A significant part of the meeting revolved around the request by Island Community Church to amend the Village’s future land use map and zoning map from public semi-public services (PS) to mixed use (MU) for their property on Upper Matecumbe Key. The church, which had acquired the land previously housing the original Islamorada movie theater, was represented by attorney Ty Harris. Harris made a compelling argument, referring to the “original sin of the village,” where the property was downzoned without notification to the church, purportedly decreasing its value by over a million dollars. He called on the council to correct this perceived injustice, citing community support for the reversion to the property’s prior zoning status.

Public comment included both support and concern for the proposed zoning change. Tony Hamond reminisced about his personal history with the land as a former movie theater employee and supported the reversion. Deb Gillis, on the other hand, reminded the council of the zoning changes that occurred with the village’s establishment.

The council also delved into the complexities of defining what it means to front on US1, which has implications for affordable housing development. The code’s current interpretation, which includes Old Highway as fronting US1, was debated, with the council considering changes to clarify this definition. The potential impact on property values and future housing allocations was a concern, prompting a call for further discussion.

The urgency of affordable housing was underscored by the consideration of a reservation system for 300 allocations for such housing. The council grappled with the idea of holding some allocations for beneficial use and the lack of stipulations on who can use the affordable housing allocations.

A tense moment arose during the meeting when the council debated a particular property’s eligibility for affordable housing based on its frontage on US1. A motion to deny the resolution for this property passed with a unanimous vote.

The meeting also touched on the possibility of stopping the review process for proposed residential units before May. This led to a debate on the approval of residential building permit allocation system rankings and awarding affordable residential building permit allocations for the fourth quarter of 2023.

In another zoning-related issue, the council discussed the request to abandon and vacate a portion of Orange Street right-of-way. The topic sparked debate over public benefits versus liabilities and pedestrian and cyclist safety, culminating in a vote against the abandonment of the road.