"No Dow PUD" signs springing up all over St. Augustine in opposition to HP-1 hotel/Planned Unit Development at former Dow Museum of Historic Homes
Wow! They're sprouting like mushrooms. Check out this album of "No Dow PUD" signs on St George ST.
Maybe St George was also the patron saint of residential neighborhoods? Who knew?
13 houes on St. George/Cordova Street, 12 in Lincolnville and less than a handful throughout the rest of the city. Pretty anemic mushrooms if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteLearn to spell. Are you one of DAVID BARTON CORNEAL's henchmen, or his general contractor, or the person who took down signs last night?
ReplyDeleteMixed metaphor: mushrooms don't get anemia. But thugs do stomach bump, and the people are united against bullies in our town.
ReplyDeleteActually neither henchman nor sign remover, Mr. Slavin, just someone who took the time to count on a sunny, summer day.
ReplyDeleteInsults and incoherent but vaguely repulsive images in response to facts? And then you don't publish my second comment answering your accusations? Come on Mr. Slavin, I thought we were going to be friends. I would think that you would be delighted that someone was actually reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, here are some more facts: 1.There are more houses on St. George/Cordova streets that do not display "No" signs than that do display them. 2. Not one property adjacent to or across the street from the Dow property displays a "No" sign, and 3. you have to go 6 houses away from the Dow property on St. George Street and 4 on Cordova before encountering your first "No" sign. Bottom line: less than 30 houses among the hundreds of houses in St. Augustine's neighborhoods hardly constitutes "springing up all over St. Augustine". When you speak of "the people" you really should say,"a very few people". There are many neighbors who do not agree with the "NO" group.
I invite anyone reading this blog to go ahead, drive the neighborhood like I did and count. But make sure not to double count the houses that have a sign both on Cordova and St. George streets, or the houses that have cleverly placed 2 signs just short of their north and south property lines to make it look like there are two houses displaying signs when there is really only one. Look at the geographical distribution of the signs and draw your own conclusions. Don't let Slavin draw them for you. Look at the facts, not the propaganda.
Anonymous, There are about 100 signs distributed over St Augustine. Trust me on this. That so many people care enough to openly demonstrate their support for residential zoning should give the developer great concern. Couple this with the 95.7% of comments submitted to the city on official response forms for the May 5th PZB hearing as being opposed to the Dow PUD (vast majority from HP-1 and Lincolnville) and Mr Corneal has a serious political problem. More signs are being made as I type. There are not "many" neighbors in support of the PUD. The public comments count from the May 5th PZB meeting was 12 in favor (about half of those were Corneal employees or employee-related and 27 opposed - 69% against! Even the Greek vote against austerity was that much of a land-slide. Oxi!
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that you're arguing that despite public opposition, the city should turn property zoned residential into commercial property for a 24/7 hotel, bar and events venue in A RESIDENTIAL neighborhood. That property and those houses can be either single family homes (at least 8 existing parking spots), long-term rental apartments, condos or a Florida housing museum: all allowed by current zoning. Wouldn't that be better? Mr. Corneal can recoup his investment and terrible precedent of changing residential zoning to commercial zoning just for the convenience of the developer is avoided.
If Dave Corneal was smart, he'd cut a deal with the city/sate/county to create that Florida life museum and make it a center-piece of the 450th celebration. The 450th really lacks a tangible focus and a beautiful and well-marketed housing museum would be, to quote Dave, "a smash!" We all know the MOAS made no effort to make a go of the Dow Historic House Museum. Dave Corneal strikes me as a shrewd marketer and I believe it could become a major tourist attraction for the city. It would be his legacy (he's no spring chicken) and we could all say nice things about him, he wouldn't have to make up stories about PUD opponents vandalizing his workers' cars, and we could discuss this over a cold beer. Win-win-win-win! I'd be happy to help him cut a deal with the city, county, state or Feds to make it happen. The David B. Corneal Florida Historic Housing Museum - how good is that?