A publication of the Pinellas Planning Council

September 2003

In This Issue:

• Second Redevelopment Summit Set for October
• New Guide Issued for Plan and Code Amendments
• Treasure Island Unveils New Beachfront Park
• Wireless Study Enters Next Phase

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Second Redevelopment Summit Set for October

The Strategies and Policies Summit will build upon the findings of last year's successful Opportunities Summit, shown above. Following the success of the Redevelopment Opportunities Summit for the Pinellas Community in December 2002 (see the April 2003 newsletter), the PPC and the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners are once again partnering to further redevelopment in the county. A second countywide workshop, the Strategies and Policies Summit, will be held on October 24, 2003, at the Hilton hotel in downtown St. Petersburg. Building on the first summit, which raised awareness of redevelopment issues and created consensus that further action is needed, the Strategies and Policies Summit will identify specific objectives and the means to achieve them. The economic, real estate, and urban design analyses presented at the first summit will be used as a starting point for the discussion. The objectives and strategies identified at this event, along with other public input, will in turn form the basis of a draft Economic Development and Redevelopment Plan for the Pinellas Community, which will be presented and considered at a third summit tentatively scheduled for March 2004. Once it is completed, the plan will include the following components:

• “Typologies,” or standardized descriptions of different urban design patterns, to help communities visualize and plan for redevelopment that meets local objectives.
  
  
• Model land development regulations that can be customized and used by local governments to encourage planned redevelopment.
  
  
• Recommendations for incentives that can be used to encourage targeted redevelopment and economic development, as well as strategies for implementing and monitoring the incentives.
  
  
• An organizational analysis of local governance and intergovernmental cooperation. This assessment will be closely coordinated with the work of the Pinellas Assembly, but will be focused on identifying strategies that will help meet economic development and redevelopment objectives.
  
  

In preparation for the second summit, a half-day economic development and redevelopment workshop was held on June 27 at the Franklin Templeton corporate headquarters in St. Petersburg. Led by County Commission Chair Karen Williams Seel and members of the Redevelopment Project Management Committee, the workshop featured economics consultant Bill Fruth, who reviewed and elaborated the concepts he presented at the Opportunities Summit. The half-day event also marked the first meeting of the newly reorganized and expanded Pinellas County Economic Development Council, which will play a key role in future summits and the larger redevelopment effort.

This portion of the effort is an ambitious undertaking that will require considerable commitment and leadership from all of the participating parties — elected officials, government staff, business and development leaders, and the citizenry from throughout Pinellas County. However, if the Strategies and Policies Summit participants show the same level of enthusiasm, hard work, and sense of cooperation witnessed during the Opportunities Summit, the effort will successfully assist in producing an economic development and redevelopment plan that will help assure a sustainable, quality future for Pinellas County.

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New Guide Issued for Plan and Code Amendments

In 1996, the PPC published a procedures manual to help local governments navigate the process of amending their comprehensive plans, future land use plan maps, zoning maps, and land development regulations. While it was revised a number of times over the years, recent changes in state law necessitated a more thorough update for the guide to remain accurate and current. As a result, the PPC created an entirely new document, entitled Plan and Code Amendment Manual: A Guide to the Requirements for Municipal Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulation Amendments for Municipalities in Pinellas County, which supersedes and replaces the 1996 version.

Why is such a manual needed? The procedures for amending comprehensive plans and land development regulations are complex, and state legislation is often written in a confusing manner. It is not always clear, for example, how public notices should be worded or when they should be advertised. The Plan and Code Manual is designed to guide local governments through these processes, by summarizing in a single document the required steps for the most common types of amendments. The steps are presented in easy-to-read flowcharts, with color-coded boxes representing different types of required actions (see illustration above). For example, blue boxes represent local government meetings or hearings, while yellow ones involve entities outside the local government, such as the PPC or the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA). A color-coded text summary of the various steps follows each chart, and the primary legislation is also referenced, to allow the user to check for further details as needed. Every effort was made to ensure that the new manual is both accurate and user-friendly. DCA representatives were consulted during the development process, particularly for the steps involving public notice requirements. Extensive review and comment were also provided by both the Planners Advisory Committee and PPC legal staff, and were incorporated into the final draft. On May 21, 2003, the Council unanimously authorized finalization and distribution of the new manual, and copies were transmitted to the planning staff, building officials, and municipal clerks of all the local governments in Pinellas County. An electronic version of the document is available on the PPC web site.

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Treasure Island Unveils New Beachfront Park

On June 16, the City of Treasure Island held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a project several years in the making: the Sunset Vista Trailhead Park, located at the intersection of Gulf Boulevard and Blind Pass Road. The 1.3-acre beachfront park provides a scenic entrance to the city from Blind Pass Bridge, and will connect to a planned recreational trail. The city was able to acquire the site after winning a $1.2 million Preservation 2000 grant in 1999. PPC staff provided technical assistance to the city during the application process. The site was formerly occupied by a number of dilapidated structures, which the city demolished. As a rare effort to create new coastal open space, the project was one of the highest-scoring in the history of the grant program. City Manager Chuck Coward conducted the ceremony, thanking each person involved with the project — a large collection of city officials and staff, landscape architects, contractors, artists, donors, landowners, the nonprofit organization The Sunset Vista Trailhead project redeveloped beachfront parcels formerly occupied by an aging bait shop and apartment building. The Trust for Public Land, and others. A plaque commemorating the contributors by name was unveiled. The ribbon-cutting itself was performed by Mayor Mary Maloof, the city commissioners, and former Mayor Leon Atkinson, who presided over the majority of the project. The park features a large pavilion with a mosaic-covered terrace (shown in the photo at right), water fountains, beach showers, and an interpretive trail with educational markers. Improvements still in progress include dune restoration and replanting of native vegetation. In conjunction with the new park, the intersection of Gulf Boulevard and Blind Pass Road has also been improved. A beautification project added new landscaping and decorative signage, and replaced the previous wire-mounted traffic signals with new mast arms. In addition to complementing one another, the two projects were designed to be a part of the proposed Gulf Boulevard Improvements Project, a larger beautification effort for all of the barrier island communities.

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Wireless Study Enters Next Phase

In response to interest from local government officials and staff, the PPC is continuing its examination of wireless facilities management in Pinellas County. The study began in 2002 with a report entitled Wireless Facilities: Planning for the Next Generation of Technology, which surveyed local government regulations and discussed current trends in the industry. It was followed by a well-attended countywide technical workshop, hosted by the PPC and presented by CityScape Consultants, Inc., in March 2003. An executive summary of the workshop was subsequently distributed to all the local governments, along with a survey designed to gauge support for further countywide initiatives.

The survey results show that most local governments see their wireless facility administrative processes as adequate. However, there is a desire to improve them; communities expressed interest in promoting aesthetics, keeping current with new technologies, clarifying siting issues, and increasing revenue potential. Broad support was expressed for three proposed countywide follow-up actions: creation of a model ordinance, enhancement of facilities tracking, and assistance with revenue generation.

Based on these results, the Council has authorized staff to proceed with the proposed actions. Staff is currently negotiating with CityScape to provide technical assistance as a continuation of their previous work with the PPC. The Council chose not to pursue a countywide master plan at this time, although the option could be reevaluated in the future, based on local government interest.

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Upcoming Public Hearing and Meeting Schedule

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The Pinellas Planning Council

* Councilmember serves on this governing body.

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The Countywide Planning Authority

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The Pinellas Planning Council Staff