—INDEX- Arts & Leisure SB What's going on around the islands At Large 5A Calendar 4B Cltvside 9A Classifieds 8C Commentary 6A Crossword 9C Coast to Coast II Success Environment 3C McPhees, Kapcin High water kills Island Guide 6B Police Beat 2A complete tour pepper trees in Recreation of New Zealand SCCF test tract 3C 1 96 1*199 1 Still first m on Sanibei \tm\ and Captiva VOL. 30, NO. 18 TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1991 THREE SECTIONS, 36 PAGES 50 CENTS Large house to test city's 'appearance' standards By Frances Adams The home is designed with eight bedrooms and 10 someday be converted into a duplex, or worse, a Islander staff writer bathrooms -- two sides that mirror one other with four quadriplex. And if it were, several said, it is doubtful the Developer Franz Huschka has big ideas — and is making bedrooms and two stairways on each side, joined by a code could be enforced because the house won't be visible big plans for a large family in Europe that wants a huge kitchen. through the dense vegetation. vacation home here. He even designed the home within It's being built for a family of eight, seven adults and a Commissioners also said it doesn't conform to Land the code standards and didn't need any variances. But baby, that resides in Europe. The owners are a sister, Development Code standards in Section I.E.37 (pertaining Sanibel's Planning Commission thinks the house is too who's a fashion designer and golfer, and a brother, who to the appearance, size and mass of buildings), in that the big, too unusual and something surely to be wary of. has a wife and five children ~ four between the ages of 18 design doesn't match the "rhythm" and "character" of the The home has 9,403 square feet of living area on a and 20, and one baby. neighborhood. The vague terminology of this code 192,018-square-foot, heavily vegetated lot off West Gulf The Planning Commission at its April 23 meeting standard has never been tested in an appeal. Drive, between the Sea Oats subdivision and Surfsound decided, contrary to the planning staffs recommendation, Planning Director Bruce Rogers and Planning Court. The lot is more than 16 times the size of the the proposed house does not appear to be a single-family Commission Attorney Beverly Grady told the commission house's footprint, in a neighborhood where many of the home. In fact, several commissioners and members of the homes are built out to the setback lines of the property. public expressed the opinion that it has the potential to Please see HOUSE, page 4A City, CEPD to discuss decision DNR issues Blind Pass erosion ruling By Steve Ruediger revetment at the Santiva cottages property and the Islander staff writer extension of the terminal groin at Blind Pass." The Florida Department of Natural Resources issued its Green went on to say in an April 22 letter sent to both ruling last week concerning the erosion at Blind Pass. the CEPD and the city of Sanibel that, "staff feels that a The DNR ruled that the groin extension by the Captiva clear differentiation between the amount of the increased Erosion Prevention District was responsible for one third erosion caused by each of the contributors is not possible. of the erosion, and the CEPD would have to place 15,387 Therefore, I have decided to implement a suggestion that cubic yards of sand on the beaches of northern Sanibel by the total increased erosion of 46,162 cubic yards from the April 1993. north segment be divided between each of the three Sanibel City Manager Gary Price said Saturday, April contributors." 27, that he might ask the Sanibel City Council next week In a separate letter to Sanibel City Manager Gary Price, if it wants to initiate an administrative appeal to the Green wrote that the mitigation of the sand by the CEPD ruling. should not be considered a solution to the serious erosion The CEPD is expected to discuss the ruling at its problems on northern Sanibel. Green noted that a meeting Wednesday, May 1, at 6 p.m. at the Captiva cooperative effort with the CEPD on an inlet management Community Center. plan for Blind Pass had begun and said he would "strongly The ruling would leave the groin as it is. encourage you to continue." A Sanibel consultant, Coastal Engineering Consultants, Enclosed with the letters to the two government bodies had previously blamed the CEPD for most of the erosion were copies of two thick reports by DNR engineers. and had urged not only sand placement but also removal of "Northern Sanibel Shoreline Erosion Report" by Emmett the groin. R. Foster, an engineer in the Bureau of Coastal Data In contrast, the CEPD's consultant, Tom Campbell of Acquisition, was dated April 4 and analyzes shoreline Coastal Planning and Engineering, had exonerated the changes on Sanibel before and after the groin extension. Photo by PETE SLOSSON groin, blaming instead historic erosion rates and Tropical "Assessment of the Terminal Groin Extension at Blind Anticipation Storm Keith. Pass on the Shoreline of North Sanibel Island" by Mark The DNR found that 46,162 cubic yards of sand have E. Leadon, administrator of the Bureau of Coastal This anxious group of bargain hunters lined been lost on northern Sanibel in excess of the historic Engineering and Regulation, was dated April 8 and up at the door of the Noah's Ark thrift shop erosion rate prior to the construction of the groin. It also provides a volumetric analysis of sand on north Sanibel Saturday morning, waiting for the start of found the rate of loss has decreased. the "Bag Day" sale. For $3, the shoppers before and after the groin extension. could buy a bag and then fill it for free. The According to Kirby B. Green III, director of the Florida Both reports conclude that erosion increased after the thrift shop is located at St. Michael and All Division of Beaches and Shores, "... the division has also groin was extended and that the extension, Tropical Storm Angels Episcopall Church. tuuuuusconcludeud thaumti thme mucascincreaseud ausiuerosioun i»s thme lesuresulut uofi threuuee Keitjs.eiihn anda mthe Santiv; a Cottages rock revetment were the I primary contributors; Tropical Storm Keith, the rock causes. CEPD prefers its engineer for inlet study; Price objects By Steve Ruediger would "build a problem in from the get-go." Price said expertize. Islander stafff writer that selection would havehave, the result that "thics wiwilnl wb>e PricPTI>Ae saio<nHd tthhe choice was a bad one politically, that After hearing presentations from five coastal perceived by the people of Sanibel as a set-up deal." what was needed was to "start off on a clean slate." engineering firms at a special all-day session Saturday, the However, Price admitted that Campbell made the best The CEPD plans to discuss the selection of the engineer Captiva Erosion Prevention District commissioners presentation of the five groups and that Campbell, in and make its actual ranking decision at its meeting unanimously said Coastal Planning and Engineering was association with Dr. Robert Dean of the University of Wednesday, May 1, at 6 p.m. at the Captiva Community their first choice to do the Blind Pass and Redfish Pass Florida, had the most expertize. Center. inlet management plans. Price called the selection process "a farce" because the The debate between the city of Sanibel and the CEPD Immediately, Sanibel City Manager Gary Price said that CEPD board members also knew prior to the selecting that firm and its president, Tom Campbell, presentations that Campbell and Dean had the most Please see STUDY, page 3A All the following Information was taken directly had received a number of calls since last week's burn, from Sanibei Police Department reports. POLICE including one Monday morning, but had found nothing UJ threatening. As long as any smoke is on the refuge side of Q Henry Deale Denson, 87, of Sanibei, was charged BEAT the road, it is alright, a fire department spokesman said.) Friday, April 26, with improper backing after he backed into a Sanibei Police Department patrol car driven by A dog was hit by a car and killed Sunday at about 5:30 Police Auxiliary Thomas R. Wendling. The patrol car was a.m. on the Sanibei Causeway. Police found a Miami not moving at the time of the accident, police said. The Jesse James Colter of Sanibei was charged Sunday, Beach couple sleeping in their car nearby. They identified accident happened in the Bailey's Shopping Center parking April 28, with going 57 mph on Periwinkle Way. the dog as their's and said they thought he was tied to the lot. side of their car. They told police they were sleeping in Anthony Nunes of Barr, R.I., was charged Sunday with their car because it had broken down. Joseph C. Archambault of Sanibei was charged failure to stop at a stop sign at Periwinkle Way and the Monday, April 29, with improper passing on Sanibel- Causeway Road. A taxi drove a Sanibei man and his unidentified friend Captiva Road. home at 3 a.m. Sunday. The cab driver called police when A radar detector and a roll of quarters were stolen from the man said he didn't have any money to pay the $26 cab The window of a travel trailer door was broken out and the car of Curtis Kuhl of Fort Myers Sunday, and two fare.