SEBASTIAN — Plans for a mixed-use commercial agriculture facility and single-family residence at 1624 Indian River Drive were approved with a 4-3 vote at a recent Sebastian Planning and Zoning Committee meeting.
Clams R’ Us owner Joe Weissman was represented by attorney Doug Vitunac from the Collins, Brown, Caldwell, Barkett and Garavaglia of Vero Beach during an arduous, emotional 90-minute hearing during which committee member Ed Dodd was outspoken in his criticism for the site plans.
“At the first meeting, the board had a couple of concerns, and we’ve gone back to address those concerns by working with the staff to make sure we’re all on the same page with what the code requires,” Vitunac said in his opening statement to the committee. “It was our position that the application here before you today meets or in some cases exceeds the requirements in the code.”
Having gone before the Planning and Zoning Committee once before on March 17, the plans for Clams R’ Us were deferred until architectural revisions were made.
The 2,300-square-foot structure will take two years to complete and was designed by Amy Banov of Banov Architecture and Construction in Vero Beach. David Knight of Knight, McGuire and Associates in Vero Beach served as project engineer.
Chris Vincent, who has interest in property on the Indian River Lagoon, spoke in favor of the project as a member of the public.
“I believe they’ve done a fine job of meeting what is expected in the development of the riverfront community with this beautiful building,” Vincent said. “We’ve been on a steady path to preserve some of the commercial fishing heritage of Sebastian, which has been a constant political statement which has been made by various people. I know Mr. Weissman has owned this property for quite some time and wants to get it in business.”
More than 90 percent of Florida’s Clams are harvested from the Indian River Lagoon, accounting for 15 percent of the nation’s yearly clam output.
Dodd’s dissenting opinion was rooted in his belief that no more single-family residences should be built on Sebastian’s working waterfront.
“It was a major consensus (at the Planning and Zoning Committee meeting on March 17) that the property just didn’t fit in that area,” Dodd s said. “The motion was that the residential section of that property be made smaller and fit the overall theme. In that area are many restaurants and no single-family residences. This is a big house with a small footprint for supporting a clam operation. There hasn’t been any change made yet to land development code to support that. We’ve talked many times and even proposed four months ago that the city council remove single-family residences from that area for that specific reason, but it hasn’t been done.”
“The city has invested a lot of money for development in that area in the Fisherman’s Landing project and the parking lot on Jackson Street,” Dodd added. “The overall intent of the city was to bring in tax revenue through tourism. I personally see this area as Sebastian’s Miracle Mile – this is where Sebastian can build a tourist mecca.”
Vitunac had the zoning code on his side in his favor, which factored heavily in his client’s favor.
“The direction we got from this commission was to go back and try to meet the requirements without a waiver. We have a right, that if we meet the code – which we have done – we should get approval. This fits in with the zone perfectly. It is a piece to that puzzle Sebastian is working on.”
