Recent Treasure Island Planning and Zoning/Local Planning Agency and Commission meetings have generated significant debate on social media, particularly around “Master Plans,” “Height & Density,” and Planned Developments (PDs). Largely overlooked, however, is a more serious concern: certain actions by members of the Planning and Zoning/Local Planning Agency Board appear to have violated city meeting procedures and encroached upon the Commission’s sole authority to establish public policy.
At the Jan. 15 Planning and Zoning/Local Planning Agency meeting, speakers invited by the chair were granted unlimited time to present opinions and development concepts without proper public notice. Members of the public were not afforded an opportunity to respond to these presentations. During this time, invited speakers and board members advocated for specific development approaches, including master plans and PDs, while seeking special consideration from the board.
This irregular process culminated in a board vote to return three proposed code and ordinance changes to the Commission for reconsideration, despite the fact that all three had already been rejected by the Commission at its prior meeting. By advancing these previously defeated proposals, the Planning and Zoning/Local Planning Agency Board attempted to override an established Commission decision, effectively exceeding its advisory role. At the Jan. 18 Commission meeting, these recycled items were appropriately tabled pending completion of a future Master Development Plan.
Further confusion arose during the Jan. 15 meeting when the Planning and Zoning/Local Planning Agency vice chair repeatedly referred to the 2006 Downtown Redevelopment Plan as a “master plan,” despite it not being one. These repeated mischaracterizations — echoed by other board members and invited speakers — misled the public into believing that a current master plan already exists.
This confusion stands in contrast to the Commission’s recent authorization for the city manager to issue a request for qualifications for a true, modern, and actionable master plan covering five key commercial areas of the city. The timing of the Jan. 15 presentations reasonably raises concerns about whether the public was being misinformed in an effort to undermine that decision.
The time has come for the Commission to clearly reassert its authority.
Mark Hohe
Treasure Island