Commission approves alley abandonment tied to Villages project; Andrews House debate continues

The City Commission voted Feb. 4 to approve, on first reading, an ordinance (25-001) to abandon a 20-foot-wide alley abutting the Villages of East Ocean North mixed-use development. Staff recommended the abandonment after a review found the short alley remnant no longer serves a public purpose; the ordinance passed unanimously.

Bonnie Misko, attorney for the applicant, said the remnant is roughly a 20-by-50-foot rectangular strip that currently provides access to the development's parking garage and that the applicant now owns the parcels on both sides of the alley. “The alley only served access into the parking garage for the development,” Misko said, and the applicant consents to the abandonment.

Planning staff (Luis Bencosme, principal planner) told the commission the alley met the city's abandonment criteria and recommended approval. Amanda Radegan, planning and development director, added that an abandonment like this does not itself change the approved development’s density and would not be sufficient to add units without a future rezoning or master-plan amendment.

Public comment centered on the historic Andrews House, a privately owned structure elsewhere on the property that residents and preservation advocates want moved, not demolished. Dozens of neighborhood speakers urged the commission to secure funding for moving the structure rather than allowing demolition. Several speakers asked the city to require the developer to pay moving costs or to transfer land value to the city as part of approvals for the Villages project; speakers said the developer had budgeted demolition costs they could redirect to relocation.

City attorneys cautioned the commission about legal limits: Florida law bars conditioning an abandonment on unrelated exactions, and staff said the city’s current Land Development Regulations do not require appraisal or sale value for typical alley abandonments. City Attorney explained that a statutory provision (cited during the meeting) prohibits exactions that are not proportionate to development impacts. Staff suggested that the commission could pursue other tools — including a separate surplus/closing process under a different state statute (cited) or a future code amendment — but that those would be separate from the current abandonment vote.

Commissioner Turkin and others urged a broader, collaborative process involving the Andrews House Committee, CRA representatives and the developer; the developer’s representative said the owner is willing to work with the city and community. Staff said the owner's demolition permit had been extended and that the city is finalizing a community survey and additional outreach in the coming days.

The ordinance passed first reading by unanimous roll call (Mayor Penserga, Vice Mayor Kelly, Commissioners Cruz, Hay and Turkin voting yes). The item returns for second reading under the city’s standard schedule; staff noted that separate legal and policy avenues exist to address funding or code changes related to historic preservation.