Bruce Andrews - Today's meeting
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: chris@elitehomesfl.com <mailto:chris@elitehomesfl.com>
Date: December 19, 2016 at 7:24:11 PM EST
To: Bruce Andrews <bruce.andrews@comcast.net
<mailto:bruce.andrews@comcast.net> >
Subject: RE: Today's meeting
Would you forward to John Stinson. I am out of town and do not
have his address.
Thanks, Chris>
FROM: Chris Lambertson [mailto:Chris@elitehomesfl.com]
SENT: Sunday, December 18, 2016 8:53 PM
TO: 'DeCandis, Drew' <adecandis@coab.us
<mailto:adecandis@coab.us> >; 'Bruce Andrews'
<bruce.andrews@comcast.net
<mailto:bruce.andrews@comcast.net> >
CC: 'Van Liere, Nelson' <nvanliere@coab.us
<mailto:nvanliere@coab.us> >; 'Reeves, Mitch'
<mreeves@coab.us <mailto:mreeves@coab.us> >
SUBJECT: RE: Today's meeting
Drew,
"I am sorry I left abruptly, but" is not an apology.
Your actions at
our meeting were rude, disrespectful and frankly
unacceptable for any
employee of Atlantic Beach to its citizens and
especially for the
position of Planning Director. You have a duty to
represent the
citizens of Atlantic Beach, which we believe that you
have failed to
do and then dismissed our concerns and interpreted the
reading of the
code when it suits your interest.
Based upon your response you evidently did not pay
attention at our
meeting. Your restatement of our meeting did not even
remotely
represent actual events.
· To clarify, you stated in the meeting that we
thought the
setback variance should go the Community Development
Board and should
not be under the purview of the Development Director
regardless of how
small the variance might be in terms of inches or
regardless of the
authority granted to me in the code. - We said that
section 28-48 of
the municipal code did not give you authority to grant
an
administrative variance in this case and that the
setback variance
should go to the CDB. Additionally the actions of the
developer create
a cause of concern. We said that the code needs to be
rewritten to
allow for minor adjustments as needed but not the
current 5% and the
way you are interpreting it, which is different than it
has ever
previously been interpreted.
· It is also my understanding from the meeting
that you plan to
exercise that right to appeal, even if I move the matter
to the CD
Board and they approve the variances. We never said
this. We would
abide by the decision of the CDB, however, we would
appeal any
administrative decision to the City Commission.
· Once I have fully reviewed and fully considered
your
concerns, reviewed my positon on the matter, I will make
a final
decision on the variance request and how it should be
handled - This
was not what we discussed in the meeting. We are going
to reconvene
the same group with the Brenna Durden, City Attorney and
she is going
to give us an opinion which all parties agreed to at
that time. We do
not want your opinion.
· Keep in mind, as I stated in the meeting, that I
am concerned
for the neighbors and would like to insure that whatever
the outcome
of this issue that we disrupt their peaceful enjoyment
of their
properties as little as possible - We are friends with
the direct
neighbors and they do not want the house encroaching on
the setbacks
as it is already overwhelming there house.
We look forward to reconvening our meeting with the City
Attorney. Due
to vacation and travel plans it will need to be in the
new year.
Chris Lambertson
FROM: DeCandis, Drew [mailto:adecandis@coab.us]
SENT: Friday, December 16, 2016 4:19 PM
TO: bruce.andres@comcast.net
<mailto:bruce.andres@comcast.net> ; Chris@elitehomesfl.com
<mailto:Chris@elitehomesfl.com>
CC: Van Liere, Nelson <nvanliere@coab.us
<mailto:nvanliere@coab.us> >; Reeves, Mitch
<mreeves@coab.us <mailto:mreeves@coab.us> >
SUBJECT: Today's meeting
Gentleman
I wanted to drop you a note on our meeting today. I am
sorry I left
the meeting abruptly, but frankly I felt that we had
each stated our
positions on the matters at hand and that further
debating
interpretations of the Land Development Code was not
getting us
anywhere. I do think however we each got our positions
out on the
table for each of us to understand.
To clarify, you stated in the meeting that you thought
the setback
variance should go the Community Development Board and
should not be
under the purview of the Development Director regardless
of how small
the variance might be in terms of inches or regardless
of the
authority granted to me in the code. It is also my
understanding
from the meeting that you plan to exercise that right to
appeal, even
if I move the matter to the CD Board and they approve
the variances.
I did hear your concerns as you communicated them to me
and I am now
reviewing my positon on the matter based on what you
stated and what I
believe is appropriate.
I will remind you that under Section 24-48, the code
gives the
Community Development Director the Authority to grant
minor
dimensional variances. Based on my review up till now,
I believe I
should grant the variances in question under the
authority given me in
the code. Remember that the LCD also gives citizens
like yourself
recourse by giving you the ability to appeal my
decisions or the
decisions of the Community Development Board.
Once I have fully reviewed and fully considered you
concerns, reviewed
my positon on the matter, I will make a final decision
on the variance
request and how it should be handled, I will get back to
you and brief
you on the final actions I will take on the matter.
Keep in mind,
as I stated in the meeting, that I am concerned for the
neighbors and
would like to insure that whatever the outcome of this
issue that we
disrupt their peaceful enjoyment of their properties as
little as
possible.
Thanks for meeting with me today. I will speak with you
soon.
Drew DeCandis, AICP
Planning and Development Director
City of Atlantic Beach
800 Seminole Road
Atlantic Beach, Fl 32233
Email: Adecandis@coab.us <mailto:Adecandis@coab.us>
Phone: 904-247-5817
Web: www.coab.us <http://www.coab.us> [1]
Fax: 904-247-5845
Links:
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[1] http://www.coab.us