TI board kills zoning change proposal

TREASURE ISLAND – Barring a drastic change, the former home of Gulf Golf will not become a CVS pharmacy or any other retail establishment.During the City Commission meeting on July 5, the commission was presented with a proposal to change the lower density resort zoning district to allow retail. The issue was tabled to the July 18 commission workshop.There, the request was killed.Roughly 30 residents arrived at the workshop ready to protest if the commission decided to go forward with the measure. To the residents’ surprise, the commission was solidly against the proposal.Mayor Mary Maloof, still recovering from back surgery as a result of an auto accident in Tampa earlier this month, was absent. The meeting and workshop was directed by Vice Mayor Ed Gayton.In short the proposal, requested by Capri Isle Hospitality Strategies, wanted the zoning for part of the area bordering the east side of Gulf Boulevard to change. Specifically, the area in question lies in the resort facilities medium land use district, referred to as RFM-30. Current zoning would allow the property to be developed as condominiums or hotels.Some mixed use is allowed, but not retail.Commissioner Richard Kraus read a statement he personally wrote, in which he vehemently opposed the zoning change.“It makes no sense,” Kraus began.His prose grew stronger. “What do strip malls do for ambiance? This (proposal) will change Treasure Island forever.”He later said he received “a stack” of e-mails and phone messages and admitted he was hard pressed to find anyone not connected with the proposal favoring it.“I see no reason to support this,” Kraus said as most of the 30 concerned citizens broke out into loud applause and cheers.The other commissioners then began to voice their displeasure over the proposal.Commissioner Phil Collins said he “spoke with more than 100 people, 60-some by e-mail” in which the vast majority were opposed to the proposal, but not all. In his survey, Collins noted 34 people were not just opposed but “adamantly opposed” to the rezoning.Collins went on to say he personally was “not opposed to a CVS” coming to Treasure Island, only the location. Like Kraus, Collins was concerned about the long-term effect the proposed zoning change could have on the city. “The floodgates would open, and it appears that will happen,” he said, if the rezoning took place. “I also agree (with Kraus). I am not interested in this. I will not vote for this. The bottom line is (passing the measure means) losing ambiance.” Gayton said that changing the zoning didn’t mean a CVS pharmacy would be located there, which was of concern to him.“It could be a CVS, it could be anything they want to put in there if the land use is changed,” Gayton said. “It could be a Big Lots. (The effects) would be up and down Gulf Boulevard.” “Once it’s voted upon, this commission has no control what goes in there,” he said. “Who knows what it would be?”Don Wolfrey, president of a local townhouse association near the proposed land use change, spoke before the board and explained how, if rezoned, the proposal would “negatively affect the quality of the neighborhood.”Kraus seemed to grow irritated the longer the issue was discussed. Soon after Wolfrey spoke, Kraus said, “There’s no reason to waste time on this. It’s dead.”Collins quickly replied, urging Gayton as if he were an exterminator, “Kill it now.”And so the commission did.