PEARY COURT DEVELOPERS ARE NOT SNEAKING UNDER THE RADAR / First of Many Public Meetings on New Plan This Monday

Sneaking?
Sneaking?

Lee Dunn is certainly entitled to his opinion about the Peary Court redevelopment plan. But to say that “White Street Partners [is] sneaking in under the radar” is far from the truth, as are his statements that “With the exception of two 8 inch by 10 inch placards affixed obscurely to the existing Peary Court fence, there has been NO notice given to the public” and “ NO meetings with the general public as promised last year when their original plans were shut down.”

On Feb. 13, 2013, shortly after “the original plans were shut down” (i.e., withdrawn at a HARC meeting), I received and immediately responded to an inquiry from Tharon Dunn concerning the planning process going forward. On Feb. 24, I received an e-mail from neighborhood spokesman Steve Dawkins, who also requested a description of the process going forward, to which I immediately responded. That information was, in turn, circulated among the many neighbors on Steve’s Peary Court e-mail blast list.

After Zyscovich Architects were retained to prepare a new plan for Peary Court redevelopment, I reserved space at Harvey Government Center for a community workshop and mailed invitations to all property owners within 300 feet of Peary Court. On May 31, 2013, I e-mailed invitations to the City Planning Department and to Steve Dawkins (for transmission to everyone on his e-mail list). Subsequently, I sent a public interest announcement about the workshop meeting to the Key West Citizen, and spoke to the Citizen’s reporter about the forthcoming meeting. Notice of the date and time of the workshop was published in The Citizen.

The first community workshop was held June 7, 2013 at Harvey Government Center. Architects Bernard Zyscovich and Suria Yaffar made a presentation, solicited community input, and answered questions. The following day, the Key West Citizen published a news report on the workshop.

Based on public input received at that first community meeting, Zyscovich Architects prepared a first draft of a site plan for presentation at a follow-up workshop. I again reserved meeting space at Harvey Government Center and drafted an announcement to be published in the Key West Citizen. Again, notices of the workshop were e-mailed to everyone on our list of neighbors and interested persons. On June 26, the day before the second workshop, I read and responded to e-mails from Angela St. neighbors, including Steve Dawkins and Tharon Dunn. Jim responded in detail to another Angela St. neighbor’s e-mail regarding the affordable housing component of the plan.

The second community workshop was held at Harvey Government Center on the evening of June 27, and was well attended. Bernard Zyscovich and Suria Yaffar presented the new site plan, solicited comments, and engaged in dialogue with members of the public and City staff. Toward the end of the workshop, several neighbors took issue with staff’s position that Peary Court should have direct access to the neighboring Meadows.

These meetings were called in response to neighborhood concerns and were in addition to the hearings required by City of Key West Code. We have consistently made ourselves available to answer questions and receive community input.

Subsequent to the second community meeting Jim and I met with various neighbors on Angela Street, including a meeting with Linda Shields at her home, and a gathering at Steve Dawkins’ home. On July 1, I received e-mails exchanged among Angela St. neighbors, outlining the proposed compromise discussed during our meeting at Linda Shield’s home. I then exchanged e-mails with Steve Dawkins and a former HARC member concerning the proposed compromise.

During the following weeks, City officials received numerous e-mails from residents opposed to providing access between Peary Court and the Meadows. Jim, I, and the project architects had discussions with Planning staff in an effort to find an acceptable compromise solution to this contentious issue. Following those discussions, Planning staff accepted the proposed compromise (no entrances or exits onto Angela Street for motor vehicle traffic; access for bikes and pedestrians only). Zyscovich Architects revised the site plan accordingly and began the laborious work of designing housing types.

From time to time we received and responded to email or verbal inquiries from neighbors and other interested parties regarding the potential time frame for moving the project forward. In November, we disseminated information concerning a HARC meeting to authorize demolition of the former Credit Union building.

In mid-February, 2014, the revised site plan and architectural renderings of proposed housing types were ready for submittal to HARC. At the recommendation of City staff, a Special Meeting of HARC was requested for March 10. Staff prepared public notices of the Special Meeting, and on Feb. 23, I posted those notices at the Palm Ave. entrance, and on White Street, Eisenhower Drive and Angela St. While posting the notice on Angela Street, I met and spoke with neighbors who requested that I participate in another informal neighborhood meeting to present the redevelopment plan and answer questions, which I agreed to do. At its Feb. 24 meeting, HARC voted to hold a Special Meeting devoted exclusively to Peary Court redevelopment plans. Following that meeting, Steve Dawkins and I discussed potential dates and finding a venue large enough to accommodate a neighborhood meeting. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of several neighbors, particularly Heidi and Marc Glasser, the meeting was scheduled and held on Sunday afternoon, March 2, at the Moose Club. Many neighbors attended, including Blue Newspaper publisher Naja Girard, as well as interested residents of other neighborhoods. Jim and I displayed large prints of the redevelopment plan specific to planning issues – the layout of building sites, the points of vehicular access, the points of pedestrian access, etc., and answered many questions about the plan and the review process. I described the lengthy process required by Code, including hearings by the Development Review Committee, Tree Commission (Preliminary and Final), Planning Board and City Commission (public hearings, all), and that there will be a Development Agreement with the City that will govern the progress and final layout of the project. The plan that is being reviewed by HARC at the March 10 hearing is an overview, not the final approval of any building. Because we are not architects, we didn’t address individual building-type designs; Zyscovich Architects will do so at the March 10 HARC hearing.

At the conclusion of our March 2 neighborhood meeting at the Moose Club, we summarized three points that the neighbors agreed remain for further discussion with the Peary Court owners and Zyscovich Architects. For a project of this size and complexity to have so few unresolved major issues raised by its nearest neighbors is remarkable, and some credit for that should go to the extensive community outreach and dialogue that has taken place over the past year. Therefore, I was taken aback by Lee Dunn’s allegation that the Peary Court project is “sneaking in under the radar”. To keep Peary Court’s neighbors informed and involved in the planning process, I’ve spent the past year sending and promptly responding to dozens of e-mails, posting notices, contacting the press, organizing and attending two community workshops, and meeting with neighbors in their homes, most recently at the Moose Lodge. Perhaps Lee was back home in Nantucket and unaware of events occurring in his absence, but if so that does not excuse making accusations without ascertaining the facts.

I encourage everyone who is interested in the future of Peary Court to attend the first of many public hearings on the new plans, to be held by HARC Monday evening at 5:30 P.M.