Letters to the Editor

+ Revisit Mar Vista vote
Dear Editor:
Regarding your observations of Village residents’ responses to the May 6 approval of the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub’s site-plan amendment, our response follows:

Increased capacity expansion from 169 to 331 persons is beyond reasonable limits and not in the public interest. The streets are now choked in season, and this expansion is not slight, as you stated in your May 15 editorial. In fact, it is nearly double.

The scope of this expansion was not included in the notice to residents regarding the expansion presentation held May 6.

Also not included in the notice to residents was that the Jordan House would become a meeting center that can be used “for weddings and private parties,” that has a capacity of up to “151 persons.”

Calculations of the off-street parking requirements for this increased capacity at Jordan House are unclear, and, to date, no analysis has been shared of the resulting on-street parking that inevitably will result from the expansion.

The plan includes no limits on the time and frequency of events or if multiple events can be held in one day. This will affect traffic flow and parking problems that have already been increasing.

You reference the now twice-a-year Mar Vista events that result in a larger-than-usual number of diners parking in the public right of way in front of nearby homes. Our concern is that the number of events will only increase and occur frequently throughout the day and night.

The expansion parking plan does not include any provision for employee parking. It appears that it was not even taken into account in the decision.

Your article states, “We would recommend you read the accompanying text; Resolution 2013-12 expressly says that with all the conditions required by the town the Mar Vista application conforms to codes.” We have read, and now further know that this plan is unclear and incomplete. Therefore, we are requesting the Longboat Key town commissioners revisit their May 6 vote.

Cheryl and Christopher Tatreau; Brian and Karen Feeney; Pete and Carla Rowan; Stephen Garrod and
Patricia MacDonald; Tom

Barnum and Jennifer Redding; Shirley and David Myers; Luke Magliaro; Howard Raczkiewicz; Al and Virginia Luke,
Longboat Key