by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
Hearings were held after the second readings of four proposed ordinances, all of which passed unanimously. They are:
Height Limitation Exception – Provides an exception to height limitations for resiliency and for parking under a principal structure to allow the height of the lowest habitable floor, up to a height of 10 feet above existing grade and exceed the height limitations established by code proportionally without deviation or variance approval.
Conditional Uses – This grants authorization to allow staff to approve specified conditional use permit applications as a short-form process to automatically sunset on December 31, 2025. There will be a public notice of the filing of the application mailed to property owners of lands abutting or within 300 feet of the site at least 14 days prior to the issuance of a conditional use permit.
Placement of Fill – This ordinance changes the Sanibel Code to directly limit fill consistent with the Sanibel Plan, the Florida Building Code, and federal floodplain management policies. This would change the existing policy, which is based on predevelopment grade, to allow up to 24 inches of fill around the house and above the average grade of the lot. This fill would not count towards developed area. Additionally, the definition of predevelopment grade will no longer reference the elevation of the crown of adjacent roadways.
Below Market Rate Housing Density Increase – Council voted to allow increased density for BMRH property owned by Community Housing & Resources located at 1517 Periwinkle Way, behind the 7-Eleven. A building with 15 affordable housing rental units will be constructed there.