Board of Adjustment and Appeals meeting on 09/03/2025 - Sep 03, 2025

And welcome to the September 3rd Pinellas County Board of Adjustment and Appeals. We've received all of your cases in advance, and in some cases we've visited the sites. Members, I would ask you at the beginning of the case, if you have visited the site, to state that before the case begins. Please understand we do not bring these cases. We are citizens tasked with weighing the evidence submitted in order to make the most informed decision possible. We have no personal interest or stake in the cases except for the overall good of the community. In each case, the staff has made a recommendation. That recommendation is input only and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of this board. If you're planning to speak for or against any application, you must be sworn in prior to testifying. If you've not been sworn in, please do so now with the clerk at the front of the room. Here's how we'll proceed. Your case will be called by staff. When your case is called, please come forward to the podium in the front of the room. Give us your name and your address. The applicant will then present their case, including any comments from supporters in attendance. Comments from supporters should be new information, not just an expression of support. The applicant may display the volume of support by a show of hands. Speakers will have three minutes each. Opponents will then be given an opportunity to state their objection. If there are numerous opponents, it would be preferable for them to select one or two spokespersons. Otherwise, speakers will have three minutes each. Any subsequent objectors should add new information, not just repeat prior stated objections. Opponents may also display the volume of objections by objectors by a show of hands. This will be the only opportunity for opponents to state their side. Then the applicant will return to the podium for the sole purpose of rebutting the comments made by the opponents and may not bring any new information at that time. We will then close the public hearing. The board will discuss the case and vote on it. Our attorney will now provide additional information for our procedures. Thank you, Mr. Chair. The matters heard by the Board of Adjustment and Appeals are quasi-judicial in nature. Please note that only competent, substantial, fact-based testimony or evidence may be considered by the board in deciding the matters before it. Pure speculation or opinion, not based on competent facts, cannot be legally considered by the board. Lay testimony with fact-based support, including but not limited to meeting minutes, surveys, engineering reports, etc., may be considered competent and substantial evidence. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Mr. Scherterbeck, you want to call the first case? Hi. Good morning. Our first case is VAR-25-09. This is a variance request to allow for the construction of an approximately 360-square-foot detached carport, having a 7-foot side setback from the western property line, where 15 feet is required, and in the RE zone for the property located at 12964 74th Avenue North in unincorporated Seminole. The staff recommends conditional approval. So the subject property is a .69-acre lot improved with a one-story detached single-family residence in the unincorporated Seminole area. So the owner is proposing to construct this carport closer to the western property line than what is normally allowed. It's the applicant's intention to install the detached carport for his RV to provide shade and protection from the elements. The applicant has submitted architectural elevations, which complements the roof color of the existing single-family home. Also, the height of the proposed carport does not appear to be taller than the height of the home. The design of the detached carport appears to meet the intent of the residential accessory structures and use section. This property has a lot of natural features on it that would limit the placement of the accessory structure. The applicant would like to avoid disturbing the existing vegetation and, you know, preserve the existing trees on site. The applicant also intends to install an environmental screen to conceal the detached carport from view. Additionally, the applicant has already planted vegetation along the property's frontage to enhance screening and ensure privacy. The, again, staff recommends conditional approval with all permits and fees. The carport should not be enclosed. If there is any modifications to the carport, it would require to come back here to the Board of Adjustment Appeals and then all other setbacks to be met. Thank you. Your name and address, please. My name is Tom Hurst. I live at 12964 74th Avenue in Seminole, Florida, 33776. Thank you. Are there any objectors here for this case? I see none. Okay. Anybody here want to make a motion? You want to hear the applicant? We don't. We're good on the hearing. Thank you for the packet. I'm going to make a motion to approve based on the findings that have been submitted as well as the county's approval for conditional or recommendation for conditional approval. We have a motion for conditional approval in accordance with the findings of fact as outlined in the staff report. Is there a second? I'll second. We have a second. I see no objectors here. Is there any further discussion by the Board? All in favor signify aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. You have your variance. Thank you, sir. I oppose. We have one opposed. I'm sorry. You have your variance. The vote is 5 to 1. Mr. Scherterbeck, next case. Next case is TY2-25-08. This is a request for a modification of a previously approved type 2 use to allow for the following to occur on the 22.13 acre portion of the facilities-based recreation wellhead protection overlay zone property located at 3631. Old Keystone Road in East Lake Tarpon, Old Keystone Road in East Lake Tarpon. Three requests are the addition of three new soccer fields for a total of five soccer fields to exist where section 138-1110.3 of the code requires a type 2 use approval for a site containing more than three. The addition of new site lighting for nighttime use where the FBR zoning district requires a type 2 use approval for nighttime lighting for sports fields or courts that operate during non-daylight hours. And three, the removal of the conditions associated with the prior BA approval in 09 as it relates to site lighting, leak play, concession stands, and operation time. Staff recommends conditional approval. The subject property is just under 100 acres. It's developed with two soccer fields, a parking lot on a portion of the site. It's owned by Pinellas County, and the soccer fields are operated by East Lake Recreation. The site previously received BA approval in 2009 to allow for the installation of two soccer fields and associated sport facilities with the following conditions of site plan review. No lighting, no amplified speakers or other devices, no concession stands, and use of the fields shall occur between 8 a.m. and sunset Monday through Sunday. In 2010, the site was rezoned from Agricultural State, which is our current residential agriculture, to the facilities-based recreation, which specifically recognized facility-based recreation activities as a permitted use. The remaining portion of the property, which is along the south end of the property, was proposed as preservation conservation in recognition of the existing environmental features and also to buffer the soccer fields, and also to buffer the soccer fields to the residential to the south. The applicant today proposes the addition of three new soccer fields, a small structure which would house restrooms and concessions, expansion of the parking lot, and relocation of the existing volleyball court. Again, per the code in the FBR zoning district, five soccer fields will require a type 2 use approval. Also, site lighting requires type 2 use approval. And then those conditions I outlined above, which have to do with lighting, amplified speakers, concessions, and the time frame, they're looking to remove those as well. They submitted a concept plan showing the proposed setbacks and lighting features for the soccer fields, with the combination of the current environmental buffers, which will ensure compatibility with the adjacent residential properties. Additionally, an operational plan has been included illustrating the proposed operation, hours of operation for the facility. Again, staff recommends conditional approval requiring a new site plan, all permits and fees, all other requirements of the FBR land development code section must be met. And in addition, there's the East Lake Rec has a license agreement with the county to use this property. If that needs to be amended, we need to have that before site plan approval. Your name and address, please. My name is Julia Burrows. I'm at 1502 West Blatcher, Suite 102, 101. Okay. Are there objectors here for this case relative to the soccer fields? Yes, we do have some objectors in the back. Please go ahead and tell us what it is you're trying to do, over and above what Mr. Schroederback has already told us. I had seen some things that I was going to respond to, but if they want to speak first, I'm happy to let them speak first. I'd rather have you present the case first, and then we'll let them state their objections. You can come back to rebut their objections. Okay, absolutely. We designed this with the community in mind. Having the rec centers, I think, you know, supports community, and we were looking to preserve the ecosystem as much as possible. We have a lot of wetlands on this site, and the way that we had placed our fields, our proposed fields, we're looking to avoid any impact to those wetlands, and then also, of course, stay out of that preserve area on the south completely. We don't want to have any access off of Keystone Road, and our lighting would follow local lighting code. We wouldn't have any spill onto any other adjacent properties, as well as that lighting would be completely shut off by 10 p.m. Give us an idea of where the abutting residential neighbors are relative to this site. I know you front on Keystone Road, so any neighbors on the south of Keystone Road are significantly removed from the site by the road and all that. What about the northeast and west of the site? On the east side, there is about a 379-foot buffer from where we're trying to propose anything to the property line. On the north side, there's existing soccer fields up there. They're about 80 feet off the road. Our new development would be over 300 feet away from the road. And then on the west side, it is over 800 feet. Over 800 feet from your property line? From the property line. And how far from the property line are the nearest neighbors to the west and to the east? On the west side, across the street, is greater recreational use. There's more fields over there. On the north side, it's mostly, I think, agricultural, and then there's one, I think, treatment facility there. On the east side, we have a well head that we're close to, and then it's some more pastoral land. Of course, across Old Keystone, I think, is more. So there are no neighbors living in residential facilities that are immediately abutting the property lines of the site? Not that I'm aware of. Okay. Any questions of the applicant before we ask for the objectors? All right, let's hear from the objectors, and you can come back to rebut their comments. You've got to come up. Unless you brought your own microphone, you need to use ours here. Your name and address, please. Thank you so much. I'm Cher Gottman. I live at 3710 Old Keystone Road. I'm Daisy Fasho. I live at 3686 Old Keystone Road. Our properties are south of their planning to put the soccer field. So what we're concerned is with the lighting, now the music, the lack of parking, that then people will try for tournaments to park, you know, on the road. That's what they do right now sometimes, and so we're right here across where they are planning to put the soccer field. So that's our concern, lighting until 10 p.m. It's an agricultural residential. Most of our neighbors have animals, and that's why we choose to purchase and own those residents. So that's our concern and our objection. Which lots are yours? Can you point to them? We have right here. These two. And how far back from the road does your houses sit? Not that far. And I have farm animals, and so they're going to be directly affected by the lighting. I wrote a little something. Do you mind if I read it explaining what I said? Okay, so I live right across from Old Keystone Road, and every day my family and I see deer, turkeys, gopher tortoises, and so many other animals that call land to this home. And to our neighbors, this is not just empty land. It's really a living ecosystem and a peaceful place and part of our community. And the preserve is one of the few remaining habitats in our county where wildlife can thrive. We see the gopher tortoises, deer, wildlife, and so many bird species. They depend on this land, and once this habitat is destroyed, it's really gone forever, and no amount of soccer fields can replace that. And Pinellas County has already lost so much natural land, and this preserve is really irreplaceable. And we're already in a wetland area, and this preserve is essential to managing the water levels, preventing flooding, and filtering stormwater naturally. And replacing it with paved fields would increase runoff, overwhelm stormwater systems, and create costly long-term drainage issues. With hurricanes and heavy rains becoming more frequent, this land provides critical natural protection. And it also serves as a cooling and green space in a warming city, and it's something we all rely on. I mean, we live on a wetland. My house floods all the time. I can't imagine what's going to happen once, you know, this comes into play. And this is where your decision also directly affects my home specifically. You know, Old Coystone Road, it's a small two-lane road. There's no sidewalks. And so the traffic on Saturdays is crazy already. It's overwhelmingly dangerous. Cars zoom by, and it becomes unsafe for children to bike. Even, you know, my own daughter was almost hit by a car there, and it was one of the scariest moments. And adding more fields will bring only more traffic and more danger and more risks for families and neighborhoods that really was not designed for this volume. And we're not just talking also about wildlife. Many of us have farm animals and pets. That's, you know, I do as well. And so the increased lights, the noise, the crowds, and the proposal includes, you know, new nighttime field lighting, which means harsh lights and flooding into our neighborhoods well past dark. I mean, they said 10 o'clock. That's super late. This will disrupt our animals and harm our nocturnal wildlife and destroy the peaceful character of our community. Combined with all the extra traffic and the noise, it's going to completely change the way that we live here. And then, you know, you said zoning and cost. The land is zoned for agriculture and should stay that way. Changing it sets a harmful precedent for all preserved land, agricultural areas in the county. There's already five soccer fields at this time. They are not always in use, and there are plenty of other developed or vacant lots in Pinellas County that could be repurposed if more fields are truly needed. And if more fields are forced into this small neighborhood road, you'll eventually need to add sidewalks, widen lanes, and create additional access to roads. And that cost far outweighs any short-term benefit, and I think that's something we have to think about long-term. So, you know, many people come here, they birdwatch, and they enjoy the preserve to take that away to strip our community of something that cannot be replaced. I please respectfully urge you to oppose this proposal because every single house on Old Keystone Road affected, we all signed a petition. Every single one of us that's going to be affected right from here to here. Every single one of us, I sent it in, signed a petition asking us, please do not put this into play because this directly affects us. We have kids, we have farm animals, and so, you know, the amounts that's going to bring into this area is going to really, really affect us. So I'm just begging you to please look at that for long-term, for short-term, for all of it. So thank you so much. And we have your petition. It was part of the packet that we received, so I appreciate that. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Would the applicant like to come back up and rebut the comments made by the objectors? We are on a site that is not zoned residential, or sorry, not zoned agricultural. I do believe that it used to be, and then over the course of what you had stated, I think it was 2010, it was marked for recreation and not, I don't want to, you know, the lighting won't spill over, and there is that preserve area on the south side that we won't be touching, as well as the wetlands. We look to preserve those entirely. Agricultural uses are on nearby areas that I think that they had looked at previously to try to do this expansion, and it didn't work out, so we're working with the county to try to try to find a good spot for this. And with the existing use there, I think it supports this. Through the site plan permit process, we were also told that we will be getting a full traffic impact study for this area. These fields are to be constructed on the north side of that lot? They are basically in the middle. In the middle. Yes. The existing fields are on the north side, aren't they? The existing fields are on the north. Sorry, is this upside down to you? No. These are the existing fields. These would be the new fields. And then this is that preserve area that we won't be touching. And how far, tell me again how far back from Old Keystone Road you are? This is about 300 feet. Okay. So that's a pretty significant buffer. I had one other concern, and that is the 10 p.m. hours during the week. I thought that that was a little late. Can the county live with something less than 10 p.m.? Nine during the week we could do, and then on our weekend days I believe. Well, weekends you're only showing seven. That's correct. I think nine, honestly, is more tolerable. Ten lights on until 10 o'clock can be disturbing. Even though I know that the light will not spill over beyond the size of this field, it's still visible in the distance. And I think we'd all be better served with shorter hours if we can accomplish that. Are there any comments, board members, questions? Who utilizes these fields? There's rec teams. No, but I mean like if we're saying we want the lights on until 10 o'clock, are adults playing at 10 o'clock? Are the children playing at 10 o'clock? I couldn't speak to how it is. Give us your name and address, please. Mark Sanders, 780 North Highland Avenue, Tarpon Springs. I'm the director of East Lake Recreation as well. Okay. So, the question was, who's using the fields? Yes. Okay. Our fields are used by primarily West Florida Flame Soccer Club and then our recreation club. So, our fields are not adequate for what we have now. We don't have enough for the volume we get. As well as where we're situated in the area with wellheads and the preserves where we can't maintain the fields at a safe playing level with just the fields we have. So, we do not have adult leagues right now. We do have some adults that use it once in a while. But our fields are used, our practices are four days a week, usually Monday through Thursday from 6.30 to 9. And then Fridays, we don't have anything going on there. Occasionally, we'll have a game. So, all the kids get out of school and then our activities kick up about 4.30, 5 o'clock until 9.10. Okay. Are there questions I can ask or that you have? Anybody have anything else they want to ask the director? So, this facility is operated by the Palm Harbor Recreation District. Yeah. It's the Palm Harbor Community Services Agency. Right. Which is an arm of the county. Correct. Pinellas County. Okay. Julie, do you want to? I will presume that the lighting will all be appropriately hooded so that it does not spill over beyond the immediate needs of the fields. We do have the code for specifically this facility-based recreation district. The outdoor lighting must be directional and low impact above and beyond our county lighting standards, which has height limits on the light poles, and you have to be shielded from adjacent residential. All right. And there was some concern from the objectors about drainage and the wetlands. I can speak to that. Yeah. We have a drainage design that we've kind of shown on our type 2 that would also go into our site plan process. Any of the additional runoff as well as the normal treatment that you're required to do through the water management district, we would all be doing. The pre-verse post runoff, we can pair for the storms that they require, which is, I think, the 25-year, 72-hour, and the 100-year, I think, 24-hour, maybe 72-hour as well. Okay. We make sure that we're not causing adverse impacts. The comment I was going to make to the objectors is that in the site plan approval process at the county, drainage is addressed, and it is required that there is no effect on neighboring properties from the development activities, that all drainage must be contained within the site and not affect neighboring properties. So that will be addressed at staff level in the approval process during the site plan approval of the facility. And I presume the county is comfortable as to the concern about native habitat, wetland habitat. Yes, they did provide in their backup their environmental documentation report, go for tortoise survey. We did have a pre-application meeting with them to discuss as part of the site plan. You know, we'll have to identify the wetlands, that specific buffering around wetlands area, staying out of that 300-foot preserve area on the south, which that will all be captured on. But just our preliminary pre-application meeting, there was, some of that was addressed, so they know it's got to be done during site plan. Okay. Would anybody care to make a motion, take any action? Actually, I have a question, maybe best served for Keith. Assuming if this goes through and now we've got all fields being used up to whatever time we decide and there's concessions and there's fans and there's all this other noise, any concerns about the decibel level creeping over into the neighbors? Is that something that you can simulate prior to or is that once it's done, it's done, and then we have to adjust or remediate accordingly? As far as code enforcement goes, if we got a complaint about excessive noise, this is the, I don't want to say the quagmire, but we would, because it's a county-owned field, if the county is in violation of the noise, we would get with real estate management or whoever is directly responsible and tell them there was an issue. My guys would go out and take a reading. Again, with light trespassing, too, if there's an issue with the lighting, we would definitely go out and look at that if somebody was complaining about it. But, again, because it's a county property, we would go through the county, basically, and tell them, you know, what the issues are first, you know, with that. But my crew would definitely go out there, and any complaints that we get, we're going to go out and do what we have to do to get it rectified. Okay. But we don't have anything pre, like I can't go out there and send my guys, yeah, having a soccer game. I mean, we would have to know when it's going on, and then we would take it. And, you know, we just follow the rules. I mean, we don't care who it is. We're going to go out, and if it's a violation of the law or the ordinance of the code, we're going to take action. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. For lighting, we can look at a photometric plan as part of the site plan review to, I know that's not exactly what's out there, but at least to get a direction, I'll make sure the lights are being shielded and directed properly. It's a pleasure of the board. Anybody? Bueller? I'll make a motion to approve based on the recommendations of staff and their staff report. In accordance with the findings of fact? Yes. Does that include the adjustment to limit hours to 9 p.m. on weekdays? Yes. Okay. Then we have a second. And so we have a motion by Mr. Sierra, second by Ms. Vaughn. And that is to approve the application with modification of hours to 9 p.m. And that was the only modification we made. Correct. And is there any other discussion on the motion? Hearing none, I'll call for a vote. All in favor, signify aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? Nay. The motion passes 5 to 1. Thank you. I was. Yep. Since the next two cases are related, would you like me to read them together and then we can cover them? Yes. That would be excellent. Okay. So the first one is TY2-25-09. This is a type 2 use request to allow for an event venue, meeting hall, and other community assembly facility, and for the installation of a 12-inch high barbed wire strand on an existing 6-foot high chain link fence for the RA zone property located at 1850CR193 in unincorporated Clearwater. Staff's recommendation is conditional approval. The subject property is approximately 26 acres, developed with a single-family home and residential accessory structures. The property is owned by the Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park. Sylvan Abbey currently has an existing Celebration of Life facility to the north of the subject property on Sunset Point Road, which they are outgrowing that space, so the applicants stated the need for space has dramatically increased and for the current Celebration of Life facility. The applicant seeks also to broaden the permitted uses to host a range of events with the utilization of the current single-family residence to address the growing demand for local event space. In addition, the applicant is seeking type 2 use approval for the after-the-fact barbed wire fence located along the perimeter of the subject property. The 6-foot high chain link fence with barbed wire was installed by the prior tenant of the facility, so the previous owner of the property installed the fence, which then meets our criteria for the to be able to apply for after-the-fact. No new construction is being proposed currently as the existing facility is on site to appear to be sufficient for these events. Event activities will be adequately buffered and screened from the abutting residential properties, thereby preventing any further nuisance from nearby residents. Approvals subject to conditions, fees, required fees and permits, an appropriate site review, the specific use standards for meeting halls, community assembly facilities, compliance with the noise ordinance, compliance with temporary uses, and compliance with our screening and buffering requirements. The second case on this site is VAR 25-10. This is a request for an after-the-fact variance to allow for a 6-foot high chain link fence with 12-inch high barbed wire strands to remain, where 3 feet is the maximum height allowed for a non-decorative fence within the front setback area for the RA's own property located at 1850 CR 193. Staff recommends conditional approval. The barbed wire fence was installed several years ago by a prior tenant of the property. The setback variance for the after-the-fact chain link fence with the barbed wire strands is being requested for the eastern portion of the subject property along the County Road 193 right-of-way, where 3 feet is the maximum height allowed for a non-decorative fence within the front setback area. The applicant has provided a fence exhibit which illustrates the proposed location and setbacks provided for the fence with barbed wire. There, it's the applicant's intention to retain the fencing to secure and protect the feature of the existing property if future special events were to occur on the property. So the variance for the fence height is only for the portion that encroaches into the front setback area. Once you get into that setback, you can have up to a 6-foot high fence of any kind. When you're within that front setback, we have requirements of a 3-foot height since it's a non-decorative fence. So there's a portion as it comes along County Road 193, which is where the entrance, there's a gate. It comes at an angle, the fence, the gate meets the setbacks, but there is a portion that jogs in and into the setback area. And then the barbed wire, to have barbed wire on a fence that's not an agricultural use does require the Type 2. So the barbed wire is part of the Type 2. It's existing. They're not looking to add any additional. So those two, the fence is existing. It's an after-the-fact. The barbed wire is existing after the fact. The new request is for the event venue. And I'll answer any questions that clear any of that up if needed. So it's not an event venue right now? No, it was a residential house was the use. My understanding, the applicant could probably provide additional detail, is that the property had a long-term lease to a resident who lived there and who passed away. And now that has turned back over to Sullivan Abbey and their intention is to use this because their current space along Sunset Point they feel is not adequate enough to host these events. Thanks. For disclosure, I did visit the site. I just have a question because when I visited the site, the only access, I couldn't see the house because the only access is County Road 193 and that entry drive from 193 goes up to the fence, which kind of surprised me because it seemed to me like that fence was set back far enough from 193 that it wouldn't require a variance. But I guess there's a piece of it because it's on a curve where you start around the curve. There is a small portion that encroaches. It's not the entire fence where the gate is that meets the setback. So it would be just to the left of the gate as you're looking at where it angles into the setback area. Yeah. So for what it's worth, the house itself that's there isn't visible from any access road. You have to be able to get onto the interior drive, which I was unable to do because it was gated, in order to see the building. So it's buried back in there in case anybody's wondering. Let's go. Good morning, Mr. Chair, board members. Katie Cole with the law firm of Hillward Henderson representing the property owner and applicant, Sylvan Abbey. This is owned by SE Combined Services. We have a PowerPoint and then, which I'm handing, which Renee is handing out to the board that was provided in advance. In addition to the PowerPoint, we're also providing a traffic statement and a few extra slides that we're supplementing the PowerPoint with that didn't get in the electronic version that was uploaded for you today. So I also, at the time in our presentation, we'll introduce Becca Bond, traffic engineer, who will testify, and we'll ask to be qualified as an expert with respect to transportation and traffic services. If we can have the PowerPoint up. So, as Mr. Schotterbach stated, Sylvan Abbey Cemetery is approximately 110 acres on the north and south side of Sunset Point Road. The estate property was subject to a long-term ground lease for the residence of a prior owner, and the applicant's ownership was cleared of that encumbrance at her death in 2022 and the subsequent termination of that ground lease. The property is zoned residential agriculture, and the lot itself that's subject to this application is approximately 24 acres. The land use designation is and always has been institutional, which matches the balance of the cemetery designations. The lot currently contains a 14,500-square-foot home outdoor pavilion and detached structures with a totaling 22,000 square feet on the property. This is an aerial view of the estate. Many of the homeowners that are here on the south side of the property are those that are here to speak about the fence and the events, and then those that you receive letters with respect to the transportation and County Road 193 are not shown, their neighborhood's not shown on this aerial. In 2014, the County and this Board did approve a special exception at the time. The code has changed since then with respect to two of the parcels on Sunset Point Road, the establishment of the Celebration of Life Center, and the funeral home there. Since that approval, all of the properties except for this one have been subsequently annexed into the City of Clearwater. The northern cemetery and one parcel on Sunset Point were recently annexed just last month into the City of Clearwater. This parcel, there is an annexation agreement, but until there's a proposed cemetery use, there was not a need to annex it, there's not a need for utilities, et cetera. So the City of Clearwater simply said, let's let it remain in the county for now, so. There are two requests today, the variance requests for the setback. Here is a picture of the entrance road that Mr. Baumstein spoke about and the fence. Our best research, and we discussed this with DRC, is that the fence and the barbed wire fence were constructed at the same time as the home, around 1986 or 1988. As Mr. Schotterbach said, barbed wire fence was permitted on agricultural properties, and so we can only presume, because neither the county nor the applicant could find these records, that at the time there was no extraordinary approval necessary for the barbed wire. It just was built in conjunction with the home. This is an aerial that I think, or the site plan, and excuse my color drawing, since there are no new improvements. We did not have an engineer prepare formal site plans for this, but the blue line is the existing chain link fence that is proposed to remain. The area on, to the right of the photo, where it intersects with County Road 193, is the area subject to the variance. So just to be very clear, on the south side of the property, there is another fence that is a perimeter fence, and that is the fence that's visible, I think, from some of the neighbors that they see. Could you point to that? Oh, you can't. I can't. I was wondering if I can. No, you can't. Oops, I just turned it off. I have another actual... Yeah. I can see where it is. If you all look, it's parallel to the lot line on the south, and it goes from at the midpoint to the left boundary. We want to change the overhead. This is the existing regular fence. Here's the chain link fence. Okay, when you say regular fence, like a vinyl fence or something? Chain fence. Chain link fence. A link fence, not barbed wire. Okay, it's a chain link fence without barbed wire. Correct. Okay. Correct. To be clear, only because I saw it, the barbed wire, this is not like a jail barbed wire that's coiled. This is one of those little angled things that has three strands of barbed wire. I believe in the application there was a cut sheet that showed that, but yes, you're right. So this is the area of the variance request here at the intersection of where 193 turns. The existence of the remaining barbed wire fence. This is just some pictures from the site, the gazebo, the garage pavilion. And at this point, I would like to introduce Amy Fee with Sylvan Abbey. We're going to go through some of the criteria of approval, but we thought it would be good to show you a video from one of the events. So Amy, if you can introduce yourself and your role. Amy Fee, 1 Harbor Woods Drive Safety Harbor. And did you take the video that we're going to show from May 18th? Yes. And can you show on this overhead where you were standing approximately when you took the video? Yes, I was standing approximately right here. Inside the barbed wire fence. Oh, yes. We didn't see it. Oh, the overhead is not showing you. Right here. Okay. On the south side. Okay. Okay. I'm supposed to just be able. And that's, there's an event going on there? There is a live event there, yes. So, the request is for a type 2 use meeting hall in existence of the barbed wire on the residential property, also the service of alcohol, which is provided by a caterer. To your question, Mr. Holloway, at the time that the Sylvan Abbey obtained clear ownership of the property, they did start to host some events there and were cited by code enforcement for the same, which is what precipitated this. There have been maybe a dozen events in the past year on the property, and waiting for this process to go through. So, to be clear, this property or this building is not accessible from the funeral home property? There is no current accessibility from the funeral home property. It's only accessible on 193. So, the only access to this is off of the side road 193? Correct. Okay. So, in working with staff with respect to the organization of what events or things could happen here, there are limitations because of both the church and the school that are on the east side of the property line with respect to outdoor service, indoor service, and alcohol service. So, the applicant has agreed and consistent with the staff report's recommendations to limit outdoor events to within the orange area here, and the pink area would be where alcohol service area indoors would be available, and the alcohol service area in the orange there. Is there any approximate dimension from the south boundary line to the orange tent or to where that building? Yes. Would you call that the garage building or something? It's a pavilion, I think. Pavilion? Yes. If I can find my notes, I apologize. It was approximately, the south boundary line to there was approximately 300 feet. Okay. It was in the narrative. I apologize. Okay. I'll put that on my list. Is there any limitation proposed on the number of uses per month, year? There is not a current proposed limitation. The applicant has proposed some limitations with respect to hours of operation, ensuring that the gate is open during events, and having staff along the fence line to measure sound and such. So if there was a number of event limitation, I think we would be open to that. I think one of the interesting things, I'll have Ms. Bond come up because the traffic kind of tells the story about the intensity of the events. One of the main concerns of the neighbors is, of course, the coexistence with the church and the school in its events. And this facility with a maximum occupancy of events of about 200 people really does not significantly contribute to the traffic on 193 or add that intensity. So the number of events, I think, is certainly open. It's an interesting concept. I was recalling when we were here in 2014 asking for approval of the Celebration of Life Center with the funeral home because it was a very unique request at the time. But – and Ms. V can speak more to this specifically. But the evolution of these centers is that, you know, as people have moved away from non-religious funerals or other opportunities to have important celebrations, they're looking for facilities in which to do that. So not only has it been used for celebrations of life, but also weddings, both interior and exterior, other important life events. So with that, I'll invite Ms. Vaughn. Becca is a transportation engineer with Kim Lee Horn with eight years of – over eight years of civil engineering experience. And they did a specific traffic study of – or traffic analysis looking at County Road 193. We received many of the letters of opposition from the neighbors, thought it was important to look at factually what's going on out there. So you have a copy of that traffic statement and a recap of those slides in your packet. All right. Good morning. Ms. Cole? Yes. Were you going to offer her as an expert? Yes. I would like to offer her as an expert. So is her CV in the packet? It was not, but I can hand it to you. Okay. It doesn't have to come to me. It just needs to be somewhere in the record or – if she could – if she could speak a little bit more detail. I could speak more detail. Because we'll have to have a quick motion and vote to recognize her as an expert. Absolutely. So Rebecca Bond, transportation engineer, licensed professional engineer in the state of Florida. I have eight years of experience working on traffic impact analysis and other transportation studies. Any additional detail, I'm willing to provide if you have questions. Okay. The Board will recognize Ms. Bond as an expert in transportation. Yeah. If there's a consensus, if there's any objection, it just needs to be noted for the record? If we're going to do it by consensus? Okay. Yes. Thank you. Appreciate your time. Sure. Thank you. Good morning. In order to analyze the impact of traffic generated by this change in use, we started by calculating the project trip generation potential. Typically, the industry standard is to use the Institute of Transportation Engineers' ITE Trip Generation Manual. However, that manual does not provide a use and data specific to the event use proposed for this site. Therefore, a trip generation potential was calculated based on the maximum guest occupancy of 200 people. Based on a technical report prepared by Florida Department of Transportation's Forecasting and Trends Office, the calculated vehicle occupancy factor for Pinellas County is 1.54 occupants per vehicle. Therefore, it's anticipated that there will be 130 vehicles maximum for that 200 guest capacity. It is expected that the arrival and departure for each event will be more than one hour apart. Therefore, the anticipated trip generation for the events facility is 130 vehicles per hour. That represents 130 inbound trips before a maximum occupancy event and then 130 outbound trips after a maximum occupancy event. I'm going to flip slides here. To determine the project's impact on the existing roadway network, we calculated 72-hour traffic counts. Those were collected along County Road 193 from Friday, August 29th through Sunday, August 31st. All volumes were adjusted to peak season conditions, and then the peak one hour for each day was then determined. The table shown here summarizes the existing traffic volumes, and it should be noted that the existing uses along County Road 193 include the Sunset Point neighborhood, an assisted living boarding house, the Castle Woods neighborhood, St. Mary and St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church, Paul B. Stephen School, and a single residential home. The church holds various events and club meetings throughout the week with the main church services scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays, and the school has operating hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. So the Sunday volume increase is related to church activities? Correct. Okay. Correct. So existing volume shown here, you'll see that Sunday across the board, whether it's the daily, the peak hour one way, or the peak hour two way, is the highest of those three weekend days. And we looked at those weekend days because it's often that those maximum occupancy events are most likely to occur on those weekends. So using the anticipated project trip generation and the existing count data, we conducted a roadway capacity analysis to determine if County Road 193 could accommodate the anticipated traffic with the available roadway capacity. The roadway capacity was calculated based on FDOT's 2023 Multimodal Quality Level of Service Handbook and an assumed C4 context classification to allow for a conservative analysis. There are a few different context classifications based on the characteristics of this roadway that it could fall under. We used C4 because that was the lowest. So basically the most conservative estimate for comparison of purposes. Per the Pinellas County comprehensive plan, the county's adopted level of service standard is level of service D for peak hour traffic and a V over C ratio of below 0.9. That's a volume to capacity ratio. As shown in the table here, County Road 193 is anticipated to operate acceptably within the adopted level of service and with V over C ratios below 0.9 for both the one-way directional and two-way scenarios for each of the three weekend days. Therefore, County Road 193 is anticipated to have adequate capacity to support the proposed use based on the standards in the Pinellas County comprehensive plan. Thank you, Becca. To answer your question specifically, Mr. Baumstein, in the narrative response were these numbers, but my PDF skills didn't allow me to put them on page, so I apologize. It's approximately 200 feet from the outside boundary of the southernmost gazebo to the property line, 625 feet to the east, 425 feet from the edge of the building here. So, 625 to here, 200 to here. Okay. I also wanted to just show the scope of the property here. This is the zoning map. This is the parcel. This was in the application, which is included in your evidence packet. This is the parcel that is subject. This is the existing funeral home here. These two parcels are the two parcels which were recently annexed into the city of Clearwater. And so, this is the entirety of the Sylvan Abbey facility here. The scope of the variance, and I apologize we're skipping around a little bit, but I know that the variance has some specific criteria, but the main concern, I think, is of the type 2 use for the events, so I wanted to spend some time there. But I don't want to be remiss in showing you that the scope of the variance is, as Mr. Schroederbach said, immediately here at the turn of 193. There's approximately a 40-foot setback at the entrance road to that gate, or to the fence line, and then there is zero feet at the actual intersection. The application went through each of the considerations of the variance criteria regarding the after-the-fact variance. Can you tell us more about that road 193, where it goes, and does it allow for through traffic? Sure. I think Beckham might want to respond specifically to that. I don't have an area now. But County Road 193 does not have through traffic. It dead ends. It comes off of Sunset Point and then turns around the church and then dead ends into the neighborhood of many of the people who I presume are here today who wrote you about access into their neighborhood. So the only uses are the two neighborhoods, one of which has access on Sunset Point, one doesn't. The church, the ALF, Paul B. Stevens School, one other single-family home, and then this. And I think that's recapped in Ms. Bond's report as well. So people leaving the event would not have to go through the residential neighborhood to get out to exit in any way? Correct. There would be no reason. We still have this PowerPoint on our screens. Can we flip? Sorry, I don't know. Okay. In this map, this aerial is in the application that's in your packet. So this is County Road 193 here. This is the access point into this property. It goes around here, County Road 193, all the way here to this neighborhood. So if you're coming or going from any event into this property, there would be no need or ability to go anywhere else. So you would have a right turn into the property and a left turn out of the property. So you would turn left, go up 193 to Sunset Point to exit? Either turn right or left, yes. Okay. I do know Ms. Bond or Mr. Charvat can speak more specifically. I know some of the neighbors also requested a traffic light here. I believe that's beyond the scope of this board. Certainly, I don't think we would object or mind if the county or city felt that it met warrants for a traffic light there. So that obviously is something that's not on the table today. Fortunately, we don't deal with traffic lights. Right. So with that, we do know that there are concerns just of the scope of the events. And just to be clear, the events have not been past 10 p.m. And on the website, it will say any of the contracts for events conclude by 10 p.m. Vendors and guests are all off property by 11, you know, by the time the event ends. And then if there's a DJ or a band or a caterer that are packed up and leave, we are open to discussing the amount of events. It's interesting because most of these events are during the daytime with celebration of life opportunities. There are weekend events for weddings. And so I don't want to mislead you and say those don't exist because they certainly do. There's also the need, as one of the neighbors pointed out, there was the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce event that was held there as a favor to the Chamber of Commerce. And I would imagine there would be other requests at such a facility so large, a large piece of property in central Pinellas County. But we would not expect more than two events in the evenings on the weekends. And then during the week, whether there would be daily celebration of life or, you know, daytime events during the day, I don't believe is your concern. But during the week, I would think there would be a limited number of other evening events. So. Okay, let's hear from the objectors who are here to speak to this. Thank you. Feel free to come on up one at a time, unless you have a designated spokesperson. Okay. Your name and address, please. Brian McClure, 2927 Sunrise Drive. So, right here. You guys can see that? It's upside down. That's all right. I'll go around the other side then. There you go. Can you see that? Yeah. Okay. So, Sunset Point neighborhood that I live in is right here. Is that access off of 193? Only 193. Okay. So, that's their first fault, unfortunately, is that they're assuming we can come in here. We cannot. Okay. Per city, we are not allowed to come in here. We can only go out here. Okay. That is all. So, where the problems arise is that when traffic comes out, CR 193. Right. It backs up all the way down, past the church to the school. It happens routinely, even without their events, because the church does meet on Wednesdays, sometimes Thursdays, Fridays for youth group events. They do hold soccer games there also. So, in a case in 2022, the city of Clearwater was considering a building increase on their property. They did their own traffic study and found... The church property? Correct. Okay. Clarifying. They found that it could not handle the amount of traffic. Castle Woods neighborhood is located right here. They are much larger than our neighborhood. They only have one way to come in and out. It's CR 193, right here, past the school, past the church, past where this potential meeting venue would be. So, you can see the concern, the lineup of traffic here. No one's proposing a light. It works without major events. Mm-hmm. But what happens on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, sometimes on Saturdays, is that it backs up. Mm-hmm. So, what ends up happening is when traffic comes to turn in and immediately hang a left into Sunset Point, uh-oh, we've got a problem. Mm-hmm. So, then what's happened is cars have backed up onto Sunset Point Road, which is a major four-lane road. Mm-hmm. That has caused issues. The other issue is coming out. It literally backs up into this neighborhood. Coming out of Castle Woods, it backs up. Now, the good news is it's only an issue occasionally, and so that's why, with the city, we've said, you know what, as long as we keep the events somewhat calm with the church, we're good. And they actually did do a better job after 2022. The church did. They heard them. And the city was like, hey, we're serious. You need to keep this calm. You need to keep it to restricted hours. You need to keep the numbers down. And they did. What we're afraid of is this not only brings in the problem again, it brings in a much larger problem. If they did a study for three days over the quietest weekend of the entire year for Labor Day weekend, it is not an example of traffic when there are church events, school events, and other major events. Even our own city and county uses that road for fun runs. And a lot of times the police will use this to come in here and go to the school, have their event, and come back out. And guess what they do when they have the events? They have about five police officers to manage traffic out here on Sunset Point Road because it's such a big deal. So one of my things, my bullet points that I wrote to you guys last week and I put as submission was why did they not propose on their own property, staying on their own property from right here to right here. They already have parking facilities, facilities that are business oriented, already district, already zoned for business right here on Sunset Point, which is meant to handle business traffic, coming ingress, egress right there. This CR 193 per City of Clearwater 2022 REZ 04004 can't handle that kind of traffic. And at night, there's no lighting right here. There's also no sidewalks. But this is a residential area. We even reached out to the county and the city years ago, said, hey, can we have a sidewalk? We were told no. So our fear is and I'm sure there will be other residents from other neighborhoods back here that talk about noise and all that. I'm not going to touch on that. I want to keep this short, sweet and simple. Our fear is right here a bottleneck. I can't get into my own neighborhood. I can't get out of my own neighborhood and neither can Castle Woods. Imagine that. And my son can't ride his bike, can't walk up and down that road because there's no sidewalk. And I know this might not seem like a big deal, but it does become a big deal because I think we know that there will be evening events. There absolutely will be. And I'm not against Sylvan Abbey. I'll probably be buried there one day. We love them as a neighbor. We love walking down to the cemetery. But this road in particular just isn't designed for this. But Sunset Point is designed for it. It's a four lane major road. So I would ask why don't they keep it in house on their own property right there. Alligator Creek runs right there. They could put a nice little cute walkway bridge, have everybody park right here, walk through. Boom. You've got a great event. Thank you. You're welcome. Next up, name and address please. My name is Jean Malnati. I live at 2909 Sunrise Drive. And I'm not going to recover part of what he just did, but I do have a few things I want to say that might cross over. On the application for rezoning, there's lettered items. Item C states that the property has adequate access from CR 193, which also supports the school, the church, which generates significantly more traffic. From what he just said, it's okay. I'll just continue with what I've got here. Item D states that the proposed use will not create excessive vehicular traffic or other traffic problems. No additional traffic issues are anticipated. Also, that one neighborhood of 12 homes, mine, has access from both CR 193 and Sunset Point Road, and that's false. We only have one access, and it is County Road 193. And as far as additional traffic issues, yes, there will be issues. This venue for various events, which won't be just celebration of life and weddings. There will be other things. And it is a business. They're going to want to make profit, which means more events. So even at a very conservative estimate of 60 cars on that road, in and out, and up to 130, which was stated, that road is just going to be a nightmare. And I like to be able to get in and out because I work, and I've taken off work to be here today. Several school buses twice a day on a general day is not the same as 130 cars backed up on that road. I will skip all this other. Lastly, it is stated in the application in item C that parking is available on site, Sylvan Abbey, in paved areas, or on the applicant's northern properties accessible off Sunset Point Road. So I would strongly suggest that Sylvan Abbey use their own parking areas and northern adjacency areas, which they mention in this proposal, and their property as the excess point to this event venue. It's off Sunset Point Road, which is a major roadway. It's not off of a two-lane, no sidewalk, small county road, which is really going to be an upset for the neighborhoods as well as mine. So I think County Road 193 is an easy solution for them, but it's not a solution. Thanks. Thank you. Anybody else? Come on. Hi. Good morning. Michelle Robinson, 1850 Castlewoods Drive. As the applicant noted, 1850 County Road 193 is surrounded on all four sides by property within the city of Clearwater city limits. Yet the city, according to a conversation I had with one of their planners, did not annex this property in July because they deemed the intended use as incompatible with the surrounding properties. And we agree with that. We believe distributing alcohol in close proximity to a church with a very active youth population is incompatible. We believe distributing alcohol on a property that abuts school property is incompatible. And the adding of potentially hundreds of car trips per day on Little Old County Road 193 is incompatible, especially if those drivers have had a couple of drinks. I have personally already encountered a drunk driver coming out of one of their events. It's scary on 193 when that happens. Hosting events with outdoor bands and DJs near our homes is incompatible. We've already heard the music going till 11. They've been having events without permission since 2023. We submitted a letter that gave you evidence of this. We've already heard about the traffic problems, but I think what's really important to note is those traffic counts that were provided to you are inadequate. They're inaccurate. I live directly next to the church. They have not had normal activity on Friday nights, which goes till 11 p.m. They are leaving. They shut down at 10. They start leaving around 10. Last car out's around 11. They also have very busy Wednesday nights and Sunday. The past two Sundays, it's rained buckets. They have not had normal activity. We've already seen firsthand the impacts of the traffic and the noise from their events. Like I said, they've been operating without permission for two years. So if you give them approval, that gives them the opportunity then to have multiple events per day on the road that we use to walk, bike, and drive to school. And then here are our kids on their bikes. I'm on my bike. We might encounter a drunk coming out of there. Not that everybody's getting drunk at every event, but we know people have drinks and they're coming out on little old County Road 193. So then you have the noise concern. As I said, we've heard it till 11. The noise ordinance is 10, right? So now we have to call the sheriff's department and we have to have law enforcement show up at a venue, which is not a good look. Nobody wants to do that. It's not good for a venue. It's bad business. But that's what we're going to be forced to do. We can hear the music now. So we urge you, well, one more, two more things, if I may. It's my understanding from talking to the city and from public records that this property is on septic. I don't know how they handle 200 person events on septic with multiple flushes and food service without harming the waterway, the basin, excuse me, that's there. It also appears they're operating as a bed and breakfast. They're offering overnight accommodations. I don't know how overnight accommodations for 20 complies with the county code. So we urge you to deny the request. We feel it's incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood and properties. As our neighbors in Sunrise said, we have trouble getting in and out of the neighborhood now. You have absolutely no idea how much traffic is generated from the church. They have parking on site for over 200 and overflow parking at the school. If there's a funeral or an event, they line the right of way. If there's a funeral, no one's going anywhere. We have to wait. The school has all kinds of events, and they do shut down County Road 193. They had the Special Olympics Torch Run that shut down 193. So we feel, though, if you feel like you need to approve this, we understand that you have within your power the ability to apply special conditions. And we would ask that you consider that to keep the noise down. We don't want to hear outdoor bands and thumping bass at 11 o'clock at night. And we know you could hear it on the causeway all the way into Safety Harbor and Clearwater when they were having music out on the causeway at midnight, and we had to work together with Hillsborough County. So we know these things happen. We also feel like you could do something to keep the traffic off 193. Great idea perhaps coming in from their own property that fronts Sunset Point. So thank you for your consideration, and I'll now turn it over to my fellow neighbors. Thank you. I have a question for staff really quick. The issue of overnight accommodations is beyond the scope of what we're doing here today, or is it? Nothing has been presented to us regarding any overnight accommodations. With the property being RA zoned, if this wanted to operate as a bed and breakfast, that would require a Type 2 use approval to come before this board. But nothing has been presented to us with this case. Type 2 use approval would require a board vote. If they get into short-term rentals or anything like that, that's a different process. It's not board of adjustment. Okay. They're just, for the record, there are advertisements of that on the website. Thank you. I was going to say that they are advertising overnight accommodations with prepackaged food on their website. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you whoEMS. Thank you. Thank you. Knew Ima. Thank you. Thank you, darker. I can see that gazebo from my backyard. I can see the lights. I can hear the music until 11 o'clock at night. They have disrupted our community as far as when they tore down all those trees, every one of our backyards floods now in rain when we didn't flood. They have disrupted the birds and the peacefulness of our little neighborhood on the backside of them, not affected by their fence or the road. So there is another community back there that is being affected, and we do hear this music, and we do know that they're having a bed more so than what they're citing. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Anybody else? I'm Soudre, 1856 Castlewoods. I appreciate in your opening remarks you made the comment for the good of the community. I struggle to see how this is good for our community. You've driven down 193. There's no sidewalks. There's no, as a matter of fact, there's basically ditches off to both sides. So if you're a pedestrian walking down that road any time of day and somebody comes zooming around the corner, you have limited opportunity to get out of the way of that vehicle. Another point I wanted to make was, what if there's an emergency? What if somebody has to get out of Castlewoods to go to the hospital? Or worse, what if there's a need to get, you know, fire equipment down 193 during an event? We've seen this. It backs up. There's, everybody's talked about it so far. But if there's an emergency where you need police or fire, that's a real problem. That's all I had. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Carol Shea. I live at 2903 Sunrise Drive. One of the things that I wanted to bring attention to is that there is no posted speed limit. And we have asked a couple of times about doing speed bumps. But it was denied because apparently the school buses would have a hard time getting over them or something like that. But anyway, there are numerous times where we have speeders. And those are just people who are trafficking, who have traffic, who are attending events presently. So if we add all of these proposed events, again, I know we're talking about traffic, but if there's any way that you can enforce a speed limit on a county road, that might help. But we have several racers that go up and down the street as well. Okay. Thank you. My name is Frank Felicetti, 292 on Sunrise Drive, Clearwater. And excuse me, I'm a neighbor of Brian. My wife and I walk on County Road 193 at night, kind of our after dinner walk. And we found that during the dozen or so, you know, valet parking events they've had kind of, you know, off the cuff. When they combine with the church events, the traffic really does back up past the school. And then if you have people coming out of Castlewood, of course, they're adding to it, you know. And I could be wrong, but I noticed the traffic study that was done did not include Castlewood. Is that right? The traffic study, did that include the Castlewood? That's a question. Okay. We'll ask that. Okay. So from what I could understand, my limited understanding, the traffic study that has been done by the applicant did not include the Castlewood neighborhood. But, you know, you're talking about, I think, 15 houses on Castlewood? Yeah, I think it's 15, right. Yeah. Oh, 17? 17 houses. So we'll let them address that. But there's not enough mass in the amount of vehicular trips on the 17 residences that it's going to really skew. Oh, okay. The way these reports are done, I get the reality versus the pure numbers that are presented in the report. 17 houses aren't going to overflow the numbers, but we'll address that. Oh, okay. It seems odd. They include, you know, Sunset Point, which is only 12 houses, but not a larger development. Okay. Yeah, that's about it. It really, you know, it's a dangerous road to walk on. And unfortunately, because of no sidewalks or anything, you know, when you get events that coincide with a St. Me and a St. Mary event, that's really when the big problems occur with traffic. Yeah. That's about it. Understandable. Thanks. Thank you. Good morning. Santel Rubin, 1886 Castlewoods Drive. I do live in one of those houses of only 17 that we're talking about here today. Our road barely can fit two cars when they're parked on either side of the road. When these events happen, we have nowhere to walk because of the lack of sidewalks in our community. And that's a city and county decision that was not up to us. From what I understand, talking to my neighbors over the years, repeatedly have been asked to have those sidewalks installed with no resolution there. When we see these events happen, those cars, as someone mentioned, they don't have the need to turn right into our community, but they do have the ability to turn right. And after an evening of alcohol beverages, I have concerns that when people turn right with very low lighting in our neighborhood, that there could be an opportunity for some person, some animal, or anything to be potentially hit by a vehicle that's not paying attention, does not know this area, as well as the residents who live there because of the low lighting and short, small roads. Thank you. Have we heard from everybody? No? Okay. Coming up. First, Gilbo, 1868 Castlewoods Drive. I just want to add a personal note on driving on 193. I've had several experiences where people come speeding down or don't pay attention to where they are on that road. It is narrow, so they cross over the center line, they come in, and it presents a significant problem for traffic. Thank you. Anybody else? Okay. Ms. Cole, did you want to come back and rebut the neighbor's concerns? Thank you. I'll have Ms. Bond speak to the technicalities of some of the traffic, and then I'll wrap up. Okay. Hello again. Becca Bond, transportation engineer with Kimley Horn. I want to answer the question that was just asked first, since it's fresh on our minds, and then I'll go and touch on some other points. Our traffic analysis was completed in response to the letters received for this hearing. So, yes, it was conducted this past weekend in order to have data for you to review today. However, we did apply FDOT's peak season conversion factor to all of those volumes that were collected, which scales up those volumes to the peak season. Those are date-specific conversion factors that take into account that it was a holiday weekend, so it's built in and adjusts up even more than it would on a typical weekend. All existing traffic, including both Sunset Point and Castle Woods, was captured in those existing counts. So, yes, all existing uses along the corridor were included in those volume counts. In response to queuing concerns along CR, along the county road, eight vehicles can queue on site with the gate closed. So, there's enough queue length before you get to the gate that eight vehicles can queue there. However, during events, as stated, the gate is to remain open, so it should be free flow into the site and allowing for additional queuing before you get to the parking lot. We did hear the concerns about the intersection of Sunset Point Road and County Road 193. If a traffic study is requested in the future, I would assume that that intersection should be included. That is the closest intersection to the development. A traffic study can determine, you know, if there are delays or volume to capacity concerns. Mitigation would be recommended within that traffic study, especially if there's queuing witnessed on to Sunset Point. Then there could be turn lanes recommended to accommodate for those queues. That, you know, this traffic study is not required at this stage, so we've provided this information for you in your decision-making, but that could be something that could be done in the future. Let me make sure I'm not forgetting anything here. I will say that there was discussion regarding the previous church application while I was not involved in that application. Churches do generate, it sounds like this church especially, does generate a lot more traffic than we're talking about for this event specifically. So it's possible that, you know, the city did determine that the road didn't have appropriate capacity for what was anticipated to be generated there, but we have calculated the trips that are anticipated to be generated by this development, and the roadway does have capacity for that. I'm here to answer any questions if you have. Any questions? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Just a few things. The evidence before you in walkthrough in both the application, the staff report, and the presentation today shows how this meets the criteria for approval within the county's code. There are specific conditions that we know the neighbors and you would appreciate, and we are open to those. There is also conditions already proposed that I just wanted to bring your attention to. One is for site plan approval, which will verify the location of the parking, the amount of queuing, the conditions that you reflect on today with respect to having that gate open. Another is the requirement for a zoning clearance for all temporary uses, which are events. So even though you're approving a Type 2 use event, that doesn't mean that this becomes a free-for-all. This means that the county still looks at all of the operational plans. That would include valet plans, where things are parking, the time of day, the operations. We know that there is a discrepancy between what has potentially happened or what our client desired to happen on this property and what our application is for, because we submitted a request to the county for a reasonable use of this property for an event space as is needed and what would be compatible with the neighborhood. So we did not ask for permission for overnight stays, despite the fact that maybe some weddings, they had desired that before. We did not ask for a wide variety of things because we were attempting to say that this is what is appropriate for the neighbors. This is a 25-acre property in the center of Pinellas County. There are buffers of more than 200 feet from any of the uses to the closest neighbor. The events contracts currently have events ending at 10, so any noise after that is incidental and certainly not the intention, but would be addressed by the ownership. The event packages would require security guards being on site and at the intersection of the entrance there, County Road 193, at the conclusion of every event, because safety is important. This is not someone who's trying to get away with something. This is something that was identified as an issue. They were unaware that as a home they couldn't host things. They had the permission on Sunset Point. So as soon as, you know, there was a code enforcement action, they proceeded to move forward to remedy that through a type 2 use and defining the parameters within that use. So based on the competent substantial evidence, specifically the traffic information that was provided with the actual counts as adjusted with the FTE, DOT, ITE, and the testimony and staff report in the application, we would respectfully request your conditional approval of this application. Thank you. Questions from the board. I have a question. So you said you had any events there before prior to this? There have been several events which the county cited for code enforcement. So have there been traffic issues with the events that you've had? According to the neighbors, they have stated that there was some queuing issues on 193. Whether that was particular conflicts of school, church, and these events, or otherwise, it would be unknown. And how many people were at those events? I think the largest event that has been there was, the average has been 80 people per event on a 25-acre parcel on a 24,000-square-foot home. Would the applicant be amenable to a requirement that in events with a crowd of more than pick a number, that off-duty police control traffic at 193 and Sunset Point? Absolutely. Make that a requirement of the tenant or of the user so that traffic can be controlled? Well, because I can see where that issue is very real to the neighbors who live there at the entrance of 193. So if there was a requirement, I don't – what number would you be comfortable with? I don't know. I understand. I understand. And unfortunately, our process does not allow for you to speak afterwards. But actually, it does, because with a traffic officer who can stop traffic on Sunset Point to allow people to exit off a 193, that would reduce the queuing significantly. So that's what I'm trying to see, if the applicant is willing to have off-duty police control traffic so that they can exit and not queue up a 193. The traffic study that was prepared was based on what our client or the applicant considered a large-scale event, which was 200 people. And so that averaged – that was an increase of traffic of 130 cars. So I think, to your point, Mr. Bonstein, would an event larger than 150 people – Too many. Too high, too high. Okay. A hundred-person event? Yeah, something like that. A hundred-person event? Yeah. That would be absolutely acceptable, because, I mean, the numbers there would be a marginal increase in traffic, but I think a hundred-person event. Okay. It would be normal. Because typically – Even if there was a large funeral across the street, you know, or a large funeral at the funeral home, generally – Provides – So that Abbey would provide security like that. And many, many churches in our community have off-duty policemen controlling traffic when church services let out. So it's not an unusual request. A hundred people would be typically 50 cars. I don't know. That may or may not be, you know. Evening events, there is already off-duty police that are on-site. And so it would be a matter of dictating where those people are. Okay. Regarding that condition, do we – can we add an officer or traffic control person to make sure that everyone exiting would be going to the left? Not down into the neighborhood? Right, to try to get a faster way out and find – I think you can do that with signage, you know, at the entry drive, just say, you know, exit with an arrow, you know, exit this way only. I know people aren't – I know people are idiots. I get it. I have a old advocate. And then I had a question about the 200 max attendees. Would that be 200 attendees and then the vendors on top of that? Yes. Catering. Yeah. And it's all off-site catering and service, so it's not – there's not an on-site staff, per se, on a regular, you know, large amount of staff. All right, got it. And following up on Jose's comment, could there be a staff person at exiting time to direct people to the left? You've got to make a left out of here. There – we can provide personal traffic control. Okay. Both on-site at the entrance and exit as well as – And you're okay with a 10 p.m. cutoff? It's currently the contractual time. Yes. Okay. I think it's key that it has to – we have to have traffic control at that main road also. Well, that's what we're – I think that's what Mr. Baumstein asked for. It was going after the Sunset Point and 193 intersection upon exit that there would be, with a crowd of 100 or more, unless you guys want a different number. I think that that works because if they had 80 and there was a problem with traffic, then 100 definitely would need that traffic control. And not to state the obvious, but sometimes I feel like I need to. There is great recognition that this is adjacent to both a school and a church who have their own events. Right. And so – and two neighborhoods. Right. Three neighborhoods, including the neighborhood to the south, but traffic-wise, the two neighborhoods. Yeah. The applicant in Sylvan Abbey certainly is aware of that, would make every effort to coordinate. They're very – they're in the business of sensitivity, so I would expect them to be regular communicators on that. Let me just address a concern raised by the first speaker, and that was the possibility of using Sylvan Abbey's property as an access point or a needless point. I think in the future, that is a possibility, and in the long-range planning for Sylvan Abbey would be a possibility. There is not currently a master plan that includes all of that property. There's also, as was noted, environmental features that separate the City of Clearwater parcels from the Pinellas County parcels. And so I think any connection there would be a potential site plan and environmental considerations, but it is certainly not outside of the realm of possibility. And I would think as Sylvan Abbey grows, changes, expands their cemetery offerings, the use of this property, the operation of this property, and the traffic flow of this property would be included in those considerations. Okay. I've got a couple questions. Okay, so we have the notice of the violation from 326, and it mentions for the operation as an event venue, which we've discussed, and then for dispensing alcohol without first obtaining or zoning clearance. Is there a specific extra clearance they have to get for that? Does that have anything to do with us, or is that just on them? No, we, since there's a school next door, we look at that, and there's a distance requirement of 500 feet. They can not dispense alcohol within 500 feet of the school or serve, so that's where their patron area, and that was noted, and we walked through with the applicant when they submitted to make sure they show that their area is limited to no alcohol within 500 feet. When it's a caterer for an event, that's usually part of the event permits when they come in for temporary alcohol, because it's not a permanent basis. They're not going to have alcohol there and serving it on a permanent basis, so it's just per event. And a lot of the caterers should be licensed with the state to be able to have that catering license for alcohol. That makes sense. And then, okay, so there's not, you don't anticipate applying for a variance for the overnight accommodations. So it just, go ahead. To be clear, I don't think it would be a variance. Okay, so whatever it is. But we don't intend to request for that permission. Okay. And it would not be offered. Okay, gotcha. So I think if we do go about approving this, I think, I don't know how we can limit this, but, you know, we've had other applicants before come in, say, we want to do this. We did it. We got in trouble. We're not doing it anymore. But nobody updates their website. And so you go on there. You can reserve whatever. It says, don't want the party to end. Upgrade to an overnight stay at the lodge and the ranch for up to 20 people. And it's just very concerning from our end because we're talking about this. And then, you know, I don't know. I feel like I don't have all the facts. You know, I feel like maybe that should not be on the website when people come in to apply because now I've got conflicting things from people and conflicting information. And it's not helpful in the analysis here. So if there's not, I believe we shouldn't advertise overnight stays if they're actually going to do them. I agree. So that's one point. So if we're not going to have that, then it makes sense. I appreciate the traffic study and the due diligence you guys did there. Let's see. Is there any timeline or point you get to in which you think about using the internal roads rather than the public road? Because I anticipate this would probably get more popular over time. Is it a consideration? Is it lip service? Have you thought about it? In a kind way. I'm not trying to be abrasive. I just, yeah. So, and that was basically what Mr. Baumstein just asked as well. So there is not a specific time frame. There are no internal roads existing. So there is a parking area and then it's about 1,500 feet, 2,000 feet between the parking area that exists on Sunset Point Road and this area. While the northern part that's in the city of Clearwater is being considered for cemetery expansion use, it's not as if new parking areas or connecting roads. There are environmental features. There's a creek and wetlands between those two parcels creating a natural break. And so I do think there would be that consideration and a desire, a timeline by which to follow that or a process would be completely speculative. Right now, it's vacant land with a lot of wetlands and marsh. Thank you. Anybody else? I have a question. Katie, I don't know if this one would be for you specifically, but maybe for Michael. The issue brought up about the septic and waste, is that accurate? And then is that something that's part of the site plan? Yeah, the property is currently on septic. We would look at this from a, if it's approved coming in, it's a change of use. It's a change of use from single-family residential to an event space. The occupancy increases. Building looks at basically for part of the building code is what was the occupancy before, what is it afterward. Is that up to the optical and tested demonstrate that they have the adequate capacity on site for the septic, or they would, you know, if there's a deficiency, how are they going to remedy that? Is there a possibility of expansion in the septic? This is City of Clearwater's utility service area, so I don't know exactly where city services are, if they could potentially connect to sanitary sewer or not. Thank you. How do you determine occupancy for a venue like that? Occupancy is usually residential by the number of bedrooms. It's based on the use. They look at the Florida Building Code, which I'm not an expert on this, so just going off of what I get told by the building officials, that they look at the occupancy. It's a type of occupancy, what it's being used for, and then, like, a maximum capacity and how that's, what, how many patrons would be there, what, then there's a calculation for how many, like, bathrooms they would need, you know, how many accessible bathrooms they would need. It would be more than residential. Yes. So probably what's there is inadequate. I don't know on this site. I don't know how many bathrooms are in this place. But occupancy is dictated by bedrooms, not bathrooms. Well, that's not entirely. Not for a commercial space. Well, not for a commercial, but this was residential. It was a residential. So a conversion to a non-residential use, that's when it would be looked at, site plan, building plans. They would have to demonstrate that this building can comply with those, then, non-residential uses. The bathrooms, are they ADA accessible? Usually, in a single-family home, your bathroom's not set up for ADA accessibility and your house. Those are things that have to be looked at when you change over to a commercial site. But it's also capacity of the septic system. Correct. Yes. Okay. So, in essence, all that will be reviewed at the permitting stage, plan review stage. Yeah, that site plan, it gets looked at for all that access traffic. Like, this traffic study that was submitted today, so I haven't had a chance to dive into it, but based on the number of trips, it might trigger a transportation management plan, which could rise to they would have to provide additional impacts to 193 and Sunset Point, where maybe they might have to do improvements out there based on the max number of trips. Okay. So, all that gets reviewed during site plan, and if it's determined that the use then would trigger that, then we would ask for additional study to demonstrate possible improvements. Okay. Anything else? So, to summarize, if there is a motion, the conditions that I heard requested were 10 p.m. cutoff, updating the website to not indicate any overnight stays, and to have traffic control at the intersection of 193 and Sunset Point if there is an event with more than 100 attendees. And I think you specified off-duty law enforcement for that. Yeah. So, not just recombinant security, but off-duty law, badge law enforcement. Off-duty police for traffic control. Yeah. The applicant's fine with each of those conditions. Okay. Anybody want to make a motion of some kind? Approval of denial? Just, and I'm not suggesting one way or the other, if there is a motion for denial as to the type 2 special event use, please cite one or more of the criteria that are set forth in the staff report. So, if you believe that the application is deficient, even with the conditions, please cite one or more of those. Right. Again, I'm not making suggestions to any outcome. Pleasure of the board. We have two cases, so. Yeah. So, we're first addressing the type 2 use. I apologize. So, if we ever get to where there's a motion, it would be to address the type 2 use, get past that, then the variance is for that little piece of frontage on 193 where the chain link fence is in violation. So, that would, that's the variance portion. But we'll, that would be a second vote. Just a separate motion, yes. Separate motion, separate vote. So, is there a motion for the type 2 use? I'll make a motion to approve subject to the conditions, the three conditions we discussed based on the, and the motions based on the findings of staff. Findings of fact in the staff report. Yes. Is there a second to that motion? This one is the fence or? This is the type 2 use. Okay. I'll second that motion. All right. We have a motion. We have a second. Any further discussion? I'll call for the vote. All in favor signify aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? The motion passes unanimously. You have your type 2 use approval with the conditions that we outlined. The next motion would be to approve the variance for the six-foot chain-link fence that is fronting on County Road 193 to approve the variance for that. Anybody? To approve the fence. In accordance with the findings of fact that were outlined in the staff report. Do you have a second motion? Second? Alondo on the second. We have a motion and a second to approve the variance on the chain-link fence. All in favor signify aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Okay. That's it. Congratulations. You've got that. We have minutes from the last meeting of some date. I know they're here. August 6th. Anybody see minutes? Here you have these. The minutes of the August 6th meeting. Would somebody like to approve minutes of our meeting from August 6th? I make a motion to approve the meeting minutes from August 6th, 2025. We have a motion and a second to approve the minutes. All in favor signify aye. Aye. Motion carries. Minutes are approved. Is there anything else, Mr. Schroederback? No, we will see you next month. I don't like the look on your face. What do you got cooking? Don't tell me I'm going to die. Well, the good news is Debbie will be back and I don't have to run the show, so. Yeah. Well, we'll try to save some fun ones for Debbie, too. Okay, good. Sorry for the late hour. We are adjourned. Thank you. Thank you.