Council, staff apologize for profanity-laced music at Cape Chaos concert
City Council members and staff issued apologies to residents near Sun Splash Waterpark who were exposed to the loud music laced with profanities wafting over their neighborhood from the Cape Chaos concert Saturday night.
“Our residents deserve better,” said Councilmember Rana Erbrick. “I’m looking for some strong regulations going forward so this never happens again. It’s not so much the sound as it was the language that we won’t repeat here. These people moved in next to Sun Splash, but they did not move next to an amphitheater.”
Parks & Recreation Director Steve Pohlman updated council on staff’s response to the many complaints received. It’s the second time recently that a non-city sponsored event at Sun Splash has gotten out of hand and disturbed the residential neighborhoods.
“This was not a city event, but it was on city property,” said Pohlman. “I spoke to our special events team and our permitting group to make changes. First off, the stage was pointed east instead of north. The strong winds out of the north just carried the sound into the neighborhood. We are making new restrictions on events through our use agreement to prevent it from happening again.”
In the business portion of Monday’s meeting, council approved changes in its land use regulations governing shrubbery height at all non-residential properties and the roof structures covering fuel pumps at gas stations and convenience stores.
Roofs or canopies over fuel pumps going forward are required to have a minimum pitch of 4/12 as opposed to the more common flat roof currently in use.
Although Planning & Zoning Commission members voted 6-1 against the proposed change, council apparently agreed with staff that the change will create a more appealing appearance by its unanimous approval. P&Z expressed concerns about safety of the structures in high wind as well as increased cost of construction.
Pure and simple aesthetics also was the main reason for council to approve development regulations regarding an increase in the minimum height of shrubbery from 18 to 24 inches at installation. The change states shrubs will have to be maintained at a minimum of 36 inches one your after installation.
Again, Planning & Zoning voted 4-3 last month to reject the aesthetic changes citing the lack of a maximum height recommendation, but council unanimously approved the ordinance.
Council also approved land use and zoning changes for a vacant parcel located on Mowhawk Parkway just west of the intersection with Skyline Boulevard. The half-acre parcel was changed from single to multi-family residential use and zoning partly because it is located across the street from a Walmart Neighborhood Market and sits adjacent to an existing multi-family development.
Council officially approved a master stormwater system for all 440 acres of the CRA district in South Cape. The city received a permit from the South Florida Water Management District and developed the first phase of the system along Lafayette Street more than a year ago.
Landowners in the CRA district now have the option to capture stormwater in retention ponds on their property, or utilize the city’s system by connecting to the Lafayette Street system or building a portion of the master underground system away from Lafayette.
A one-time user fee of $26.90 per cubic foot was established by council for property owners agreeing to utilize the city’s system that will be maintained by the city.
Council’s next meeting is Feb. 1 at 4:30 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.