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Tampa Yacht Club responds to Ballast Point neighbors' concerns

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A neighborhood squabble could soon be squashed.
 
The Tampa Yacht Club filed for re-zoning with the city and people living in Ballast Point rallied to save their community.
 
Now both sides are finally starting to feel the neighborly love again, thanks to communication. 
 
"Say exactly what you're going to do and say exactly what you're not going to do and be clear with what you say," Robert H. Barrow, who lives in Ballast Point, said. 
 
That's what neighbors in Ballast Point said they've been asking the Tampa Yacht Club to do.
 
Several weeks ago, the club had filed re-zoning and alcohol permits with the city.
 
People living nearby said they thought the club could make changes like adding a parking garage and tearing down trees. 
 
Now the Yacht Club has filed clarifications about their plans. 
 
"Some extra, helpful clarifying language that talks about absolutely no residential development, no parking garage," Commodore Steve Straske said. "We're preserving the stables operation and protecting our trees."
 
The "Save Ballast Point" group and the Yacht club have gotten together to foster better communication. 
 
"I feel better now than I did two or three weeks ago, but again, I'm going to trust but verify and make sure that the plans that were submitted on Monday address all the issues that we had concerns with," Barrow said. 
 
"We're not doing those things and I think that's hopefully giving a lot of comfort to the neighbors and they see that," Straske said.
 
The Yacht club said they've received a stack of support letter since they've submitted their revised plans for re-zoning Monday. They're expected to be in city council September 22.