The Venice City Council is on the verge of increasing the zoning height of buildings in our beautiful downtown historic district!

 
ONE public workshop was just announced, next Monday (6/6/22) at 5pm at city hall. Only one workshop to communicate the contents of the several hundred page LDR document with the public! The Land Development Regulations is a guideline for the planned growth of our city, and the public should have significant input. This workshop was announced with less than one week’s notice, and at a time many citizens are working. After months of petition signatures, letters and phone calls all opposing a height increase, and officials assuring us that they would protect downtown, we are being blindsided!
 

 
Please attend next Monday’s meeting, and tell your friends, neighbors and strangers in the check-out line too! 99% of us want to save downtown, so there is no LEGITIMATE reason to increase building heights… except that a few developers will make a short-term profit. Only a few of us year-rounders are here to speak up to our elected officials. Please attend this crucial meeting and pass on this message to all you know!

This is from a post by Mayor Ron Feinsod:

“City of Venice residents are being misled and lied to about the LDRs. If you thought your voice about building heights in our Historic downtown was heard, you are mistaken! The Planning Commission, after the only public workshop to date, stated that they would leave the current code in place. Then, while we all thought this was a done deal, they moved the goalposts and are now back exactly where we started.

Current: 35′ to peak

Change: 35′ to midpoint of roofline. That would add minimum of 4′ and possibly 6-8′

Current: no additional “decorative” above 35′

Change :additional 20% of building height or 7′

The total of these two changes could bring building in our Historic Downtown to 50′ NOT INCLUDING a 10′ “exception”

There are numerous other issues yet to be resolved and they are trying to push this through by early July.”

Our only chance to save our downtown is to show up and to speak up. We need more workshops and more time to examine this important document guiding our city’s future. Speak now or forever regret it!