Editor: I read both Don House’s (8/13/08) and Ralph Montgomery’s (8/20/08) Bee letters about the USF/Action 2000 Gulf Boulevard Study in Indian Rocks Beach.
Montgomery’s criticism of House, a member of IRB’s Planning & Zoning Board, is unwarranted. House has invested a lot of his own time in the recent planning activities, including consideration of ideas put forth by the USF consultant. I know because I attended the same meetings.
Montgomery, the former Action 2000 president, has finally come out of the shadows to promote what they have been working on for years; bigger, taller, massive buildings made possible by consolidation of smaller lots and increased density. How does a 400 car parking garage, zero lot line front yard setbacks, increased building height and commercialization of First Street protect the small-town character of Indian Rocks Beach?
Me and my wife own property in the area being studied. We have no confidence in the results that are in discussion. Mr. Montgomery wasn’t there to see the preliminary presentation. Since when is Action 2000 the final authority on what is best for the future of Indian Rocks Beach anyway?
I thank Don House, the other members of the IRB Planning & Zoning Board and all the volunteers that I’ve worked with the last 20 years in our community. I drafted the city’s mission statement. I recommend that everyone read it or draft a new one.
