Miniature golf approved by City Council as conditional use
By MEGHAN BRADBURY
mbradbury@breezenewspapers.com The Sanibel City Council approved miniature golf as a conditional use in the General Commercial Zoning District, a request that stemmed from Island Cow, last week during its Tuesday meeting.
The consideration of adding miniature golf as a conditional use for the General Commercial District began in April of this year when direction was given to the Planning Commission to evaluate the proposed request from Island Cow, who is interested in developing a miniature golf course in conjunction with the restaurant.
Ordinance 26-016 states that a “miniature golf course means an outdoor commercial recreation facility that may include putting greens, bunkers, sand pits, elevation/terrain changes, obstacles, pathways, and meandering greenways, all of a natural appearance consistent with the character of Sanibel, on which a miniature, putting-focused version of a traditional golf game is played by people of all ages and abilities using putting club(s) and golf ball(s).”
Deputy Planning Director Gabriel Quintas said the ordinance adds a definition of miniature golf; creates miniature golf as a conditional use in the General Commercial District; allows only as an accessory use; creates a location standard not closer than 3.25 miles between courses; and regulates vegetation buffers, lighting, noise and signage per code. He said it also requires an environmental assessment report as part of a request to reduce setbacks to existing bodies of water and creates a different setback standard to open bodies of water for course elements of 10 feet and allows Planning Commission to approve less than 10 feet without requiring a variance, does not require setbacks to human-made bodies of water, prohibits themed elements and establishes a criteria to analyze traffic generation and parking demand.
Councilmember Laura DeBruce said she has been thinking about the ordinance and how they can ensure that if an inn, shop or one of the resorts set up a small one- or two-hole at their location that is not fee based, but rather part of an amenity.
“I wouldn’t want that to be excluded because we are having this formal bigger use for miniature golf. Before this you could argue that a hotel or a restaurant or a shop could have that in the corner to amuse kids,” DeBruce said, adding that the ordinance would change that.
She suggested an easy change by adding verbiage to the definition — “fee based” outdoor recreation facility.
Quintas said his recommendation would be to add a small section or subsection that would clarify a mini golf operation, an ancillary up to a certain number of holes.
The council threw out the number of nine holes.
“My suggestion might be to approve it as it is now, but with the understanding of what council also wants, so we can take some time outside of the meeting to develop in full and bring it back,” City Attorney John Agnew said.
He said his concern is they are adding sections and making material changes, which was not properly noticed before the Nov. 3 meeting.
Agnew said if they were to vote on adding “fee based,” it is not a fundamental change, so he did not have an issue.
“When we talk about adding significant additional sections or subsections then those things, from my perspective, go back through first and second reading to proper notice,” he said.
Vice Mayor John Henshaw said he was not in favor of adding a section or number of holes.
“We have enough residents concerned about the mini golf option,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to put that in there unless it is fully vetted and Planning Commission reviews it as well. I am in favor of inserting fee based and going forward with approving the ordinance.”
Councilmember Richard Johnson said the ordinance is a well written document and he does not want to try to rewrite it at the dais.