Island Estates Neighborhood Plan

In single-family areas, permitted uses shall be restricted to single-family dwellings (including community residential homes with up to 6 residents) and infrastructure/utility installations.

In multi-family and institutional areas, permitted uses shall remain consistent with the current City of Clearwater Community Development Code.

In single-family areas, minimum lot size shall be 7,500 square feet.

In all other areas, the minimum lot size shall remain consistent with the current City of Clearwater Community Development Code.

In single-family areas, building setbacks for principal structures shall be:

• Front setback: 25 feet
• Side setback: 7.5 feet
• Rear setback: 15 feet (non-waterfront); 25 feet (waterfront) - If adjacent structures on either side of the lot are setback 20 feet, then the minimum rear setback shall be 20 feet.

In single-family areas, setbacks for accessory structures, including screen pool enclosures shall be:

• Rear setback: 10 feet
• Any pool exceeding 1 foot in height above grade shall comply with the required rear setback for the principal structure.

In multi-family and institutional areas, building and accessory setbacks shall remain consistent with the current City of Clearwater Community Development Code.

In the single-family and multi-family areas, parking on landscaping shall be prohibited. 

In single-family and multi-family areas, fences shall not exceed 6 feet in height between any portion of the principal structure and any side lot line.

All fences between the rear building setback line and the seawall shall be non-opaque (see-through.)

Throughout the Island Estates NCOD, the use of gravel, stones, cinders and other similar material in any yard shall be prohibited unless included as an integral, but minor, element of a landscaping plan.

In the single-family and multi-family areas the storage of commercial fishing and crabbing equipment shall be prohibited. 

The Island Estates neighborhood is located on the west side of the city, between Clearwater Beach and downtown Clearwater. Map 1 shows the location of Island Estates within the City of Clearwater. It is approximately 210 acres in area.

The Island Estates neighborhood is usually considered to be all of the land located off Island Way, north of Memorial Causeway. However, most of the commercial lands are excluded from the overlay district that is covered by this plan. This is due to the intention to preserve the residential character of Island Estates. See Map 2 for the boundaries of the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District.

Island Estates is a unique neighborhood within the City of Clearwater in that almost every property is on the waterfront. The neighborhood consists of a series of islands and peninsulas that were created through a dredge and fill process. The land for the neighborhood was filled during the 1950s and 1960s. According to Pinellas County plat books, the island was platted for development between 1957 and 1969. The original parts of the community are located adjacent to Memorial Causeway and the later platted lots are further to the north. The lots on the southern end are somewhat smaller than lots on the northern end – which allowed for larger and newer homes toward the north.

The neighborhood is geographically isolated from the rest of the city. It has only one ingress/egress, which is located on the Memorial Causeway. Due to limited access, there is mostly resident traffic and very little tourist traffic. In addition, because there is only one access point to the neighborhood, traffic congestion on Memorial Causeway greatly affects accessibility to the neighborhood.

Most of the neighborhood has residential land use, ranging from large single-family homes to multi-story, multi-unit condominiums. Map 3 shows current zoning, parcels and street names within Island Estates.

The most dominant land use is single-family residences, which are located in the Low Medium Density Residential (LMDR) zoning district. In the Medium Density Residential (MDR), Medium High Density Residential (MHDR), and High Density Residential (HDR) zoning districts the uses are multi-family residences. The multi-family areas range in density from duplexes and triplexes to large-scale, multi-story condominiums with hundreds of residents. Because each condominium has its own resident association, each condominium has its own regulations and character.

The Institutional (I) area is occupied by St. Brendan’s Church. In addition, there are several Commercial (C) properties in Island Estates. The Commercial district includes a shopping center with a large grocery store, a smaller shopping center, two bank branches, a large restaurant, a marina and some office space. Most of these commercial properties are excluded from the overlay district in order to keep the focus of the plan on the residential areas. One commercial site consisting of eleven (11) townhouse units is within the overlay district. This residential project was included in the overlay due to its similarity of use to the majority of the neighborhood.

Island Estates is a fairly large neighborhood with over 600 platted properties, over 1,500 property owners, and over 3,200 residents. There are several large condominium complexes in the neighborhood, making the resident base large.

Table 1 demonstrates the general demographics of Island Estates for 1990 and 2000. This table also includes statistics for the City of Clearwater so that comparisons can be made.

There are some significant differences in the general municipal demographics and those specific to Island Estates. For example, in Island Estates, the average household size is lower than in the City as a whole. In addition, the age trends show that Island Estates seems to have an older population than the city as a whole. There are significantly more owner-occupied housing units and fewer renter-occupied housing units in Island Estates than in the city. A significant difference between Island Estates and the rest of the City is that the neighborhood has a comparatively large percentage of housing units that are used seasonally, recreationally, or occasionally. Almost twenty percent (20%) of the housing units in Island Estates are part-time residences as compared to eight percent (8%) citywide. Thus, the demographic and housing trends in Island Estates are quite different from those in the City as a whole.

Services on the island include a large supermarket, a convenience store, a gas station, a hair salon, restaurants, banks, a private marina, and other retail businesses. Another amenity for the neighborhood is Sunset Sam Park, which is located on the west end of Windward Passage. In addition, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the Island Yacht Club are located on Island Estates.

Island Estates is a very well maintained neighborhood with continually increasing property values. According to property values from the Pinellas County Property Appraiser’s Office, values increased from 1998 to 2000 by approximately ten percent (10%). Most of the single-family homes were built prior to 1970, but are maintained so that they do not show signs of age. A recent trend in home-ownership is to buy a lot with an older, average-sized home, then to demolish the home and build a newer, larger home in its place. In some cases, this leads to an imbalance of scale and rhythm along the streetscape.

The sidewalks, roads and gutters are generally well maintained throughout the neighborhood. However, no sidewalks exist along Leeward Island, Midway Island, Windward Island, or the eastern portion of Windward Passage.

Island Estates prides itself in having “two front yards.” Almost every residential lot has a waterfront, and most single-family residences have docks or boat slips along the seawall. Many of the residents own boats and use them on a regular basis. In general, the multi-family areas have active waterfronts as well, with shared docks, boat slips and waterfront recreation sites. Because of all the waterfront activity, Island Estates’ backyards could be considered a second front yard.

Island Estates Civic Association

In 1962, a small group of residents organized the Island Estates Civic Association (IECA). Its primary purpose was to establish and maintain liaison with the developer and to provide social activities for island residents. As the neighborhood grew and expanded, the Association also broadened its goals to include the maintenance and protection of the unique lifestyle of this community. The organization’s goals include improving safety and property security, improving contact with local governments, improving property appearance and beautification, acting as a clearinghouse for community concerns and interests, and promoting an atmosphere that makes “neighbors” out of residents.

The Island Estates Civic Association averages a total membership of over 700 residents. There are 16 board members who are elected each year at its annual meeting in November. Nine of these board members hold a position that is responsible for a specific area of concern. These areas include Neighborhood Crime Watch, maritime issues, membership, social coordination, publicity and communication, beautification, Code and deed restrictions, business liaison and holiday lighting. In addition, the IECA provides a platform for new programs to be brought before the community. It has spearheaded programs to obtain reclaimed water, underground utilities, Sunset Sam Park, crosswalks and the NCOD planning process.

According to the City of Clearwater Community Development Code §4-608, the designated neighborhood shall serve as a partner with the City in implementing the NCOD provisions. Therefore, Island Estates is required to:

1. Educate neighborhood property owners of the requirements of the overlay district at least two times a year through neighborhood association meetings and mailings or any other methods approved by the Community Development Coordinator; and
2. Provide the initial means of enforcement for any violation of the requirements of the overlay district. If compliance cannot be gained by the neighborhood, the City shall commence code enforcement efforts.

In order to meet the education requirement, the Island Estates Civic Association (IECA) will provide information regarding the NCOD at the annual civic association meeting and in at least one annual issue of the IECA newsletter. Upon initial adoption of this neighborhood plan and the Island Estates NCOD development regulations, a copy of the NCOD provisions will be provided to each property owner, which includes generally single-family households and condominium associations. In addition, these provisions will be provided to such new owners as property ownership transfers. 

The IECA shall also be responsible for providing the initial means of enforcement of the development standards created by the NCOD. In the event a violation of the development standards occurs, the IECA shall use

the following procedures to gain compliance. Even though individual situations may differ and require some deviations, the usual procedures shall be as follows:

• If a violation is identified, a correction notice (i.e. door hanger, post card or letter) shall be left on the property identifying the violation and noting that a re-inspection will be conducted in ten (10) days to determine if compliance has been achieved.
• If in that time period compliance is not achieved, a code violation letter will be issued giving a specific amount of time to comply, but in no case more than ten (10) days.
• If compliance is not gained after the time period allotted in the code violation letter, the violation shall be reported to the City Community Response Team for immediate action.
• All activity after this point shall be consistent with the code enforcement procedures in effect for the City Community Response Team.

The development standards implemented in the Island Estates NCOD shall be in effect as long as the IECA provides the required neighborhood education and enforcement. In the event the IECA does not perform its required function, a rezoning would be initiated by the City to eliminate the Island Estates NCOD.

If the neighborhood wants to amend the overlay requirements or decides it no longer wants designation as an overlay district, the City will process a request to amend or remove the Island Estates NCOD by a petition of owners of 60% of the real property within the NCOD. In the event the provisions of the Island Estates NCOD results in sustained extraordinary increases in the level of service provided by the City of Clearwater, the City and the neighborhood will need to evaluate the provisions of the NCOD and determine the most appropriate means of providing this increased level of service or whether the service should be continued.

Neighborhood Strategies and Activities

In addition to education and enforcement, the Island Estates Civic Association shall pursue activities to implement the goals and objectives established in this Plan that are not related to development standards. 

The IECA has a strong civic and organizational foundation to work from in order to implement the goals and objectives. There are currently sixteen (16) board members and several committees within the IECA. Of the sixteen board members, nine of them are dedicated to special projects or certain issues affecting Island Estates. These specific issues include:

• Neighborhood Crime Watch
• Maritime issues
• Membership
• Social coordination
• Publicity, newsletters, and communication
• Beautification
• Code and deed restrictions
• Business liaison
• Holiday lighting

Most of the objectives in this plan can be addressed through these board members or through committees organized by these board members. The following strategies should address many of those items requiring neighborhood action. The IECA shall:

• Continue to provide and promote holiday and neighborhood events.
• Continue to involve local businesses and the Clearwater Aquarium in neighborhood events.
• Continue to develop strategies to increase neighborhood involvement in the IECA.
• Continue to expand the current landscaping programs in order to install landscaping on the medians along Island Way, to develop a landscaping plan for Island Way and to promote environmentally friendly landscaping.
• Address and implement the objectives for Waterfront and Canals through the Maritime board member and any special committees deemed necessary.
• Improve communication with the City Public Works Department in order that services such as good drainage and access to reclaimed water can be maintained in high standards.
• Establish neighborhood education programs to provide information to residents on issues such as general property maintenance, landscaping, and xeriscaping. Speakers from the City of Clearwater and Pinellas County Cooperative Extension Services could provide residents with information on these types of topics.
• Develop new programs to increase neighborhood involvement in the Neighborhood Watch and improve communication between block captains and residents.
• Work with City to gain the installation of sidewalks where necessary, as well as traffic calming solutions for the intersections of Island Way with Windward Passage and with Dory Passage.
• Work with the City Police Department and other authorities to attain better enforcement of speed limits on streets and within the waterways.
• Work with property owners and the City to gain the voluntary screening of existing unenclosed dumpsters. 
• Maintain good communication with Community Response Team.
• Obtain information regarding leash law and pet clean-up requirements and disseminate to the neighborhood through newsletters or other public information pieces.
• Continue to increase neighborhood involvement through active community building by the Civic Association.
• Revisit the possibility of placing the overhead utility lines underground. 
• Establish committee to initiate evaluation of the Plan and the NCOD development standards every two years after adoption and prepare a written report to present to the Planning Department, City Manager and City Commission.

Strengths

One of the first steps the neighborhood accomplished in its planning effort was the identification of its strengths and weaknesses. This exercise was challenging because some of the participants expressed concern about becoming part of an NCOD. Some residents believe that current City regulations are sufficient to guide the neighborhood toward the future they desire and specifying additional development regulations for the neighborhood could decrease the amount of flexibility permitted by current City regulations. The community identified several other positive aspects of the neighborhood. The community enjoys access to reclaimed water, a variety of goods and services located on the island, and well-maintained properties. 

The following lists the top strengths identified by the residents.

Top Strengths - As identified by residents during planning meetings

• Not being in overlay district-flexibility
• Reclaimed water
• Well-maintained property
• Good services such as grocery, gas station, store, bank and park
• On-street parking - cars only
• Mostly residential waterfront community
• Water view
• Island Estates is fine as it is
• Self-sufficient community
• Boat Parade
• Public Transportation
• St. Brendan Church

Besides these specifically ranked strengths, there were dozens of items that when grouped depicts a picture of the neighborhood’s issues. The most significant positive aspect of the neighborhood is its amenities. The neighborhood has a variety of services and retail opportunities including a grocery, several restaurants, a neighborhood association, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and several annual neighborhood events. The community also identified its waterfront accessibility as an asset. Most people enjoy the boating lifestyle, the water views, and the higher property values associated with waterfront property. In addition to neighborhood amenities, waterfront, and flexibility, the neighborhood identified well-maintained properties, access to reclaimed water, and availability of on-street parking as assets to the community.

Appendix D lists the grouped strengths of Island Estates. This list is ranked with the most important issues first. The main categories are underlined, and the assets fall under each main category.

Weaknesses

In addition to strengths, the neighbors identified the aspects of Island Estates that could use improvement. Despite that the neighbors are satisfied with the general upkeep and appearance of the community, most of these address specific issues that detract from the appearance of the area. These include the presence of aboveground power lines, lack of yard maintenance, parking issues, and building setbacks. 

The following lists the top weaknesses identified by the residents.

Top Weaknesses - As identified by residents during planning meetings

• Above ground power lines- appearance
• Gravel yards
• Restricted water flow - north pass is closed
• Parking of commercial vehicles in front yard and on street
• Parking of cars/boats/RV’s on lawns & driveways - looks cluttered
• Poor yard maintenance
• Differences in setback requirements in deed restrictions and City Code
• Loose regulation of redevelopment-needs stricter enforcement of building codes
• Lack of business growth-no signage for non- residents
• Chain link fences
• Unable to enforce the use of “green” space in landscaping
• Contaminates dumped in canal-grass clippings

Similar to the strengths, the entire list of weaknesses included dozens of comments. These comments have been grouped by major category in order to determine which ones were the most significant category of weaknesses. Again, despite that the neighbors are generally pleased with the upkeep and appearance of the neighborhood, the most prominent weaknesses are related to the lack of upkeep and maintenance for some parts of the island. Specific issues include the presence of gravel yards, poor landscaping maintenance, clutter, and the blocking of water views.

Parking and traffic were the next highest concern for the community. Again, many of the parking issues relate to the appearance of the neighborhood in that the community identified certain vehicles and the number of vehicles parked in driveways and front yards as significant detractors from the neighborhood. Many were concerned with the presence of speeding vehicles along the residential streets and with the amount of traffic on Memorial Causeway during high tourist season. The presence of aboveground utilities was also identified as a detractor from the appearance of the area.

The misuse of waterfront and canals is also a weakness for the community. Over the years, the water in the canals has suffered due to lack of circulation, increased boating activities and the dumping of yard debris and litter into the water. Other waterfront concerns are speeding watercraft, shoaling under bridges and boat noise. 

The character of some new development is viewed as another negative issue by many residents. In order to comply with National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) requirements, new home construction results in elevated, taller structures. There is concern that the new, large, elevated homes may restrict views and create a more crowded look to the neighborhood.

Appendix E lists the grouped weaknesses of Island Estates. This list is ranked with the most important issues first. The main categories are underlined, and specific issues fall under each main category.

The following goals and objectives were developed by the neighborhood through examination of its strengths and weaknesses and through determination of the neighborhood’s priorities. The goals and objectives provide strategies for the neighborhood to emphasize the strengths and to minimize the weaknesses.

Neighborhood Amenities

1.Goal: To continue to enhance the neighborhood amenities that make Island Estates appealing and attractive to its residents, property owners and businesses.

a. Objective: Continue to support and promote holiday and neighborhood events.

b. Objective: Continue to support local businesses on the island by remaining business friendly and maintain commercial visibility.

c. Objective: Continue to support and promote neighborhood organizations, including the Island Estates Civic Association and the Island Estates Women’s Club.

d. Objective: Continue to support and promote the Clearwater Marine Aquarium as a positive amenity on Island Estates.

e. Objective: Continue to support Neighborhood Watch on Island Estates.

Waterfront and Canals

2. Goal: To maintain safety, views, access, and water quality along the Island Estates waterfront.

a. Objective: Preserve water views by restricting the heights of fences and structures in the waterfront yard and by maintaining established side building setbacks, rear building setbacks and site triangles.

b. Objective: Restrict the docking of commercial boats and the storage of commercial fishing and/or crabbing equipment on residential waterfront property in order to preserve the residential character of those areas.

c. Objective: Require structurally damaged seawalls, docks, and pilings to be repaired in a reasonable amount of time.

d. Objective: Improve water quality in canals by mitigating the occurrence of shoaling and illegal dumping in canals.

e. Objective: Obtain a safer boating environment by maintaining and enforcing minimum wake zones in the vicinity of Island Estates.

f. Objective: Mitigate the noise output from commercial boats, as it becomes a nuisance for the neighborhood.

Traffic and Street Use

3. Goal: To maintain pedestrian and vehicular safety in all public rights-of-way on Island Estates.

a. Objective: Install sidewalks and bike paths where they do not exist.

b. Objective: Maintain pedestrian crosswalks adjacent to shopping areas and pursue future opportunities to increase pedestrian safety at intersections along Island Way.

c. Objective: Research traffic calming along Island Way - especially at the intersections of Island Way with Windward Passage and with Dory Passage.

d. Objective: Maintain and repair roads so they are in a safe and good condition.

e. Objective: Increase enforcement of speed limits.

f. Objective: Maintain sidewalks in good condition in order to preserve a safe pedestrian atmosphere and to promote a consistent appearance along neighborhood rights-of-ways.

Neighborhood Appearance and Maintenance

4. Goal: To maintain, improve, and promote high standards of property maintenance on public and private property on Island Estates in order to ensure an attractive neighborhood appearance.

a. Objective: Maintain existing height limitations for all fences.

b. Objective: Enforce existing zoning in order to prevent commercial uses in residential areas.

c. Objective: Continue good communication with the City of Clearwater Community Response Team.

d. Objective: Require elevated pools to be in compliance with setbacks established for principal structures in order to prevent the blocking of views, to maintain openness in rear setbacks, to preserve consistent appearance in waterfront yards and to control building bulk. 

e. Objective: Prohibit front yard fences in order to prevent a cluttered look and to preserve a consistent open appearance throughout the neighborhood.

f. Objective: Prohibit new gravel, rock or cinder yards in order to maintain a landscaped appearance throughout the neighborhood, as well as ensure proper drainage within the neighborhood.

g. Objective: Maintain certain percentage of vegetated landscaping in front yards in order to preserve a landscaped appearance throughout the neighborhood.

h. Objective: Continue to promote the high standards for landscaping at the Island Estates entryway and in all medians by supporting the Island Estates Civic Association’s landscaping program and by promoting continued participation in adopt-a-median and adopt-a-cul-de-sac programs.

i. Objective: Develop a landscaping plan for the medians along Island Way in order to maintain a consistent, appealing appearance.

j. Objective: Promote environmentally friendly landscaping by educating and informing residents of various landscaping options that include ideas such as using native plants or xeriscaping.

k. Objective: Promote a safer, cleaner neighborhood by educating residents about responsible pet ownership in order to reduce the incidence of unleashed pets and lack of pet cleanup.

l. Objective: Promote the screening of all mechanical equipment, dumpsters and trash containers from public rights-of-way, adjacent property and the waterfront.

m. Objective: Promote the enforcement of the prohibition of parking on grassy medians and cul-de-sacs.

n. Objective: Prohibit all types of vehicles from parking on lawns and other landscaped areas.

o. Objective: Prohibit permanent parking of boats, trailers and recreational vehicles outside of garages.

Character of Redevelopment

5. Goal: To ensure that development and redevelopment is compatible with the character and scale of surrounding properties to promote high property values, a good quality of life, and consistent and appealing appearances throughout the neighborhood.

a. Objective: Establish minimum lot sizes consistent with the deed restriction.

b Objective: Establish setback requirements consistent with deed restrictions.

c. Objective: Maintain current city regulations on home heights.

d. Objective: Preserve single-family character in the Low Medium Density Residential areas by prohibiting the rezoning of this property to multi-family use.

e. Objective: Development and redevelopment must be consistent with the goals and objectives of the Island Estates Neighborhood Plan.

Utilities and Infrastructure

6. Goal: To maintain and improve existing public utilities in order to protect neighborhood aesthetics and safety.

a. Objective: Improve maintenance of drains to prevent on-street flooding.

b. Objective: Relocate any existing overhead utility lines underground.

c. Objective: Landscape around aboveground utilities until they can be relocated underground.

d. Objective: Repair any utility poles that are not well maintained or in good condition.

e. Objective: Develop a strategy to ensure an adequate supply of reclaimed water for future needs.

Minimum Rental Periods

7. Goal: To minimize the disruption associated with short-term rentals in the single-family areas of Island Estates.

a. Objective: Establish a minimum rental period for single-family homes to ensure that single-family homes are not being operated as transient accommodations.

b. Objective: Prevent the proliferation of real estate signs by encouraging the timely removal of such signs once properties are rented or sold.

The neighborhood met all nine (9) of the criteria required to qualify as an Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District.

Island Estates is therefore considered:

• To be fully developed and well maintained;
• To be significantly developed, with few vacant parcels;
• To have stable or increasing property values;
• To have no significant planned road improvements;
• To have few properties subject to code enforcement proceedings;
• To have few properties non-conforming to current City zoning codes;
• To have few properties non-conforming to current City building codes;
• To be large enough to warrant such designation; and
• To be cohesive enough to warrant such designation.

The process of planning and designating an  Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District cannot be initiated unless at least sixty percent (60%) of the neighborhood property owners agree to proceed. In December 2000, a group of Island Estates citizens presented petitions of approval from property owners to the City Planning Department to pursue an overlay district. The petition stated, “Yes, I, the undersigned, petition the City of Clearwater to initiate the process to establish Island Estates as a Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District.”

When the Island Estate Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District was initially proposed, it was to include only the residential areas east and north of the commercial area. There were 574 properties in the proposed overlay district. Owners from 367 separate properties signed and returned petitions. Once petitions from sixty-four percent (64%) of the property owners were received, the City Commission initiated the planning process, which included public meetings and the establishment of a citizen study committee. The study committee is composed of eleven (11) residents who committed much time, energy and expertise to the project.

From the first few study committee meetings, it was determined that the overlay district should include all residential properties in the neighborhood, as well as St. Brendan’s Church. In order to do this, the Island Estates Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District was proposed to expand by 51 additional residential properties for a total of 625 properties. Petitions of approval were received from 395, or sixty-three percent (63%), of the property owners. The boundary expansion was presented to the City Commission on September 6, 2001, and approved unanimously.

The planning process included seven public neighborhood-planning meetings and numerous study committee meetings. Appendix A includes a calendar of the designation and planning process. All the neighborhood-planning meetings were held at St. Brendan’s Church on Dory Passage in Island Estates.

The first meeting included an overview of the NCOD and a brainstorming session for neighborhood strengths and weaknesses. At the second meeting, the strengths and weaknesses from the first meeting were reviewed, discussed in small groups, and then ranked to determine the neighborhood’s priorities. At the third meeting, the residents broke into small groups and discussed goals and objectives that could help emphasize the strengths and ameliorate the weaknesses.

Between the third and fourth meetings, the study committee was revamped with the addition of three new members. These members were replacements for previous members who resigned for various reasons.

The fourth meeting included a presentation of general development standards and a ranking exercise for those standards. This ranking exercise proved to be very important to the development of the plan. Appendix B shows the ballot for ranking. Appendix C shows the results from this exercise. From the results, a more comprehensive list of objectives and development regulations was established.

At the fifth meeting, the proposed development standards were compared to the current City code and the neighborhood deed restrictions. The sixth meeting consisted of a presentation of the preliminary text of the neighborhood plan, including the development regulations. The residents provided comments that were incorporated into the final draft.

At the seventh meeting, the plan was reviewed for the final time before being presented to the City Commission. In addition, the procedure and schedule for voting on proposed development standards was announced.

Ranked items for development standards

Generally issues with fewer than 200 points were regarded as not significant to the neighborhood.

Letter Sent to Residents

"Dear Island Estates Property Owner,

In May 2001, the Island Estates neighborhood began planning for a Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District (NCOD). The purpose of the NCOD is to preserve and enhance the character of the neighborhood and ensure that any new development is consistent with the existing character of Island Estates. Through a series of public meetings, the residents of Island Estates developed a neighborhood plan as well as a list of development and property maintenance regulations designed to protect the health, safety, welfare and quality of life of the neighborhood.

One of the final steps in the Island Estates NCOD planning process is a neighborhood poll to determine the proposed development and property maintenance regulations. The results of the vote will be provided to the Community Development Board and the City Commission for consideration when reviewing the proposed regulations. Development standards with support of at least fifty-one (51) percent of the votes cast will be forwarded for consideration. Please refer to the enclosed “Comparison of Proposed Island Estates NCOD Regulations and the City Development Code” for information about the proposed changes. Any existing legally permitted use, lot size, setback, building height, fence, landscaping and any existing mechanical equipment, dumpster or trash containers not screened in accordance with the development standards in the overlay district will be considered a legal nonconformity and may continue to exist and be maintained as allowed by the Clearwater Community Development Code.

Enclosed with this letter you will find:

1. A reference map distinguishing the single-family areas from the multi-family areas (p. 2);
2. A table comparing the proposed regulations to the existing City Community Development Code (pp.3-4);
3. A two-sided ballot with proposed development regulations on which to vote (pp. 5-6); and
4. A self-addressed, postage-paid envelope for ballot return.

Ballots are being sent to property owners of each real property as listed on the Property Appraiser’s tax roll. One vote per property will be tallied. This is a line-item vote and each item will be tallied separately. Vote either “FOR” or “AGAINST” in response to each issue. Make a mark in the box directly below the choice you have selected. The most appropriate marks would be an “X,” a check mark or filling in of the box. Appropriate examples:

Votes must be marked clearly. If votes are not marked clearly or if there are marks in more than one box for each issue, no vote will be tallied for that item. If an item is left unanswered on a ballot, no vote will be tallied for that item, but all other eligible marked votes will be counted for that ballot.

Place the completed ballot in the enclosed self-addressed, postage-paid envelope labeled “ISLAND ESTATES BALLOT.” Seal the envelope and mail it to the City of Clearwater Planning Department. Ballots returned that are not enclosed in this provided envelope will not be counted. No copies of ballots will be accepted. The ballot must be returned or postmarked on or before April 5, 2002.

The results will be available on May 1, 2002. Please contact the City of Clearwater Planning Department at (727) 562-4539 or look online at “http://www.clearwater-fl.com” for results.

Please direct questions to Lochen Wood, Planner, at (727) 562-4539 or Gina Clayton, Long Range Planning Manager, at (727) 562-4587. Thank you for your participation in the Island Estates Neighborhood Plan.

Sincerely,

City of Clearwater, Planning Department"