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The City Council is right to allow more development in flood-prone St. Petersburg | Editorial - Tampa Bay Times

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St. Petersburg’s recent decision to allow more development in areas prone to flooding and damage from hurricanes seems like a head-scratcher. Why would a progressive city attuned to climate change allow greater density near its coasts? It’s tempting for some observers to oversimplify the argument: Sea levels are rising so the city shouldn’t allow any increased development in 40 percent of the city. But that’s an unrealistic approach. Thankfully the City Council chose a more pragmatic path.

Until 2016, about 20 percent of the city fell in the Coastal High Hazard area, regions susceptible to flooding during a Category 1 hurricane. Much of that swath was undeveloped preservation land, particularly areas near Gandy Boulevard. But new flood models doubled the area to more than 40 percent. The new zone included many already developed areas of the city, including some of downtown and parts of Fourth Street N and the Skyway Marina district. The city’s dated restrictions stipulated that properties in the Coastal Hazard High area could not increase in density. A single-family home, for instance, could not become a multifamily triplex or even, in some cases, add a garage apartment. A developer could not replace an aging 10-unit apartment building with 20 new units.

After much study — and controversy — the City Council voted to allow increased density. Opponents cast the vote as a sell-out to big developers and ruinous for neighborhoods. The hyperbole ignored the fact that the new rules don’t create a building free-for-all. The changes make increased density possible, but it hardly guarantees it. In fact, increased density is only allowed within roughly 30 percent of the Coastal High Hazard zone — or about 12 percent of the whole city. Plus, zoning and other development regulations still apply.

The new rules will give developers more flexibility to help clean up blighted areas. They will also provide more incentive to build up commercial corridors near downtown, including south on Fourth Street, and near the Gateway and Carillon Town Center. But neighborhoods zoned as single-family won’t suddenly become overrun by high-rise condominiums, at least not because of these rules.

The changes also bolstered building standards within the zone. New buildings — and major renovations to existing structures — will have to withstand higher wind speeds. They also must be built at least two feet higher than currently required. Those wise changes apply to any new development in the Coastal High Hazard area, not just those that increase density. The hardening of new buildings within the zone will help the city improve the quality of its overall housing stock.

On climate change, we need to be realistic, not knee-jerk. Cordoning off 40 percent of the city from density improvements would stifle job growth and increase housing costs. The city must make practical, commonsense moves to balance the threat of hurricanes and sea level rise with economic stability. This isn’t about destroying pristine wilderness. Tens of thousands of us already live and work in the Coastal High Hazard zone. In fact, increasing housing density in and near our urban centers will help slow the creep of development into what’s left of our wild lands.

Despite the political heat, City Council members didn’t cave to the fear mongering. They assessed all the information, measuring today’s realities against future threats, and embraced a responsible plan. They made the right call.

Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Times Chairman and CEO Paul Tash, Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, and editorial writers Elizabeth Djinis, John Hill and Jim Verhulst. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.

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The City Council is right to allow more development in flood-prone St. Petersburg | Editorial - Tampa Bay Times
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