After months, weeks, days and hours, the St. Petersburg City Council's decision on the new five-colored land use map arrived Thursday evening. Their verdict? To unanimously table the issue until Florida voters make their decision in November on the "Hometown Democracy" Amendment 4, which requires voter approval on any change to a local land use plan.
Before the meeting began Thursday, protesters in favor of Hometown Democracy and against the city's plan waved signs outside City Hall. Hometown Democracy campaign manager Mitch Kates set up a table and chairs on the corner of Fifth Street between First and Second Avenue North. On top, he placed signs reading "Reserved for developers, lobbyists and special interests only."
"Obviously they're trying to pull a total end run around the election process which reinforces why there is a need for Amendment 4," Kates said. "This amendment came on the ballot as a result of a citizen initiative, so just let it play out."
In July, the new comprehensive land-use map was revealed in its first public meeting at city council. But the map would have been implemented without a public referendum, in the same way an ordinance is passed. The idea was proposed by Councilman Karl Nurse, one of many elected officials fearing the possible impending doom of Amendment 4. The map would reduce the city's land use categories from 22 to 5.
The state's Department of Community Affairs (DCA) voiced serious concerns about the legality of the city's plan. DCA stated there was no legal base or authority for the city to adopt the comprehensive plan. Thursday night, the city administration recommended in its presentation that the Council not adopt the amendment.
Thursday before the Council's vote, Mayor Bill Foster voiced opposition to the city's amendment until voters decide the fate of Hometown Democracy in November. Foster said Thursday he would consider vetoing the proposal if the Council approved it.
"We are pleased to hear the Mayor has reconsidered the proposal.We recognize the good intentions of all the parties here to improve the comprehensive plan and process, but we do see this as being a major change to our comprehensive plan, collapsing 22 categories into 5," Will Michaels, president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA), said at Thursday's meeting.
CONA has been vocal in opposition to the plan. Michaels noted that the land use plan currently in place involved the public in the process much more than the proposed amendment.
"It may be that our current plan would be further improved by consolidation of some land use categories, but that is not yet clear to many of us and what is proposed might not be the best mix," Michaels said.
For council members, opinions changed little on Amendment 4, but on Thursday a shift in the tides on acting precipitously seemed prevalent.
"I think there has been a lot of trust broken with citizens, but not with this City Council and not in St. Petersburg. So no matter what happens in November, I think we can come back and talk to you all about this and I think we'll have a strong case," Councilman Steve Kornell said.
Nurse admitted that even with the simplified plan, many of the changes would still go to referendum.
"In the last five years, 22 of the 25 amendments would spill into the simplified plan and go to referendum, and nine of those were less than an acre," Nurse said," I don't know what the solution is. I guess we have to think about this some more and we'll have to talk about this another day.
Council saved the issue of the land use map for last at Thursday's meeting. That was after taking a short break around 7:30, and not discussing the issue until after 9 p.m. which left few activists and community members opposing the measure present.
St. Petersburg residents shouldn't take a deep breath just yet, as the Council made clear that if Amendment 4 passes in November they will take up this issue again.
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2010.