For sale: diminished water views.
Hearing complaints of devalued homes and blocked waterfront views, Holmes Beach commissioners said they would be willing to work with Westbay Point & Moorings residents to “soften” the look of two new canopies at lifts on the dock at the city’s 63rd Street boat ramp.
Westbay resident Patricia Reed spoke March 2 against the boat canopies, saying they block her “magnificent view” of Watson’s Bayou.
“Now, all we see are bland canvases that horribly obstruct the gorgeous view that once greeted us as we opened our front door,” Reed said.
No one has any problem with the boats or the lifts, “but the canopies must come down,” she said.
The canopies protect West Manatee Fire Rescue and the Holmes Beach Police Department boats and were approved and permitted by the city in November 2016.
A March 2 letter to Mayor Bob Johnson and the city commission from Westbay Point & Moorings Condominium Association Phase III states, “The residents of Westbay have authorized the board to engage legal counsel, if necessary, to compel the city to remove these two boat canopies.”
The city code prohibits boathouses and boat covers in residential districts.
But city attorney Patricia Petruff told the commission March 2 the property where the dock is located is city-owned and the canopies are allowed.
“If the property is zoned residential … no boathouse or other covering would be allowed,” Petruff said. The city-owned property is adjacent to both the public waterway and the residential property, she added.
City planner Bill Brisson wrote in a Feb. 22 memo to Petruff the prohibition does not apply. The dock is in a public waterway that is near the residential district, but is not associated with the adjacent land.
Police Chief Bill Tokajer said the boats are worth “a lot of money” and the city did its due diligence to determine the canopies are “legally permissible.”
“I think it’s a safety issue for our boats,” he told commissioners.
Commissioner Marvin Grossman apologized to Westbay residents for not having been to their property to see the boat canopies.
“One person being disturbed to me is one person too many,” said Grossman, who said he wants to look through the windows at Westbay. “I hope we can fix this for you.”
Commission Chair Judy Titsworth said the ordinance makes “clear sense,” but the intent was for the canopies to be “low-profile” and not block views.
“It was supposed to be one of those covers that’s easy to live with,” Titsworth said.
An option, she suggested, could be to change the color to dark green.
Commissioner Jean Peelen suggested finding a different placement for the boats, but Commissioner Carol Soustek said the location is “ideal.”
“I’d hate to lose two valuable boats that have been put in to serve the people of this island,” she said. “It’s important to me to have these boats where they can scoot out that inlet and into the Gulf without any problem,” said Soustek, who also offered to visit Westbay residents in their homes.
West Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Tom Sousa said a solution might be to lower the canopies a foot or 2 feet.
“Our objective is to try to protect taxpayer dollars by preserving equipment as long as we possibly can,” Sousa said. “We don’t want this to be a problem.”
During the discussion, Westbay resident Robyn Kinkopf made a public outburst before leaving the commission chambers.
Commissioners reached a consensus to hire a surveyor to determine if the canopy location is legal. Titsworth also directed Tokajer to price a different color canvas before the next work session.
“If we work together to try to find a solution, I think it will best serve everyone,” she said.
Commissioners will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach.