David Corneal trying to change the rules..AGAIN. Show up Tuesday afternoon if you can!

Thanks to ever vigilant Lee Geanuleas, we now know Mr Corneal, who got his way with the old Dow Museum zoning change in a residential area, is at it again. Unfortunately and inconveniently for all of us working down to the wire to GOTV, the Planning and Zoning meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at the Alcazar Room at City Hall. It should be around 2PM.

If you're done with your canvassing, greeting and phone banking responsibilities by then, please consider showing up in opposition of this change. PZA agenda here: http://citystaug.com/AgendaPZB11062018.pdf  

Sorry for the long explanation but here's the story from friend of the city Lee:

CORNEAL RESIDENTIAL ZONING CHANGE

Neighbors, If you were looking for something to take your mind off our current political environment, there is this:

David Corneal, owner of the Collector Hotel at the former Dow Museum property has applied for a rezoning of his seven bedroom, nine bathroom mansion at 125 Marine Street from Residential Single-family 1 (RS-1) to Residential Low 1 (RL-1). This picture shows the location.

While the inclusion of the term "residential" in each zoning category's name may make this change seem innocuous, as you might suspect, the devil is very much in the details. Here they are:

1. Registration: All properties operated as a short term rentals in RS-1 are required to register with the city. In RL-1 there is no requirement to register.

2. Rental Limitations: All properties now being operated as a short term rental in RS-1 may only rent once per seven days. Under RL-1 there is no such restriction. Mr. Corneal could rent rooms to seven different couples each night of the week (there is a virtually unenforceable restriction in St. Augustine on no more than 3 unrelated people renting at the same address. Given the lack of code enforcement in St Augustine, it wouldn't be too hard to get around that.)

3. Event Hosting: There is a restriction on the size of gatherings that renters are allowed to hold in RS-1. The restriction is 20 people or less, effectively taking a RS-1 house out of the event venue market. That restriction goes away with a change to RL-1. So with the rezoning, a residential neighborhood will have a full-up commercial events venue operating legally on one of the quietest corners of one of the city's quietest downtown neighborhoods. Unfortunately, it is a perfect house to hold a large wedding: On the water, big yard to the south, lots of rooms and gathering places under one roof, and plenty of on street parking thanks to the surrounding neighborhood.

There's more than a bit of irony to this. If you recall, during the fight over David Corneal getting city permission for a commercial hotel operation at the Dow Museum in the Historic Preservation 1 (HP-1) district, one of the arguments against allowing commercial intrusion into a district intended to be primarily residential with no commercial uses was that it would lead to further "commercial creep" into the HP-1 and RS-1 neighborhoods south of the Dow.  In fact, a map of HP-1 and RS-1 was shared with the City Commission during the Dow debate that showed 27 large houses that could be converted into B&B's and event venues using the exact same logic Mr. Corneal used to justify a hotel & bar operation in HP-1.

Now "commercial creep" has leapfrogged HP-1 and landed in RS-1. 

It shouldn't be allowed. If we are to protect what's left of The City of St Augustine's residential neighborhoods, this cannot be permitted. If approved, this could very well unleash a damaging trend in St. Augustine. There will be precedent for commercial investors to purchase residential properties which are discounted because of the restrictions of residential zoning. They will then be able to sue to have the zoning downgraded to allow commercial operations based on this precedent and then either open them as commercial ventures or sell them off at a nice appreciation because of the zoning change.

The PZB will hear this rezoning request next Tuesday at 2 PM at the Alcazar Room. If you want to get away from all the election day "noise" and protect ST Augustine's residential neighborhoods, come on down!