Snell Isle Alerts

St. Pete 2050 Plan Impacts Snell Isle: Call To Action

Over 100 people attended the last Snell Isle Property Owners Association (SIPOA) meeting on May 17th. Elizabeth Abernethy from the City's' Development Review Commission (DRC) and Derek Kilborn from the City's Urban Planning and Historic Preservation Division presented the St. Pete 2050 plan. There were many questions from the meeting attendees relative to the impact Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) could have on Snell Isle. ADUs are incremental living spaces (attached or unattached) to a primary dwelling. No additional parking requirements are mandated along with the extra living spaces proposed in the plan.

To date, Snell Isle has not been zoned for ADUs as they have not been approved for Coastal High Hazard Areas (CHHA), of which Snell Isle is a part of. ADUs are being proposed for CHHAs in an effort to create more affordable house for St. Pete. With 1,000 people a day moving to Florida, the next 30 years are projected to bring 90,000 more people to St. Pete.

There was concern about additional building in a CHHA given it could increase the impervious surface ratio (more concrete, less water absorbtion) and could exacerbate the water run-off issues Snell Isle faces during heavy rains and storms.

We have the opportunity to weigh in on the proposed 2050 plan as it is headed to City Council on June 9th for a first reading, then again on July 14th for final review and approval. You can count on representatives from your Snell Isle Board to be present and voicing concerns about the plan. We welcome all neighbors to attend. Not only is it fascinating to see how our city goverment works, but a full gallery of people will have an impact at the meeting.

Now would be the time to write to our Mayor and City Council members, as well as weigh in with Liz Abernethy and Derek Kilborn as they are the authors of the plan. For your consideration, following are a few points of concern that have been voiced by Snell Isle residents:

maintaining the character and desirability of our neighborhood

infrastructure impact of additional residents

the additional flooding component

pattern and compatibility of our neighborhood

rentals vs ownership

reduction of permeable surface

For ease of reference, see email addresses for the city council and mayor:

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Please consider blind copying Bonnie Hargrett (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you decide to send an email. She will print those out and use them to show neighborhood support when she speaks at the City Council meetings.

For all interested in reading the 2050 plan, you can go to www.stpete2050.com or see the link below for a version on sharepoint.

https://stpete1-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/dskilbor_stpete_org/ETsfFii3kDJMlwFc1MhQG7EBPy5R14dEMJ6ymNbo8UChgA?e=S0sfJ8

Panther Statue Destroyed by a Hit and Run

The SIPOA panther statue at the corner of Cordova & Lido Way was severely damaged by a HIT & RUN driver Saturday night (4-23-22) around 11:45PM. Footage was captured on a resident’s RING camera that was provided to St Pete Police when they took the report this morning. Because it was near midnight, the camera footage is not clear and absolute but it has been suggested it was done by a Camry or similar type vehicle. Based on how hard the panther and pedestal was hit, the driver had to be speeding as this statue weighs about 1200 pounds and the panther atop the base was totally destroyed. The driver was heading north on Cordova towards Eden Isle Blvd and should have substantial damage on their right front grill and headlight area. They did not stop after the accident.

If you see a vehicle, probably dark in color, missing the lamp cover shown below and pretty severe damage to their right front grill and side, please let us hear from you. We recently filed charges against a Commercial Company driving an 18-wheeler who destroyed a SIPOA planter at the corner of Snell Isle Blvd & Nina. We were quick to file charges against the Company and with the excellent and prompt work from our SIPOA Vice President, Michael Labbee, he was able to recover damages from that company within a month. We will press charges against the party who destroyed this panther but we need to find them first.

If you think you see a vehicle that might have this type of damage, do not approach it, but do get a description - make and model, along with the license tag, the most important part. Call Bonnie Hargrett at 727-821-1048 with the information. The Police are working the case and we want to be of assistance in any way possible so SIPOA can file an insurance claim. THANK YOU for your help!

Important Meeting: Zoning Changes To Impact Snell Isle

With 1,000 people a day moving to the sunshine state, the city of St. Petersburg is looking to add a substantial amount of affordable living dwellings throughout the city. They take the form of duplexes, triplexes, quads, and more recently, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - an additional dwelling on the same lot that already has an existing home.

Certain St. Petersburg neighborhoods have seen an influx of ADUs (in many cases used as short term rentals) as they may be currently zoned for them. Snell Isle has not been zoned for ADUs in the past, but the St. Petersburg 2050 Plan proposes to include Snell Isle - and other Coastal High Hazard Areas - for more housing density in order to deliver on the promise of more affordable housing units. Neighborhoods already impacted with these housing density changes have noted that they are experiencing increased traffic in addition to parking issues. Snell Isle residents should also consider the change to impervious surface ratios (additional man-made hard surface areas) which would further impact stormwater run-off.

Snell Isle Property Owners Association (SIPOA) will be hosting an important meeting on Tuesday, May 17th beginning at 6:30 PM at the St. Pete Woman's Club, where Elizabeth Abernethy of the City’s Development Review Commission (DRC) and her colleague, Derek Kilborn, of the City’s Urban Planning and Historic Preservation Division will present to Snell Isle residents about proposed changes to our neighborhood.

Neighborhoods across the city each have their own character and identity and Snell Isle enjoys being the premier neighborhood in all of St. Petersburg and we want to keep it that way. Snell Isle is home to the historic Vinoy Renaissance Resort and Golf Club, a premier golf course. Our tropical surroundings provide waterfront vistas for most residents with a large percentage of Snell’s homes enjoying waterfront property. It’s important that the proposed changes, and implications, be thought out thoroughly and the voice of the community be heard before such plans are approved.

We hope you'll join us at this very important meeting on May 17th to understand the potential impact to Snell Isle.

Food Truck Wednesday - TODAY 5pm - 8pm

It’s Food Truck Wednesday at Northeast Church on Shore Acres this Wednesday (4/20) from 5 - 8 PM! Take a break from cooking and get some great American food from the Slammer Shop food truck and finish it off with an amazing dessert from the Funnel Vision truck.

We’re also collecting non-perishable food donations for the St. Pete Free Clinic. So please bring a food item to help those in need during this challenging time. Those who make a donation will get a free drink from the truck!

There’s plenty of room in the church parking lot to get your food and maintain social distancing. Stop by 4400 Shore Acres Blvd, 33703 on Wednesday and don’t forget your food donation.

Message from Snell Isle President

With 2 auto thefts on Snell Isle in the last week, you can expect those who commit these crimes to keep returning, hoping to find other opportunities to take what doesn’t belong to them! Please remind your family members to lock up, take those keys OUT of the car, remove all valuables and stay alert. We are all only as good as our weakest link…don’t let that weak link be YOU!

If you see anything suspicious, please call the Police at 893-7780. They’d much rather come to check something out and PREVENT a crime than take a report AFTER a crime’s been committed. And with the Holidays right around the corner, we don’t want to make it easy for crimes of opportunity! Please stress this to every family member…when we all work together, good things can happen.

Stay Safe, Bonnie Hargrett

St. Petersburg Police Dept. Update Sept 30 - Oct , 2019

Over the past week Snell Isle had an Auto Theft that occurred on September 30th at approx. 11:30 p.m. It occurred at the apartment complex on Eden Isle. The car was left unlocked with the keys under the seat. There are no suspects.

There was also a Residential Burglary in the 1200 block of Brightwaters Blvd NE. The suspect is unknown and made forced entry to the 2nd floor doors. This occurred on October 5th at 11:30 p.m. There were no other reported crimes. Donald J. Herring, SPPD

Please always remember to:

  • Lock it or lose it.
  • See something, say something. Call SPPD immediately at 727-793-7780 if you see something suspicious.
Thank you for keeping Snell Isle a very safe and wonderful community.

Join The Snell Isle Property Owner's Association

About Snell Isle

image Snell Isle is home to the historic The Vinoy® Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club, one of the Nation's premier golf courses.
image Our tropical surroundings provide waterfront vistas for most residents. Over 80% of the homes on Snell Isle enjoy waterfront views.
image In 1920, local developer C. Perry Snell began construction on what was originally, a muddy mangrove island.

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