Commission approves Bal Harbor plat after residents urge city to buy parcel as green space

The City Commission approved a quasi-judicial plat for Bal Harbor Village April 2 after a prolonged public hearing in which neighborhood residents urged the city to acquire a commercially zoned parcel and preserve it as green space.

Residents said the parcel, adjacent to a historic sanctuary and neighborhood homes, is essential to the community's character and urged the commission to delay plat approval to complete acquisition negotiations. Brent Campbell, a Bal Harbor resident, said the proposed commercial development would be "neighborhood incompatible" and urged acquisition to protect children and traffic safety.

Mayor Dean Trantel and Mr. Edward, the property owner/developer who testified, said they expected to meet to negotiate a potential city purchase; Mr. Edward said his appraisal supported a $1.7 million figure and that he was "100% in favor of coming to an agreement with the city." The mayor noted the plat approval step is ministerial when it complies with the Unified Land Development Regulations and cautioned against deferral that could expose the city to legal challenge: "I don't want to do this and have it be perceived as...an effort to get the price down," he said.

Commissioners debated whether to continue the item to allow the expected meeting to occur; some urged a short continuance, while others said the record showed no legal basis to deny the plat. The commission voted to approve the plat by roll call (Herpst: yes; Glassman: yes; Vice Mayor Pamela Beasley Pitman: yes; Sturman: yes; Mayor Dean Trantel: no). The mayor said he would pursue negotiations with the owner and promised the community the commission would report back if an agreement in principle is reached.

The vote clears the ministerial plat step; any future development on the commercially zoned parcel would still require separate site-plan review and planning processes before construction.