06/12/2007: "Took A Few Years, But Rosario Has A Plan"

The County Council (CC) approved the Rosario Master Planned Resort ordinance at a special meeting on Monday. Councilman Myhr was once again absent, and while Councilman Lichter continuing to be opposed to passage without additional discussion, the Council was able this time to muster the necessary members necessary to approve the Plan; and action that brought a burst of applause from an audience made up of supporters.

Lichter made an attempt to introduce new correspondence (and read by at least some of the Councilmen) into the process, but his motion to re-open public comment to allow formal acceptance and discussion of the material failed to receive a second. With that out of the way, the Council voted to approve the Plan; with Lichter casting the lone nay vote.

While the Plan is just that, a plan, and not an application for any development, it is a long list of conditions and restrictions that will structure and guide the review of actual development permits when, and if, they are submitted.

One additional thing the Plan is not, is the approval of the development of an expanded marina at the resort; a point that Councilman Ranker took aims to underscore when he ripped the cover off of the report because it showed an enlarged marina, which Ranker said could be misleading to the public that the County in someway approved of the proposal.

Any marina expansion will, just like any landward development, still have to be submitted, reviewed for compliance with the Plan, and then move forward through the normal permitting process. A process subject to all land use and construction regulations, in addition to those contained in the Plan. And yes, such a process has a provision for public comment, and appeal.