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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 - Presentation to Council by Ms Coyav CITY COUNCIL MEETING r rn 14 April 2004 r+ II -u C7 Good evening ladies and gentlemen, my name is Andrea Coy and I live at 333 Pineapple St. here in Sebastian. I am a retired Master Sergeant and spent 21 years in the active duty Army. Tonight, it is my privilege to speak on behalf of the lawn chair brigade. The year was 1787. The place was Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event was the unveiling of the United States Constitution. Its purpose was to establish a fair a balanced system of government and to serve as the supreme law of the land. The Constitution provides for government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It begins with the words WE, THE PEOPLE of the United States. The Constitution has served us well over the years and is a role model for democracy around the world. WE, THE PEOPLE elect our President and congressional representatives. WE, THE PEOPLE elect our governor and state representatives. And WE, THE PEOPLE have elected you, the City Council, to serve in our best interests in all matters dealing with the City of Sebastian. Tonight I come before you with a petition signed by over 500 Sebastian City residents and a Lawn -chair Brigade. WE, THE PEOPLE are here as a united front against the proposed re -zoning of an untouched forest currently zoned as County Agricultural land. The property has been undisturbed by human hands since the beginning of time. It contains 3 sections of wetlands and is a permanent home for many wildlife species including the gopher tortoise, which is a species 1 of special concern. It also serves as a transient base for eagles and ospreys who grace our village by choosing to hunt or eat their prey in the area. We talk a lot about housing density but no one mentions much about tree density. Vast sections of this land contain very dense wooded areas as shown in this picture. Throughout the Orange Heights border, the picture is nothing but trees, trees, and more trees. I have tried to count them from my porch but loose track in the 300's. The 56 acres of land involved in this rezoning issue is a pristine wilderness. Your approval of PUD -R status to this property is a death sentence for virtually all the trees and wildlife. Using the developers own conceptual plan, let me demonstrate exactly what I mean. SLIDE Let's start with the predominate color represented here. Brown denotes home sites on lots averaging 55 X 110 feet. SLIDE Now, the developer chooses to show this picture in the presentations. Be advised that this represents a perimeter lot which is the larger lot_ I choose to show you a view of a potential interior lot, which, by the way, outnumbers the perimeter lots. color. CLICK First let's take away the 25 foot buffer. There goes a lot of that green CLICK 2 is. Then we take out the extra 20 feet on the perimeter lots... where the pool CLICK This leaves us with an interior lot measuring 55 X 100 feet. The majority of homes in this conceptual plan will be on lots that look like these. With 7.5 foot setbacks, we can't picture any original trees remaining here. SLIDE The color black represents roadways and I've yet to meet any trees head- on while driving my car. Next we have the blue lakes and storm water tracts. Needless to say, there aren't very many species of trees that survive underwater. Next we have the yellow recreation areas. OK, when was the last time you've seen a tree in the middle of a swimming pool or tennis court? That leaves us with the green areas. Light green is wetlands that should be protected no matter what moves in. Please note that the environmental study conducted for this project indicates 3 wetland areas and the conceptual plan only includes 2 of them. By their own admission, they propose to build on one of the areas. Mr. Schulke touts the 25 -foot buffer zone around the perimeter as being sufficient to block the view of immediate neighbors in Orange Heights and the Highlands... A view of cookie -cutter houses and rooftops lined up in a row, jammed together like cigarettes in a pack. I may be over 50, Mr. Schulke, and my hair is turning gray, but I'm not blind. The screen room on my trailer is greater than 25 -feet and those rooftops will tower over the palmettos. K? We've heard a lot tonight about all the open space being provided by PUD developments. I find it interesting that the developers choose to the term "open" in lieu of "green" or "natural" to describe non -housing areas. My modest computer at home isn't smart enough to have concepts or to develop conceptual plans so I brought along some pictures, reality shots, if you will, of several "open" space projects currently being developed in Indian River County and Vero Beach. SLIDE — This site is a current example of a PUD -R SLIDE SLIDE Please note that the civil engineering firm of Shulke, Stoddard & Bittle is responsible for the Ashbury project as well. SLIDE This slide shows another one of their projects located directly across from the backside of the mall in Vero Beach. At this point, I'm sure Mr. Schulke will be glad that I ran out of time and film last Thursday when these pictures were taken because there were other examples of "open space" with their signature sign in the nearby area. These pictures are horrifying examples of clear -cutting and they represent the true meaning of the phrase "open space" — nothing is left standing. We've heard a lot of promises from the developer to save and preserve as much of the environment as possible. Using their own conceptual plan, it is pretty clear that not much will remain standing when the concept is turned into reality. So what do C you believe... the concept, or the reality? In the words of one of my favorite TV personalities, Judge Judy,.......... "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining" Mr. Schulke. SLIDE This past Monday, I met with Mr. Blackstone, the Ashbury project manager from the Coy Clark Company. I asked him to estimate how many trees they would have to cut down in this development. He had no idea. This same question was posed to our growth manager, Mr. Hass. He took a stab at a reasonable guess and said that maybe 30% of the trees would remain. When asked how many trees were on the property, neither Mr. Hass not Mr. Blackstone could come up with a figure. SLIDE Mr. Hass and the P&Z folks all agree that we don't get down to the nitty- gritty of looking at trees until later down the road. It seems that we are not concerned about the lay -of -the -land until the concepts and plans are approved. How can anyone be expected to make a responsible decision on zoning issues if you don't know what the land really looks like. No one tonight can tell you how many protected, specimen, or historic trees reside on this property. No one tonight can tell you how many gopher tortoises will be plowed under when this property is developed. No one can tell you how many birds and animals will have to find new homes. No one can tell you because our system allows developers to get approval beforehand. Something is very wrong with this picture. 5 SLIDE Your Yes Vote on zoning this property PUD -R is a death -sentence for all the trees and wildlife. How can you make this decision tonight, when no one can tell you what's really out there? At this point in time, the City risks nothing by saying NO to the rezoning request. It is not yet City property. The developer is not the owner. A yes vote could lead to a series of unstoppable events with the risk of lawsuit. WE, THE PEOPLE ask you to place our environmental concerns in the forefront. WE, THE PEOPLE ask you to say NO to PUD -R for this property. Mr. Heptinstall, I know you're concerned about trees and environmental issues from previous discussions. You promised to be the voice of the people during your campaign. WE, THE PEOPLE ask you to vote NO. Ms. Monier, at the meet the candidates meeting held here in city hall, you stated that you, too, were concerned about the environment. You also spoke about wanting to be the voice of the people. WE, THE PEOPLE ask you to vote M Mr. McCollum, you have always been accessible to the people and have served as our voice. WE, THE PEOPLE already trust your judgement and hope that you will listen again, and vote NO. Mr. Barzyck, you and I have had several discussions about trees. It was apparent that you already value the environment and that you probably know more about the local trees than I ever will. WE, THE PEOPLE ask you to vote NO. n Mr. Coniglio, At a recent City Council meeting, we listened to you voice your concern over the potential destruction of a single tree on the riverfront near the Yacht Club. WE, THE PEOPLE are grateful that you wish to protect that one tree. We ask you tonight to extend your concern to the hundreds of trees that would be destroyed by this project. Just because they aren't on the riverfront or in the immediate downtown area, doesn't make them any less valuable or important to the City of Sebastian. WE, THE PEOPLE ask you to vote NO. SLIDE At this point, I would just like to say that I think I have been reading and watching too much Judge Judy because I feel compelled to say .... The people rest, you honor. THANK YOU 7