Click here to read Julie’s guest column in the St. Petersburg Times on August 15, 2008 or read the column below:

“PURSUING OUR VISION

BUILDING A BETTER  FUTURE”

Yogi Berra once said “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up somewhere else.”  Yogi’s legendary fracturing of the English language may make us laugh but it usually does get the point across.  If we, as a City, don’t know what we want to be, don’t have a vision for this City, then, to edit Yogi a little bit, we don’t know where we might end up.  That’s why the City’s Vision Statement, adopted in 2005 after a process involving public hearings and citizen input, is so important.  It is a statement of what we want the City to be in the years to come.  

            In helping us develop the Vision Statement, our citizens told us very strongly that they want Dunedin to retain its unique, small, coastal town ambience.  Three critical concepts in the Vision Statement should go a long way toward ensuring this result:  Innovative Redevelopment; Citizen Satisfaction; and Sensitivity to Our Environment.

INNOVATIVE REDEVELOPMENT

The City has identified several key areas for redevelopment.  These include Downtown, Causeway Blvd., the Causeway itself, South Douglas and Patricia Ave.

Redevelopment in most of these areas will be guided by (1) height restrictions adopted several years ago; (2) Architectural Guidelines and Standards adopted last year; and (3) a revised Building Code, hopefully to be adopted within the next year, which will supplant the one put in place over 30 years ago.

 (1)  Downtown:  The major event here is the Gateway Project, a proposed mixed use development at the eastern approach to Downtown.  The developer, Pizzutti Companies of Columbus, Ohio, has agreed to purchase four plus acres and the City has obtained a $1.3 million economic development grant from the State of Florida for infrastructure improvements at the site.

            Other recent developments are the renovation of the old Allen’s Florist building on Main Street; improvements to newly named Purple Heart Park at Main and Broadway; the rezoning of old Keller building site on Douglas Ave. from Industrial to mixed-use ( and the planned demolition of the building); initial site plan approval for a hotel on the old Honey House site on Douglas; and the proposed acquisition of the Dicus Building and old Sterling Hall properties for mixed use development.

 (3)  South Douglas.  The City is partnering with the Pinellas Planning Council on a study of this corridor.  We expect the result to be recommendations for possible zoning and land use changes that would complement both the substantial investment that the City has already made in South Douglas and the long term vision for this corridor.

(4)  Causeway Blvd. and the Causeway:   In 2009, the City will also be doing a similar study for Causeway Blvd. from Alt. 19 to the Intercoastal Waterway.  A significant project—the new Marker I Marina dry storage facility—is already rising out of the ground and we anticipate that other properties along this stretch will be looked at for potential redevelopment.

              Regarding the Causeway itself, both the City and Pinellas County (which owns most of the Causeway property) are adopting Resolutions designating the Causeway as a Pinellas Greenway.  These actions demonstrate our intergovernmental cooperation and should assist us in obtaining state grants for further improvements and beautification to this access to Honeymoon and Caladesi Islands.

(5)  Patricia Ave:  This significant business street is also undergoing analysis.  The results and implementation of this study, together with redevelopment of the former Nielsen property, will surely be major catalysts for further improvements along Patricia.

CITIZEN SATISFACTION

Many of the recommendations of last year’s Customer Task Force are being implemented.  The new name for the Community Services Department–“Planning and Development”—is an appropriate signal that change is underway in that department.  The newly created position of Project Development Coordinator has already reaped positive results.  The Coordinator is charged with shepherding projects through a process which involves five City Department.  And we are excited about the arrival of Greg Rice as the new Director of this important department with which so many of our citizens interface.  He comes to us with a strong background of technical expertise and insistence on customer service.  

            Above I mentioned revisions to our Building Codes which should give us the flexibility to deal with a Dunedin that has changed substantially since the current codes were adopted.  It is one of our goals that the updated codes provide for “user friendly” processes that will facilitate citizen use of the process while at the same time ensuring that the City maintain high standards for any development that occurs.

            Citizen satisfaction means access and accountability and the City continues give high priority to both.  Substantial improvements have been made to the City’s website, including online registrations of the City’s recreation programs and access to a wide variety of information about departmental services and activities.  Video streaming of City Commission meetings makes the process of city government available to anyone with a computer and complements the variety of public programming on the City’s television channel.    

SENSITIVITY TO OUR ENVIRONMENT

How many communities in Pinellas County can claim the following eco-friendly accomplishments:  LEED (i.e., green building) certification for our new Community Center; Silver level “Green Local Government” designation for the City; creation of the position of Sustainability Coordinator to help promote a culture of environmental sustainability in Dunedin; Clean Marina status for our municipal marina; and pursuit of “linear waterfront park” designation for our Causeway?  In addition, the Dunedin Country Club, which manages the City-owned golf course, is considering becoming a member of the Audobon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses with the goal of pursuing appropriate conservation and habitat enhancement practices.   I am confident that the City will continue its commitment environmental “best practices.”  It’s not only good for the environment but also yields cost savings in the long run for our taxpayers.

            In sum, Dunedin is changing even as it seeks to maintain its small town ambience.  As we pursue that vision, we will build a better future for Dunedin.