pl060302

Monday, June 03, 2002 9:47 AM

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 4, the public hearing will be held for approval of the zoning change for the Old Point Lounge property on Alligator Point from commercial property to a planned unit development (PUD) to permit the construction of a 26 unit condominium on the property. As you know, APTA, based upon a Board decision in April 2002, stated its preference for a condo development on this property as opposed to a commercial hotel/lodge, which was what the developer was proposing in March 2002. If the PUD is not approved by the county commissioners tomorrow the developer will have the option of building a commercial hotel/lodge or putting on the property any other commercial enterprise permitted under the Franklin County Zoning Code.

Over the weekend I was advised that some controversy has developed within the Franklin County government over the issue of permitting a "condo" development to be approved for the Old Point Lounge property. The controversy seems to center on whether the county commissioners at some time in the past made a policy decision not permit condos on beachfront properties - supposedly related to managing development on Saint George Island.

I spoke with Commissioner Cheryl Sanders during the weekend. I explained to her that we worked hard with the developer to obtain a down-zoning of the property so that it could not be used for commercial purposes in the future and that, while we would like to see no development of the property, a condo development appeared to provide the least impact associated with development and it at least kept the residential flavor of the community. Commissioner Sanders was non-committal as to where she stood on the issue but indicated that she would rely heavily on the opinion of the County Attorney. It should be noted that the County Attorney is the person who has raised the issue that he thought the county commissioners were going against their own policy in approving the condo development for a public hearing.

Below, for your information, is the last update I sent out on this proposed development.

If you are in agreement that the condo development constitutes the lesser of the potential development evils for this property, I encourage you to call Commissioner Sanders TODAY at 850-697-2534 and leave a message on her answering machine that 1) you are an Alligator Point property owner, and 2) you support the proposed condo development over potential commercial uses of the property.



	Monday, June 03, 2002 9:47 AM Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 4, the public hearing will be held for approval of the zoning change for the Old Point Lounge property on Alligator Point from commercial property to a planned unit development (PUD) to permit the construction of a 26 unit condominium on the property. As you know, APTA, based upon a Board decision in April 2002, stated its preference for a condo development on this property as opposed to a commercial hotel/lodge, which was what the developer was proposing in March 2002. If the PUD is not approved by the county commissioners tomorrow the developer will have the option of building a commercial hotel/lodge or putting on the property any other commercial enterprise permitted under the Franklin County Zoning Code. Over the weekend I was advised that some controversy has developed within the Franklin County government over the issue of permitting a "condo" development to be approved for the Old Point Lounge property. The controversy seems to center on whether the county commissioners at some time in the past made a policy decision not permit condos on beachfront properties - supposedly related to managing development on Saint George Island. I spoke with Commissioner Cheryl Sanders during the weekend. I explained to her that we worked hard with the developer to obtain a down-zoning of the property so that it could not be used for commercial purposes in the future and that, while we would like to see no development of the property, a condo development appeared to provide the least impact associated with development and it at least kept the residential flavor of the community. Commissioner Sanders was non-committal as to where she stood on the issue but indicated that she would rely heavily on the opinion of the County Attorney. It should be noted that the County Attorney is the person who has raised the issue that he thought the county commissioners were going against their own policy in approving the condo development for a public hearing. Below, for your information, is the last update I sent out on this proposed development. If you are in agreement that the condo development constitutes the lesser of the potential development evils for this property, I encourage you to call Commissioner Sanders TODAY at 850-697-2534 and leave a message on her answering machine that 1) you are an Alligator Point property owner, and 2) you support the proposed condo development over potential commercial uses of the property.