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What's
wrong with this picture?
When an Old Town
homeowner applies for a variance on, let's say, fence height or paint
color for example, HARC puts them through an architectural version of
the Spanish Inquisition. What's more, often as not, the request is
denied.
When a group of
developers known as Caroline Street Partners petitioned for multiple
variances in order to build a luxury condo project on the former
Jabour's property, HARC voted to approve in blatant disregard of its own
rules, standards and guidelines.
Before the vote was taken
that afternoon, a group of homeowners from the surrounding neighborhood
presented to HARC a scale model of the Bight area, which included a
representation of the Watermarks development, taken directly from the
plans presently being reviewed. Assembled by a local architect, the
model graphically demonstrates how out of proportion Watermarks would be
to the existing historical structures in the area. That alone should
have been enough for HARC to send Caroline Street Partners back to the
drawing board. See for yourself. The model is on display at Waterfront
Market.
HARC is charged with
protecting the historical integrity of Key West. If anything, the
guidelines it has established should be more strictly applied to an
enormous development than to something as inconsequential (and easily
reversible) as fence height.
Janet Hartwell
Key West |
