Neighbors against zoning change for Charles Ave.

Last night, at the Village Council meeting, the subject of a planned zoning change for Charles Avenue was discussed. The night before, attorney W. Tucker Gibbs, on behalf of The Stirrup house at 3242 Charles Avenue and Stirrup Properties, asked for a change from single family residential to low density restricted commercial at the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB) There is talk of turning the historic house into a bed and breakfast and/or restaurant.

The Stirrup House is one of the original Coconut Grove houses built in the late 1800s. A City report on the house says, "Ebenezer Woodbury Franklin Stirrup migrated from the Bahamas to South Florida in 1888 and worked as a carpenter’s apprentice in Key West, and then as a laborer in a pineapple field in South Dade. He ultimately became a millionaire Coconut Grove property owner. Stirrup built his home in Coconut Grove, using all his construction skills to create an impressive, yet understated, residence for his family. Mr. Stirrup lived in the house until his death in 1957, a total of 58 years."

The PZAB deferred voting on the issue until their April 6 meeting. Neighbors as well as the Village Council are suspicious over the zoning change and neighbors are adamant about residential zoning staying residential. Williams Armbrister, Grove activist, spoke last night against the change of zoning. He said it was not acceptable. He and the neighbors on the block feel that once the door is opened for some commercial use, the whole block will eventually change.

A petition is going around against the zoning change, and it's said that all neighbors are signing.

Village Council members Renita Ross Samuels-Dixon who is chairing the Village Council's Historical sub-committee and Stephen Murray, the chair of the Planning and Zoning sub-committee will do some investigation for the Village Council and report back to the Council on their findings.