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Belmont Shore Residents Association MINUTES BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING July 10, 2008 The meeting was called to order by President Mike Ruehle at 6:00 pm. The members of the Executive Board present were: Heather Altman, Vice President Terence Endersen, Amber Lee, Merodie Gentile, Marvin Jones, Jim Lazarus, Secretary Jeff Miller, President Mike Ruehle, Laura Spence, and Heidi Van Horn. Executive Board member John Forstrom was absent. Thirty-six additional BSRA members and visitors were present. Nancy Buchanan reported the success of the last BSBA Stroll and Savor event and announced these upcoming events: Stroll and Savor, Arts and Crafts Fair, and the Summer Bash at Vint's. Jeanette Gavin, the designated residents' representative on the Parking Commission, reported the topics discussed at the their last meeting, which included the retirement of two commissioners, landscaping plans, and plans to install "Quiet Zone" signs. LBPD Lieutenant Ken Rosenthal reported the apprehension of five people for auto burglary, the temporary addition of two officers in the Shore and Naples to concentrate on alcohol violations and sidewalk violations. He heard comments from the audience which included praise for the department for their enforcement efforts on July 4. Julie Maleki of Councilmember DeLong's office was unable to attend the meeting, so there was no Third Council District report given. Joy Starr spoke about plans by the BSBA Retail Committee for a Neighbor Appreciation Day event. Carl Kemp, representative of developers Malmuth and Ratkovitch, introduced other team members and outlined plans for a development to replace the Seaport Marina Hotel. Other spokesmen provided an overview of the plans, which include a hotel and shared hotel/residence component of 100 rooms, 250 private residential units, and over 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The project would include a variety of building heights, including a "signature tower" up to twelve stories tall. Other stated design objectives are "to embrace the marina and wetlands visually and physically", "to capture the casual character of the community", and "to create memorable public spaces". The team heard questions and comments from the audience, including support for the hotel component of the plan and several complaints about the planned height and size of the development. Increased traffic was another complaint. The developer's web site for this project is: secondandpch.com. Secretary Jeff Miller reported the receipt of the invoice for the annual fee for our web site hosting of $119.40. A motion was approved unanimously authorizing payment not to exceed $200 for the web hosting and domain name registration annual fees if they could be included as well. Jeff Miller announced the Membership meeting and Executive Board elections in September and explained the nomination and election process. Forms were made available for nominations. A motion was approved unanimously authorizing expenses not to exceed $200 for mailing notices of the Membership Meeting and preparing election materials. President Mike Ruehle reported the results of his Belmont Shore Gateway Sign survey: residents who responded were evenly split in their opinions for or against the sign. Mike Ruehle reported the recent action by the Planning Commission approving the four zoning code changes for Belmont Shore: height limit of two stories, "story pole" indicators for height variance requests, additional hearing noticing requirements, and a uniform minimum side yard setback requirement of three feet. Reporting the results of other recent surveys, Mike Ruehle noted two thirds of the residents responding were opposed to the proposed "Green Bin" trash containers on the beach; a majority supported adding motorcycle parking spaces on Second Street, but a majority opposed any spaces on the cross streets; and three fourths of the residents responding supported the Parking Commission pilot project to install "Quiet Zone" signs. Jeff Miller reported Cabo Cantina was issued a building permit on July 2 to install an awning with sound blankets over the outdoor patio. Some of the other corrections required by the city's department of Development Services still have not been made, such as the removal of the sidewalk railing. Kate Karp announced the next "Coffee with the Commander" event July 16. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 pm. Submitted by: Jeff Miller, Recording Secretary
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