Update 6-22-08
This page, among others
is part of our archives,
retained so that
members can access a
record of past issues.
Whether you loved the idea of
"Watermark" or hated it, it now looks as if
the plans are going to be reworked, and a
more modest development will go forward
on that site. But will there be endless
battles of the same nature? Read on.....
KEY WEST
NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATIONS
A REASONABLE COMPROMISE?

Can we believe what we are hearing?
How long has it been since we've seen any
such thing here in Key West?








Many of us are not surprised that the
compromise is coming from newly elected
Commissioner Bill Verge.

Bill's clearly not in it for the money.
His judgment on other issues has been
sound. He has served our city and
community well. Let's take a good look at
his proposal, then let him, and the other
Commissioners know what we think.
FINAL NOTE ON THE WATERMARK ISSUE

Now that the dust has settled, most people realize
that if the design had been more conforming to the
rest of Old Town, there's a good chance that the
"neighbors" and "activists" would have settled
much sooner. There main thrust is just to preserve
the ambiance, appearance and livability of Old
Town.

Good luck to the developers of what now appears
to be an attractive and beneficial project.

Our sincere sympathies go out to the friends and
family of Derek Parker, who, like his mother, was
taken from us unexpectedly and too soon.
Dear Friends and Neighbors:  

Many thanks to the 10 people who attended the
special HARC meeting today to support
preserving the Historic District.  The purpose of
the meeting was to discuss changes in the HARC
guidelines.   Most of the proposed changes are
non-controversial.  

The one proposed change that is absolutely
awful is to allow 2 ½ stories over parking
anywhere in old town.

Commissioner Bill Verge made an alternate
proposal as follows (approximately, I am not
through studying it):

All buildings in the historic district can have no
more than 2 ½ stories;
Except government buildings, the affordable
housing at the old steam plant site on Grinnell
Street, and some hotel areas including Atlantic
Shores can have 2 ½ stories over parking.
Commercial buildings can have two stories over
parking if the parking is contained within the
building so it is not visible from the street.
This is an oversimplification and there are other
factors mentioned like base flood elevation.

I am going to try to get the whole proposal
posted on www.livableoldtown.com so everyone
can read for him/herself.

The will probably be a good write-up about it in
the Citizen tomorrow as Tim O’Hara was in
attendance.

       After discussion, the matter was tabled for
one week.  The NEXT SPECIAL MEETING OF
HARC, When THIS WILL BE VOTED ON IS
SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, MAY 16 at 3 pm at
Old City Hall on Greene Street.

       Please be there.  We need a lot more
people.  

       I am trying to figure out what I make of this.  
Certainly 2 ½ stories over parking all over Old
Town would be disastrous. For Government
buildings, I say it is okay.  I am working on the
rest.  

       Please figure out what you think about it and
come to the meeting.

Thanks, Shirley Freeman

All buildings in the historic district can have no
more than 2 ½ stories;
Except government buildings, the affordable
housing at the old steam plant site on Grinnell
Street, and some hotel areas including Atlantic
Shores can have 2 ½ stories over parking.
Commercial buildings can have two stories over
parking if the parking is contained within the
building so it is not visible from the street.
To Email Commissioner Bill Verge with
questions or comments. click on the link

Bverge@keywestcity.com
          An Historical Prospective

Many of us have been looking for, hoping for,
and working for a compromise that would allow
reasonable development to go forward, and at
the same time preserve some of the City's
unique ambiance.

There had to be some balance between the "no
one can do anything" crowd and the "the law
don't matter 'cause my granddaddy said so"
crowd.

Bill Verge's proposal is the most reasonable
attempt to bridge this gap that we have seen in
many years of watching Key West politics, both
at its best and at its worst.

Below is an article that we wrote a year ago.
(It is now May 15th, 2006).

As far as Watermark goes, a recent poll of our
group shows most people feel that the present
version will be acceptable. But many are inclined to
press the issue that certain aspects of the project
are in conflict with published laws. They resent the
fact that regular homeowners in the Historic
District have no choice but to abide by HARC,
while larger commercial project seem to pass
without the micro-management the homeowner
resents. A group continued with legal action to
make just this point. But our opinions are by no
means monolithic.

Some of us have thought that other approaches
might be better. One idea is to limit HARC to
residential zones, and have HARC be a board
elected from and by homeowners in that district,
and turn the HARC authority in commercial zones
over to the Planning Board.

The bottom line is that there MUST be a better way
to manage these approvals here in this special
place than to have the developer come in with his
high-priced lawyers and shoot for 300% in order to
get the 110% he wants.
The game wastes a lot of time and money, and
leaves EVERYONE with a feeling of "disgust"--the
developer because of the expense and public vitriol,
and the resident citizen because of the time
involved and his ultimate uncomfortable feeling of
loss of trust in his local government.

Respectfully submitted 5-06-05, John Mertz, Acting Secretary,
KWNA. Responsible parties wishing to comment are invited to
e-mail:
AND PLEASE,
IF YOU THINK BILL'S PROPOSAL
IS A GOOD  COMPROMISE
AND A WAY OUT OF THE CURRENT IMPASSE
LET ALL THE COMMISSIONER
KNOW HOW YOU FEEL


E - MAIL ADDRESSES FOR KEY WEST
CITY COMMISSION MEMBERS:

All Current  Commissioners' e-mails can be
accessed by clicking here.


The mailing address for all Commissioners
and for the Mayor is:

525 Angela Street
Key West FL 33040
IT'S CRITICAL TO SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS IN THE KEY WEST BIGHT AREA
AND TO DEMAND THAT THE CITY ENFORCE ITS OWN LAWS AND STANDARDS

IF WE DON'T, KEY WEST WILL GO THE WAY OF MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA
AND WILL LOSE THE AMBIANCE AND ATMOSPHERE WHICH SETS IT APART
The opinions expressed here are an amalgam of ideas shaped over 35 years of observation of development
community life, and politics in Monroe County. A friend who was born and raised here and who has spent
him whole life here, in business and in government recently shared this with me.

"The insurance thing was the last straw. It wasn't Wilma that got us, it'll be the insurance. Most people my
age, who still live here, have paid for their houses, and have dropped their insurance. If they had to pay it,
they couldn't. They'd be outta here.
Almost everybody who still lives and works here is protected by that Save Our Homes cap. If they didn't
have it, they'd be gone. The only new young people coming in here, beside the foreigners, of course, are
military people.
We're done here. Nobody has the brains or the nerve to say or do anything when we could have.
Greedy politicians were only part of the problem. The rest of the problem was us. Now it's too late. "
THE HARRIS SCHOOL BUSINESS IS A CASE
STUDY IN THE SEAMIER SIDE OF SMALL TOWN
POLITICS.

FEW PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD THE DYNAMICS
BEHIND THE KILLING OF THE "RODEL PLAN"

CLICK HERE
WHAT WENT WRONG?
A GREAT NUMBER OF
NEIGHBORHOOD PEOPLE FEEL THAT
THE CURRENT H.A.R.C. SYSTEM HAS
LET US DOWN.
FOR SOME THOUGHTS ON
"WHAT TO DO ABOUT H.A.R.C?"
CLICK ON THIS LINK
KEY WEST NEIGHBORHOOD
ASSOCIATIONS



"Working together to improve our Community"
SOME RECENT HISTORY
BOB KELLY'S
REAL KEY WEST

http://therealkeywest.blogspot.com