Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Right Of Way Ballot Initiative topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Clearwater council to require voter approval for public right‑of‑way vacations tied to downtown projects
Summary
During public comment on May 7, multiple residents urged the council to place voter approval requirements on street‑vacation requests and asked for full disclosure of applications they say are tied to planned downtown projects; speakers named Church of Scientology entities in connection with recent street‑vacation filings.
Several Clearwater residents used the May 7 public‑comment period to urge the city council to require voter approval before public right‑of‑way is vacated and to disclose the details of pending street‑vacation applications tied to downtown development plans.
Patrick Rafferty, a Countryside resident and vice president of the Clearwater Neighborhoods Coalition, said he is organizing a candidate forum and asked council to hold a May 28 meeting to examine projects being developed in downtown Clearwater, including those linked to the Church of Scientology. Rafferty said, “The council meeting on May 28th needs to know the details of those plans.”
Jill Gibbs and other speakers said they have collected signatures and emails urging the council to put voter approval on the ballot for right‑of‑way vacations. Gibbs noted county commissioner Chris Latvala had recognized constituent concerns about downtown projects and urged the council to heed public input.
Kelly Meyer pressed the council on documents she said are part of two street‑vacation applications and an associated family entertainment center project. Meyer cited the applicants’ filing language and quoted the application text: “Accordingly, the proposed family entertainment center is a confirmed and fully developed project contingent upon approval of the requested roadway vacations and parcel conveyance.” She urged the council not to allow a private institution to “strong‑arm” the city into relinquishing public property and said residents have submitted nearly 9,000 petition signatures in support of voter approval.
Speakers asked the council to be transparent about which entities have filed for vacations and to consider placing voter‑approval language on an upcoming ballot. The speakers identified a set of LLCs and a registered agent they said are associated with requests that will be considered later this month; those specific filings were not presented by city staff during this meeting.
Council did not take action on the public requests during the meeting. Several speakers requested that the council publicly review the filings and respond to the petitioners ahead of the May 28 meeting.
