Miniature golf ordinance moves to first reading – SANIBEL-CAPTIVA

By MEGHAN BRADBURY

mbradbury@breezenewspapers.com

The Sanibel City Council moved an ordinance, which would allow miniature golf as a conditional use in the General Commercial Zoning District, to a first reading during its meeting last week.

“We talked about miniature golf not as an attraction, but enhancement. I think our community does deserve that and I think it can be done well,” Councilmember Richard Johnson said. “We are taking a big step for allowing a conditional use of miniature golf. I do support that and would like to see this take place.”

Ordinance 26-016 was not an approval of a conditional use permit, but rather a consideration of an ordinance that would allow miniature golf. If the ordinance passes, the Planning Commission could approve a conditional use permit.

The City Council discussed the ordinance in length during its Tuesday, Oct. 6 meeting.

The consideration of adding miniature golf as a conditional use was first considered by council on April 21, as they gave direction to the Planning Commission to evaluate the proposed request by the Island Cow. On May 26, the Planning Commission discussed the request to amend the code to allow miniature golf as a conditional use and on Sept. 22 recommended that City Council amend the code of ordinances to allow miniature golf as a conditional use in the General Commercial District.

The proposed ordinance includes such aspects as a definition of miniature golf; creates miniature golf as a conditional use in the General Commercial District; allows only as an accessory use; creates a location standard of not closer than 3.5 miles between courses; prohibits themed elements; and establishes criteria to analyze traffic generation and parking demand.

“The most limiting of everything — located entirely in the General Commercial District, and a new golf course cannot be established at 3 ½ miles of an established miniature golf course. Those two combined together will probably eliminate the possibility to have another anywhere else on the island by and large,” City Attorney John Agnew said.

Another condition requires an environmental assessment report as part of a request to reduce setbacks to existing open bodies of water. It creates a different setback standard to open bodies of water for course elements of 10 feet and allows Planning Commission to approve less than 10 feet without requiring a variance.

As of Sept. 28, the city received 13 emails in opposition to the miniature golf concept, and eight gave support.

One of the concerns from the City Council dealt with the required traffic study.

Councilmember Holly Smith questioned why a traffic study would be required, if there was not one for the new FISH building and Chevron.

“It’s more difficult for a business to have the same opportunity as a nonprofit,” she said.

Planning Director Paula McMichael said council changed the conditional use requiring a traffic generation study in 2023, due to rebuttable presumption.

“Conditional use doesn’t have any traffic impact verse permitted use. Prior to that, any conditional use would have required that traffic generation study,” she said.

Councilmember Laura DeBruce said she remembers the discussion and part of the rationale — traffic studies are extremely expensive and some of the businesses were trying to open on the island.

“In fact, it was becoming an expensive burden stopping people from applying for conditional use permits,” she said.

But since miniature golf is something very new, and somewhat controversial, whether or not to include a traffic study is another question, DeBruce said.

The council also had a discussion regarding the appearance of the miniature golf, as it is not meant to be an attraction, but rather an amenity, so it needed to be natural in appearance. After a lengthy discussion, the verbiage was added to cover all bases.

The newly crafted language states “themed components and structures are prohibited and no building structure, facade, course obstacle, sign, landscape features, statue, sculpture, prop or other improvement shall depict simulate or resemble themed novelty or attraction oriented feature including adventure, jungle, pirate, nautical, carnival, safari, old west, science fiction or similar themes or any Sanibel landmark, wildlife, architecture or other Sanibel themed element.”

The first reading for Ordinance 26-016 will be held at the next council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 9 a.m.