Alternative to Azure Shores rezoning proposed

BY JOE HENDRICKS SUN CORRESPONDENT | jhendricks@amisun.com

BRADENTON BEACH – Building Official Steve Gilbert and City Planner Luis Serna have proposed an alternative to resolve potential inconsistencies with the zoning and future land use designations for 23 residential properties in the Azure Shores subdivision.

Located between Bridge Street and the Cortez Bridge, the properties have an R-3 (Multiple Family Dwelling District) zoning designation and a Retail/Office/Residential (ROR) land use designation.

In October, the city commission rejected Gilbert and Serna’s recommendation to rezone those properties with the MixedUse District (MXD) zoning designation that city staff felt was compatible with the existing ROR land use designation.

During that same meeting, the commission also rejected the Planning and Zoning Board’s contrary recommendation to rezone those properties to R-2

(two-family dwelling) and change the future land use map designation to Medium Density Residential.

The commission directed Gilbert, Serna and the P&Z to start again and obtain more input from potentially impacted property owners.

The map inconsistencies that exist in several locations citywide date back to 2008, when the city commission amended the city’s future land use maps but did not amend the corresponding zoning designations.