CLEARWATER - The Clearwater Beach Association has taken a position opposing the City's plan to narrow Coronado Drive to three lanes during Beach Walk construction.
Director Jerry Murphy said, "I queried all CBA Directors and the consensus is AGAINST City Council allowing developers to encroach on public land. Especially when it results in a significant disruption of traffic for a VERY long time. "
CBA members and Directors offered the following comments:
"The developers should be pushed to build within the footprint. I also found Bill Horne's comment about "contractors using citizen right of way for staging areas" descriptive of something that should absolutely be a last resort. I do not believe this was viewed as a last resort kind of accommodation." - Candy Zimmerman
"If the city is as good at keeping this under control as they are the current projects we are in trouble. But the council assures us that public (beach) accesses will remain open. How about some pain on the part of the developers? They want zero lot line development but then say they can't build because they don't have the space.I think that the CBA should take a strong stand on this - the developers are using the public right of ways as their own all over the beach.
If the developers want to build, they need to do it on their property - not the city's." - David MacNamee
"I do not know if South Beach can survive this massive, helter-skelter, mismanaged development. I live in relative seclusion on North Beach and I find it offensive that our City cannot manage growth and "Improvements" better than this." - Jerry Murphy
"This seems to be one more time that the city would like for us to think they are on the side of the voters and taxpayers. It is another example of how they promise us one thing in their open meetings and make exceptions with the developers when no one is looking." - Bette Failor