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Record of Proceedings

Gulfport Planning and Zoning Board Meeting – June 4, 2025

Planning and Zoning Commission — Wednesday, June 4, 2025
BodyGulfport, Mississippi
SessionPlanning and Zoning Commission
DateWednesday, June 4, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
4:29

I'll call this meeting to order.

4:32

Um, can we all please stand for the pledge?

4:38

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

4:45

One nation under the indivisible liberty justice.

4:57

Board Member Cowan.

4:59

Here.

5:00

Board Member Gonzalez Hastings.

5:02

Here.

5:02

Board Member Hanarhan.

5:04

Yeah.

5:04

Board Member Kelly.

5:05

Here.

5:06

Board Member McCoachy?

5:07

Here.

5:08

City Attorney Evans.

5:09

Here.

5:10

Deputy City Clerk Hartman present, and board member Bixler has asked to be excused.

5:17

Okay, the first item in our agenda is public comment.

5:22

Anyone wishing to offer public comment can come forward and speak for three minutes?

5:26

Is there any public comment?

5:28

Okay, seeing none.

5:31

The next item is approval of the minutes.

5:33

Do we have a motion to approve the minutes?

5:35

I approve.

5:37

My motion.

5:38

Okay.

5:39

I'll second.

5:40

We have a motion and a second.

5:42

All in favor?

5:44

Aye.

5:45

Aye.

5:46

Aye.

5:48

Aye.

5:48

Okay.

5:49

Then it opposed.

5:52

Okay.

5:52

Then it passes unanimously.

5:59

The next item is applications.

6:02

We don't have any.

6:04

Um we then move on to ordinances, and we have the evaluation and appraisal review year-based amendments to the 2018 comprehensive plan.

6:16

And is there a presentation by the city?

6:21

Good evening.

6:22

Good evening.

6:23

Nice to have you all in new faces too.

6:27

Tonight we are looking at the comp plan.

6:31

What we're going to do first is the required changes that the state has or wants us to do.

6:56

Thank you very much.

6:57

It is always nice to be here.

7:02

All right.

7:04

So I have had the pleasure of working for the city for several years, but I don't know everybody.

7:10

So if you don't know me, again, my name is Linda Fisher with Forward Penetless.

7:14

My agency works with all 24 cities and towns, plus the unincorporated county.

7:20

We have what we call a countywide plan, which coordinates land use across all of those local governments.

7:27

And we also offer technical planning assistance to local governments, and that's why I'm here today to help you with this update of your comp plan.

7:37

So you know again, just as a refresher, the uh purpose of the comp plan is to provide a policy basis for the uh regulations that the city adopts and other decisions that you make, and it's required by state law.

7:50

Um the original intent from the state's perspective was to regulate the growth of communities to make sure that infrastructure and services are keeping up with population.

8:00

Um but since Gulfport is a stable community that doesn't uh see a lot of population growth currently, um you really just need to show the state that you still have the services and facilities that you need to serve your population.

8:15

Um and it needs to be updated at least once every seven years uh to make sure it remains up to date.

8:21

Um so uh where are we relative to that schedule?

8:25

Um well the first required step was to evaluate your comp plan uh to make a list of any needed changes and send that list to the state.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Regulations██████████████████████████████████34%
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████16%
Floodplain Management█████████████13%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Property Appraisal█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Gulfport Planning and Zoning Board Meeting – June 4, 2025

The Gulfport Planning and Zoning Board met on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 6:00 PM at Gulfport City Hall. The meeting was called to order, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. Board Member Bixler was excused. The board addressed approval of minutes, a major ordinance presentation on comprehensive plan amendments, and the selection of officers.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The board unanimously approved the minutes from the July 3, 2024 meeting (motion by a member, seconded, all ayes, no nays).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered.

Discussion Items

  • Evaluation and Appraisal Review (EAR)-Based Amendments to the 2018 Comprehensive Plan: Linda Fisher of Forward Pinellas presented the required updates. Key changes included:

    • Addition of a new Private Property Rights Element (state-mandated).
    • Housekeeping amendments to the Future Land Use Element (policies 1.1.9 and 1.8.2) to align with the countywide plan and clarify coastal high-hazard area restrictions.
    • Updates to the sanitary sewer, solid waste, drainage, potable water, and natural groundwater aquifer recharge element, including moving the 10-year water supply work plan to an appendix and replacing the water demand table with a reference to the Pinellas County water supply plan.
    • Corrections to the five-year capital improvements schedule and typographical errors noted by board members.
    • Board members raised questions about: the status of water meter replacements (Policy 4.2.4), outdated references to T BARTA and the Transportation Advisory Committee, the designation for Section 8 housing liaison, drainage level definitions, and inconsistencies in flood zone data (e.g., Map 3 vs. Map 4, and a mathematical error on page A2 where flood zone percentages exceeded 100%). Fisher acknowledged these issues and agreed to correct them before the final draft.
    • Discussion also touched on the potential impact of Senate Bill 180 (which restricts more burdensome regulations after hurricanes) and its effect on future amendments, such as those related to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Fisher noted that the EAR-based amendments are ministerial and do not create new restrictions.

  • Selection of Chairperson and Vice Chairperson: The board elected a chairperson and vice chairperson via a motion (seconded, all in favor, no opposed). The names were not explicitly stated, but the board expressed confidence in the nominees.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Recommend Approval: The board voted unanimously (all ayes, no nays) to recommend approval of the EAR-based amendments to the city council, with the corrections discussed during the meeting.
  • Officer Selection: The board approved the selection of a chairperson and vice chairperson; the motion passed unanimously.
  • Clarification on Board Role: In response to questions about ADUs and the board's authority, city staff and the board clarified that the Planning and Zoning Board is an advisory body. It does not initiate policy changes but waits for direction from the city council. The board cannot act on ADU amendments until the EAR-based amendments are adopted by the state (estimated 4–6 months) and council provides guidance.

Meeting Transcript

I'll call this meeting to order. Um, can we all please stand for the pledge? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under the indivisible liberty justice. Board Member Cowan. Here. Board Member Gonzalez Hastings. Here. Board Member Hanarhan. Yeah. Board Member Kelly. Here. Board Member McCoachy? Here. City Attorney Evans. Here. Deputy City Clerk Hartman present, and board member Bixler has asked to be excused. Okay, the first item in our agenda is public comment. Anyone wishing to offer public comment can come forward and speak for three minutes? Is there any public comment? Okay, seeing none. The next item is approval of the minutes. Do we have a motion to approve the minutes? I approve. My motion. Okay. I'll second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Okay. Then it opposed. Okay. Then it passes unanimously. The next item is applications. We don't have any. Um we then move on to ordinances, and we have the evaluation and appraisal review year-based amendments to the 2018 comprehensive plan. And is there a presentation by the city? Good evening. Good evening. Nice to have you all in new faces too. Tonight we are looking at the comp plan. What we're going to do first is the required changes that the state has or wants us to do. Thank you very much. It is always nice to be here. All right. So I have had the pleasure of working for the city for several years, but I don't know everybody.

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