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Dunedin planning agency recommends revised historic-preservation ordinance after state and National Park Service review
Summary
The City of Dunedin Local Planning Agency on June 10 unanimously recommended approval of Ordinance 25-02, which updates Chapter 111 (Historic Preservation) and the Certificate of Appropriateness matrix, after staff incorporated comments from state reviewers and the National Park Service.
The Local Planning Agency of the City of Dunedin unanimously recommended approval on June 10 of a revised draft ordinance (Ordinance 25-02) to update Chapter 111 of the Land Development Code on historic preservation, following staff revisions made after state and National Park Service review.
Member Kynes recused herself from deliberations on the item, saying she "does sit as the chairman of the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee" and asking whether recusal was appropriate; the board’s attorney advised recusal "out of an abundance of caution," and Kynes stepped away from the vote.
City staff member Frances Sharp told the board that staff had submitted the draft ordinance for review by state officials and the National Park Service, received comments and made adjustments. "One of the key big changes that you will see in our draft ordinance is the removal of the possible creation of historic district," Sharp said, and recommended the LPA forward the revised draft to the City Commission.
Sharp also summarized the procedural history: the ordinance was previously reviewed by the Local Planning Agency and taken to the City Commission for a first reading; staff resubmitted the updated draft for state review and, after receiving approval, returned it to the LPA so the record would show recommendations by the recommending bodies prior to any further City Commission hearings. Sharp said the Historic Preservation Advisory Committee reheard the draft on May 14, 2026 and issued a unanimous recommendation of approval.
During brief questioning, a committee member asked about the ordinance’s 50-year age criterion for eligibility. Sharp responded that a 50-year standard is the typical threshold used in the state review process but emphasized that age alone does not automatically confer landmark status: structures must also meet one or more substantive criteria listed in the ordinance.
The acting chair opened public comment on the agenda item; no members of the public spoke. A committee member moved to accept the amendments as offered and to recommend the ordinance to the City Commission; the motion was seconded and the LPA approved it unanimously.
The LPA’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Commission, where the ordinance is expected to appear for two readings before any final action.
