P&Z gives nod to Bimini Basin ordinance
Establishment of the Bimini Basin Zoning District ordinance garnered approval from the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission at a special meeting Monday, bringing it one step closer to implementation.
The ordinance will be presented to the Community Redevelopment Agency Commission at a special meeting called at 2 p.m. Monday in Council Chambers before it is taken to City Council for two public hearings. The first public hearing is scheduled for July 25 and the second on Aug. 8.
The Bimini Basin District is patterned after the South Cape Downtown District that both feature mixed-use development. Bimini Basin’s geographical boundaries consist of approximately 134 acres containing 289 parcels. The area is 70 percent developed and while the new district does not allow for new single family and duplex residences, those that already exist there will be allowed to continue indefinitely.
Citizen concerns raised at prior public workshop sessions include preserving Four Freedoms Park, creation of public and green space, entertainment and cultural development.
“Development will be driven by the private sector by whatever the market will bear,” said city planning coordinator Mike Struve. “The city owns or controls very little of the property in that area.”
The zoning district allows more than 53 permitted uses in addition to seven special exceptions. It has been designed to promote an urban area that encourages people living, working, playing and shopping within a relatively small area. Its components include regulations on residential and commercial density, parking, architectural standards, landscaping and setbacks.
“We can encourage developers to include waterfront walkways, but we can not mandate them on private property,” said Struve. “Drive-thrus will be prohibited, but that does not mean fast food restaurants and banks are not permitted, just no drive-thrus.”
Other uses prohibited in the new district would include auto repair, gas stations, light manufacturing, outdoor storage or the use of large commercial vehicles.
Participation in a redevelopment incentive program would be voluntary as consideration for approving special exceptions, but at some point the city may bring a financial incentive program to the table.