by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
The City of Sanibel held an event called “Coffee & Code Café” on Thursday morning, October 23, to give citizens a chance to learn more about the Planning Department and the city’s codes. The event was well-attended at the Recreation Center.
Sanibel Public Information Officer Eric Jackson said there will be more events like this to engage the community beyond formal city meetings. The Coffee and Code Café was the first such event.
Planning Director Paula McMichael called it a “very informal group” and noted that people could sign up to speak with a planner one-on-one. Many people did.
Code Enforcement Manager Glenn Nixon was on hand to answer any questions, as were many members of the Planning Department.
The Planning Department’s role is to implement the Sanibel Plan, the city’s long-term vision, and the Land Development Code, also known as the Sanibel Code. The department enforces community regulations. The involved areas are: setbacks, impermeable coverage, developed area, and building height.
The department serves as liaison to the Planning Commission, which meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. at City Hall. City Council appoints the Commissioners. They decide variances, conditional use permits, and amendments to the Sanibel Code. The city has started the task with a consultant to update the Sanibel Code, which hasn’t been updated since 2012.
Forty-nine amendments have been made to the Code since Hurricane Ian, including increasing building height so residents could elevate their homes.
The island is broken into ecological zones. People can find their zone at the city’s website. “Sanibel is different,” McMichael said. “It is based on the carrying capacity of the natural systems. The most important thing is always the sanctuary quality of Sanibel.”
The department no longer processes paper permits on Sanibel; everything is online. Permit applications begin at the Building Department. If you can’t meet the standards for a permit, you can apply for a variance if there is something unique about your property, something that you can’t avoid, or if there’s a genuine hardship.
Nixon of Code Enforcement took a question about the distressed and dangerous properties around the city. “We made some good headway,” he said. “Most distressed properties either have permits in process or they’re working on one. Some have to consider demolition. We’ve gotten a great amount of cooperation.”
Nixon said some of the hold-ups are due to insurance issues, financial issues, or perhaps when the parents own a property. He said that if anyone is aware of a property to let him know. His people are only allowed on public property while viewing houses, which isn’t always ideal for observing the situation.
Property owners of 20 out of 21 distressed properties have brought them into compliance, Nixon said. He stressed that being empty does not, in itself, make a house a distressed property.
The Planning Department is now on Library Way, not within the City Hall complex on Dunlop Road. They can be reached at 239-472-4136 or via email at sanplan@mysanibel.com.
McMichael said they will soon put up on the website a list of things that require a permit
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