That’s the question LPA Chair Anita Cereceda wants her committee and the Town Council to discuss in another joint meeting. Cereceda said that while she loved the EIBC project she just couldn’t get past the height (10 stories) and voted no.
Cereceda says there needs to be an open conversation about public benefit and height and she believes it should be done in a joint meeting, especially with several major redevelopment projects coming up. Those projects include Seagate at the Red Coconut property, The Arches at Moss Marina, The Neptune, and London Bay at the former Outrigger property.
The LPA and Town Council have met jointly two times since Hurricane Ian nearly two years ago. At both meetings they voted unanimously to abide by the Land Development Code and Comprehensive Plan. Some people who live and visit the island believe that meant that new development would only go as high as 3-4 stories. The LDC allows developers to ask for more height, density, etc. by submitting a Comprehensive Planned Development (CPD). Items they are not allowed to have by right. Applying for a CPD does not automatically mean the developer would get more than what’s allowed to them by right on their property. That’s when the horse trading begins.
The LPA and Town Council will then consider any public benefit the developer is bringing to the table and weigh those public benefits against the extras the developers are asking for. The challenge with public benefit is there is no defined list, what’s public benefit to one LPA member or Council member may not be to another. Is a restaurant really public benefit? How many more stories should a developer get for enhancing a view corridor or adding green space?
There is a percentage of the community that believes the town incorporated in the mid 90’s to prevent high rise structures from being built on the island. Period. End of story. Full stop. Everyone always uses DiamondHead as the final straw when it comes to height. Most of the higher buildings on the south end of the island were built before incorporation. Despite the new restrictions imposed by FEMA, and stricter building codes, they see these higher buildings or projects with more density being approved (Myerside and now EIBC) going against the intent of incorporation.
Jessie Titus served on the LPA for about 5 years in the early 2000’s. She told Beach Talk Radio news Tuesday that Lee County’s decision to allow Diamondhead to be built was the impetus behind the formation of the town. “With the Comprehensive Plan, we made a promise to ourselves to move this island forward in a certain way, to maintain a certain lifestyle and environment, which involved thousands of hours of work and public input. WE decided the path our town would follow. WE decided how to make this little beach town and shrimping village grow and the “vibe” it would strive for, while maintaining its history. And now, that promise may go by the wayside, and it’s ironically right next to the biggest reason we are a town.”
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