SAFETY HARBOR — The City Commission voted 4-1 on Feb. 17 to approve a site plan for The Barking Lot, a 1,058-square-foot tavern and “dog dining” facility planned for the corner of Main Street and Delaware Street, despite a wave of testimony from neighbors who say the area has reached a “critical mass” of flooding and traffic congestion.
The project, represented by P. Ely Payne of Bayside Engineering LLC, involves a tavern at 946 Main St. and an accessory parking lot on an unaddressed parcel on Delaware Street. While the city’s Technical Review Committee found the application consistent with the Land Development Code, the hearing revealed a deep disconnect between what is permissible on paper and what residents say is sustainable for the neighborhood.
The most pointed opposition came from those dealing with the downstream consequences of Main Street’s commercial success…