12-13-18 Email from Shawn GriffithMr. Gerrity and Ms. Diaz, I left you off my email inadvertently..
Shawn Griffith
904-545-4993
From: Shawn Griffith
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2018 11:59 AM
To: 'kim_reich@hotmail.com' <kim_reich@hotmail.com>;
'Michael.j.tari@gmail.com' <Michael.j.tari@gmail.com>;
'deery1@hotmail.com' <deery1@hotmail.com>;
'gkupperman@200firststreet.com' <gkupperman@200firststreet.com>;
'woodywinfree@gmail.com' <woodywinfree@gmail.com>; 'misso@bellsouth.net'
<misso@bellsouth.net>; 'wappes@bellsouth.net' <wappes@bellsouth.net>;
'electedofficials@coab.us' <electedofficials@coab.us>; 'bwaters@coab.us'
<bwaters@coab.us>; 'eglasser@coab.us' <eglasser@coab.us>;
'ckelly@coab.us' <ckelly@coab.us>; 'canderson@coab.us'
<canderson@coab.us>
Cc: Shawn Griffith <shawn@pillarfl.com>; Shelby Ford
<shelby@pillarfl.com>; Haley Baker <haley@pillarfl.com>
Subject: 1802 Seminole Rd. -- Public parking on adjacent Saturiba.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Parking and Pedestrian Safety Advisory
Resource committee and elected COAB officials good morning;
Today it has come to our attention via an email from my neighbor on
Saturiba that there is proposed parking lot to be placed on the city
property adjacent to my southern lot property line. I do not understand
why the COAB doesn’t take the time to personally or by mail reach out
the directly affected owners of the tax record and particularly the
affected streets.
We purchased the property in Mid September for over $525,000 and have
spent well over $8000 currently in re-designing our home, getting it
re-engineered with plans to remodel and add some additional rooms, with
the expressed purpose of changing the front elevation aesthetic image
and relocating the garage and driveway to exit onto Saturiba. We
were/are unable to get anyone in the COAB to approve anything without
drawings and submitted permits and thus we are/were put in a NO WIN
situation by having to spend $8000+ to get what we thought would be
simple approval.
We have/had talked via email with both Brian Broedell planner for City
of AB and Scott Williams Public Works director in late August as we
prepared to purchase the home to verify that we in fact could do so.
Scott Williams stated he “didn’t think public works would have an issue
with this” but we had to submit plans for approval. Permittable Plans
take 90-100 days to get all the required elements for COAB paperwork,
and for appropriate submittal.
We have expedited as much as possible every element of this re-design,
but had no idea this consideration was being mulled over. With the time
delays (90 days as of today) in Architectural design, Structural
engineering, Truss engineering (still in process), surveying, and then
the submittal for permitting (waiting on truss layouts, engineering) we
are now seriously concerned that our purchase and planned home, based on
the parking plan is now a HUGE LOSS of value.
Should this suggestion of parking in any format be approved, our
proposed plans are no longer usable, as well as 100+ days of delays and
$8,000+ in money, in trying to get our home remodeled, and it will
potentially put us into severe financial distress. I have attached the
survey of the proposed and discussed changes with the City.
Again, we do not have “any approval” at this time of our planned
change, but we did meet, discuss and do everything asked of us under the
verbal and written directives; that it seemed to be acceptable and to
move forward with our plans to submit.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I plan to be at the meeting on DEC 20th, and
prior to this I am asking the COAB to PLEASE RECONSIDER THIS, as if
approved it will in fact cause severe personal financial distress on my
wife and I.
If someone would take a moment to reach out to me to hear me out I
would appreciate it.
Shawn Griffith
904-545-4993