Bradenton Beach residents are trying to “stay ahead of the game.”
And the game appears to be limiting vacation homes.
Following the Aug. 20 city commission meeting, some longtime Bradenton Beach residents who urged the city to consider a six-month moratorium on construction of new homes with more than three bedrooms, are following through.
One of the speakers, planning and zoning board member Frank Harrison, distributed to the board Aug. 26 a copy of a moratorium enacted by the Holmes Beach City Commission.
Holmes Beach commissioners have approved three moratorium limits. One prohibits more than one pool per duplex. Another prohibits permits for homes with more than three bedrooms. The other prohibits pools closer than 10 feet from a setback. A fourth prohibition under consideration, would strike front-yard pools.
Harrison told the P&Z that Mayor Jack Clarke suggested some of the speakers meet with Homes Beach officials to review the process for attaining moratoriums there and to report back to the Bradenton Beach commission. Harrison said Aug. 27 he was still waiting to hear from Holmes Beach Mayor Bob Johnson, whom he emailed.
Having a moratorium, Harrison said, would temporarily prohibit the introduction of certain building projects, while giving city officials time to write a comprehensive vacation rental ordinance similar to the one approved in Anna Maria.
However, the Anna Maria ordinance is on hold due to an injunction and two pending lawsuits and revisions to the ordinance are ongoing.
In the case of Bradenton Beach, construction projects in the latter stages of permit approval would not be affected by the proposed moratorium, even if they have more than three bedrooms, Harrison said.
Another of the Aug. 20 speakers, former Commissioner Bob Connors, noted Aug. 27 several large duplexes under construction in his neighborhood. Connors said he thinks the moratorium is “a great idea. It would give the commission and the planning board time to assess the consequences of the larger homes coming in” and the fact that they are “pretty much designed to be rental properties.
“We know how much trouble Holmes Beach has had with all these rental properties the last several years, so we’re just trying to stay ahead of the game,” he said.
During the Aug. 20 commission meeting, resident Betsy Sillars said her family has owned property in Bradenton Beach for 45 years. She and her husband have owned property there for 20 years and plan to retire there.
“Now that we are finally transitioning toward that long-awaited dream, we find that our beloved Anna Maria Island is a very different place,” Sillars said. “Not that change is a bad thing, but the resort atmosphere has taken precedence.
“It seems that anything goes.”