. He has participated in urban planning and economic development efforts in Ohio, Indiana, and Florida. As vice-mayor, he has overseen a major update of the town's comprehensive plan, which was completed in 2006.
Consistency Efforts Updated
In April 2007, the Countywide Planning Authority (CPA) authorized the PPC to update its original efforts to bring local government plans and codes into harmony with the Countywide Future Land Use Plan Map (FLUP) and Rules. The CPA approved the report entitled Review of Local Government Future Land Use Plans and Land Development Regulations for Consistency with the Countywide Rules, which includes recommendations that PPC staff will bring forward to each local government.
Consistency has been in place in Pinellas County since the early 1990s, when locally-adopted future land use maps were first reconciled to a single countywide map and implemented by the Countywide Rules. Since then, all map amendments have been reviewed by the PPC and CPA to ensure that they remain consistent. This system of countywide land use planning, unique in the State of Florida, minimizes land use conflicts and allows the twenty-five local governments to work together as a single, interdependent community.
While this process ensures that local maps remain consistent, since the initial consistency effort, local governments have made numerous amendments to their plans and codes, and the Countywide Rules themselves have been amended. To identify and address any new inconsistencies, in November 2005, the CPA directed the PPC to conduct a new review.
Staff found that, for the most part, local government future land use plans and land development regulations remain consistent with the Countywide Plan and Rules. The majority of the inconsistencies that do exist can be resolved through the local text amendment process. A few subjects, however, may require more complex amendments at the countywide and/or local level. The report makes specific recommendations to address those issues.
Over the coming months, PPC staff will meet with local governments to discuss the recommendations. Any necessary amendments to the Countywide Rules are anticipated to be completed by September 2007, with a goal of having the local amendments completed by March 2008. Some communities may be able to incorporate the needed changes into cyclical EAR-based amendments to their comprehensive plans (see PPC News, Fall 2006).
Upcoming Public Hearing and Meeting Schedule
Planners Advisory
CommitteePinellas Planning
CouncilCountywide Planning
Authority
• June 11, 2007 • July 9, 2007 • September 10, 2007 • October 8, 2007
• June 20, 2007 • July 18, 2007 • September 19, 2007 • October 17, 2007
• July 10, 2007 • August 7, 2007 • October 2, 2007 • November 6, 2007
The Pinellas Planning Council
• Vice-Mayor Sandra Bradbury, Chairman (Pinellas Park) • Mayor Robert Hackworth, Vice-Chairman (Dunedin) • Mayor Beverley Billiris, Treasurer (Tarpon Springs) • Vice-Mayor Jerry Knight, Secretary (Group B Communities: Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, North Redington Beach*, Redington Beach, Redington Shores) • Vice-Mayor John Doran (Clearwater) • Councilmember Bill Foster (St. Petersburg) • Mayor Patricia Gerard (Largo) • Mayor Dick Holmes (Group C Communities: Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Gulfport, Kenneth City, Seminole, South Pasadena*) • School Board Member Linda Lerner (Pinellas County School District) • Mayor Mary Maloof (Group A Communities: Madeira Beach, St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island*) • Commissioner John Morroni (Pinellas County) • Mayor Jim Ronecker (Oldsmar) • Mayor Andy Steingold (Safety Harbor) * Councilmember serves on this governing body
The Countywide Planning Authority
- Commissioner Ronnie E. Duncan, Chairman
- Commissioner Robert B. Stewart, Vice-Chairman
- Commissioner Calvin D. Harris, Ed.D
- Commissioner Susan Latvala
- Commissioner John Morroni
- Commissioner Karen Williams Seel
- Commissioner Kenneth T. Welch
The Pinellas Planning Council Staff
- David P. Healey, Executive Director
- Ryan A. Brinson, Planner
- Michael C. Crawford, Planning Manager
- Dolly Eylward, Office Manager
- Linda Fisher, Program Planner
- Katherine Holt, Office Specialist
- Chris Mettler, Program Planner
- Larry S. Pflueger, Principal Planner
- Michael Schoderbock, Program Planner
- Carolyn Shoemaker, Administrative Secretary
If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter, please feel free to email us, call us at 727-464-8250, or write to us at:
Pinellas Planning Council
600 Cleveland Street, Suite 850
Clearwater, FL 33755-4160
