The Key West City Commission, on Thursday May 9, will hold its first of two required votes on approving the wording of four separate ballot questions regarding roughly $300 million in bonds that will go before voters in November.
The commission had planned to also vote on a development plan for the Casa Marina resort that would allow for the possible redevelopment of nearly two dozen units of existing affordable housing and the development of two dozen market rate houses that could possibly be converted into transient units at the resort. However, the agenda states the commission plans to postpone voting on the proposal, as the owners attorneys requested to hold the item until a November meeting.
The resort’s owners are asking to change the Future Land Use Map from Historic Residential to Historic Commercial and a zoning change from Historic Medium Density Residential to Historic Commercial to accommodate more transient units, which the developers told city staff would subsidize the development of the workforce units.
The change would allow for the redevelopment of 25 affordable housing units, encompassing efficiency-style units with 88 total beds or four beds per room, in the workforce housing at the resort.
The Planning Commission heard a presentation on the development proposal at its March 12 meeting and a majority of the board recommended approval of the project. Planning staff is recommending only partial approval of the request, the Future Land Use Map Amendment. Planning staff still has concerns about the project and “the applicant has not provided a basis for the rezoning other than the potential to convert market rate units to transient units, which is currently prohibited by code,” City Planning Director Katie Halloran wrote in her memo to the commission.
The subject application involves a request to amend the future land use designation of approximately 3.36 acres of property at 715 Seminole Ave. and 811 Seminole Ave. from Historic Residential (HR) District to Historic Commercial (HC) to allow for the development of 23 market rate units and 25 workforce housing units, and the eventual conversion of the market rate units to transient rental units. Concurrent with the FLUM amendment, the applicant is also requesting a zoning map amendment for the subject properties, from Historic Medium Density Residential (HMDR) to Historic Commercial Tourist (HCT).
The Key West City Commission meets all day at City Hall on White Street with two sessions, one starting at 9 a.m. and another at 5 p.m.
Commissioners will give first vote, of two required, for the language of roughly $300 million in bonds for city infrastructure projects.
The general bond referendum will be one of the most important questions for Key West voters on the Nov. 5 General Election ballot. The questions are broken down into four categories, with votes on $82 million going to public safety, $68 million going to parks and recreation, $51 million for roads and $99 million going to adaption to climate change and flooding.
“The voters can say which ones are important,” City Manager Al Childress said. “It covers projects over the course of 30 years.”
Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg recently told the Key West City Commission that his agency wants to make roughly $34 million in improvements to the current police headquarters building off North Roosevelt Boulevard. Brandenburg wants to add a Category 5 hurricane-strength building to the property that would house extra office space, garage, evidence storage, kitchen and a “bunk house” for officers and possibly other first responders before, during and after a hurricane, Brandenburg said. The bunk house could also be used to house officers who live outside the Lower Keys.
The facility would also have a generator and possibly solar panels and a cistern for water, said Brandenburg. The chief also said his agency needs $1.5 million for upgrades to its police radio system.
Key West Fire Chief Alan Averette is requesting a new $42 million Fire Station No. 3 on Kennedy Drive and $4 million in improvements to Fire Station No. 1 on North Roosevelt Boulevard, which would include a new classroom and physical fitness room, boat lift, generator and new emergency radio system, according to Averette.
Fire Station No. 3 needs to be demolished and replaced with a new Category 5 hurricane-strength station, according to Averette. The new station could have an emergency operations center, fire training tower and community training room.
The commission will vote Thursday and then have to hold a second vote on the referendum language.
The public can watch the sessions live at www.cityofkeywest-fl.gov.
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