By ABBEY KUNKLE
Special to the PRESS
The South Padre Island Development Standards Review Task Force (DSRTF) met Tuesday morning, welcoming new member Gary Olle, who filled the vacancy created by the resignation of Nancy Moyer, to the table. They met for discussion regarding a special development plan for the new Courtyard by Marriott hotel that will be built on the north end of the Island. The DSRTF meets on the second Tuesday of each month as needed based on requests and applications. Unfortunately for the members, this month’s only applicant requested that discussion of their project be postponed, however, as the agenda had already been made public, the Task Force was required to follow legal procedure and proceed with the meeting.
The group took the time to approve minutes from the previous meeting. Then, Development Director Dr. Sungman Kim gave the Task Force an update on the special development plan for the Courtyard. Staff previously reviewed the project according to the Form Based Code regulations, but when City Building Official James Mitchim visited the site, he found that the proposed building would encroach on the bulkhead, which is a barrier that helps to prevent beach erosion. The development was also going to infringe upon the public beach area, which is not an option, and both would need to be corrected before proceeding with construction. The plan included excess parking from what was required in Form Based Code, so Dr. Kim explained the solution showing that the building would need to be moved west, consuming the majority of the excess parking.
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