Palmetto commission OKs Manatee School for the Arts expansion proposal

PALMETTO -- Some of Palmetto's commissioners remember when expansion plans for the Manatee School for the Arts packed the chambers with concerned residents living near the school.

But the latest proposal to expand the school's music building by 7,100 square feet garnered no public input Monday night. And the commissioners eventually voted to approve the expansion plans.

The empty gallery drove Ward 2 Commissioner Tambra Varnadore to express concern a one-time agenda appearance was bypassing public input.

The terms of the school's general development plan, approved in 2008 and modified in 2011, were designed to allow the school to take simple steps in minor expansions by gaining commission approval rather than going back to the Planning and Zoning Board.

Varnadore opposed the expansion, arguing the project to be a substantial modification, which would require it going back through the planning process. She said the public has not been notified since the 2011 GDP modification and nearby homeowners deserve to have input. Whether the expansion fit all of the requirements of a minor modification as opposed to a significant modification was debated.

City Planner Debra Woithe said the physical expansion of the building was 4 percent. Anything more than 7 percent, she said, would be a substantial modification, triggering the planning process to restart. The 2008 GDP approval also allows for the 80,000-square-foot music building to be expanded up to 102,000 square feet.

Another sticking point for

the project is setbacks. According to city code, unless otherwise noted, the setback requirements are 35 feet. In the city's documents, the 2008 plan notes a 10-foot setback for the music building, but in the 2011 updated plan, the setback was not noted. According to city attorney Mark Barnebey, it's a key point the commission needs to consider before moving forward with a vote.

Architect John Moore of Moore 2 Design in Palmetto presented his own archived plans, which did state the 10-foot setback in both sets of plans. It satisfied commissioners Jonathan Davis and Tamara Cornwell and Vice Mayor Brian Williams. Ward 1 Commissioner Harold Smith was absent with excuse. The approval passed 3-1 with Varnadore dissenting.

School Principal Bill Jones said the initial expansion was to be a two-story building, but the school decided on one-story. Also, he said, while the expansion is for the music building, it would be used for physical education.

"It's a one-story building that was approved in 2008, and we are just going back to occupy that space," he said.

Mark Young, Herald urban affairs reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7041 or follow him on Twitter @urbanmark2014.

This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Palmetto commission OKs Manatee School for the Arts expansion proposal ."