Fish Island dock talk set for May

Fish Island dock talk set for May



By KATI BEXLEY
kati.bexley@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 04/17/08

Plans for the Fish Island dock will be revamped and presented again to the city of St. Augustine in May with the hope that after more than a year of discussions and the threat of a $9-million lawsuit that an agreement can be found.

The St. Augustine Planning and Zoning Board met with Richard Maguire, the Fish Island Development LLC attorney, Wednesday for four and a half hours discussing the dock. The meeting was required by law before the developer, Jim Young of Jacksonville, can proceed with his $9 million lawsuit against the city.

The board members said they want the development change from condominiums to a blend of commercial, retail and residential with a full-service marina and dock that is open to the public.

Maguire said his client would rather work with the city then go to court, and he will bring revised plans to the board during a workshop on May 16.

The dock as originally proposed was to have been more than 1,200 feet long and about 10 feet wide. It would have been part of an upscale development on Anastasia Island south of the Mickler O'Connell Bridge (S.R. 312).

The potential lawsuit is filed under the Bert Harris Act, a property rights protection act, which gave the board 11 options to choose from for a written statement as a possible settlement.

The board chose four of them, which included modifying the density of the development, locating it on the least sensitive portion of the property and having a government entity purchase the property to ensure it is not developed.

"I would be rather be sitting down with (the developer) at the table brainstorming ideas and then just having this one project to look at that we know we don't want," said board member John Valdes.

Fish Island gave the city notice on Jan. 17 of the potential lawsuit, and the city has 180 days, which ends on July 14, to reply to the notice.

The city can either settle with the developer or look at other ways he can use the property.

Planning and Zoning denied the original project twice and the City Commission supported the board's denial.

Opponents of the project said they were concerned about safety, erosion, destruction of the environment and loss of the Fish Island vista to the public.

Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/041708/news_txt01_034.shtml

© The St. Augustine Record