The Lucerne...

Just this week, on one of my many trips downtown (this time to buy dog food from Paws on the Avenue), I stepped into Starbucks for a quick refreshment.  Out front, by the door, was a guy in his late twenties or early thirties with his dog by his side.  He had nestled himself in a corner between the main door and one of the windows and serenaded those walking by or sitting outside (there were many) with his guitar.  This was like 2 p.m. on a Wednesday.  When I went in, there were about ten people scattered around inside, most on laptops taking advantage of the free wi/fi.  Some were using it as a space to meet people, read or do work.  From what I remember from many previous visits, this was a medium to light day in terms of the crowd there. Many people I know make regular trips to Kilwins - I try to avoid places like that since it seems that I only need to smell ice cream to gain weight - the same goes for fudge.

I met someone over the weekend who lives in the Lucerne whose daughter works at Kilwins - right below their unit.  Talk about a short commute!  This person loves living there and specifically chose downtown Lake Worth as a location cause she wanted to be in an active downtown.  She talked about how she loves to have the windows open, go out on her balcony and hear the various bands and types of music that are played at night along Lake and Lucerne.  In fact, she can tell what time it is by the type of music being played and the direction that its coming from.  Being on one of the higher floors, she gets the benefits ocean breezes.  She liked the security that comes from living in the building and probably wouldn't have chosen the location if she didn't have that benefit.  She would have been uncomfortable being a single woman living in one of the downtown's cottage properties, for example.  A couple weeks ago, I met another single woman that lives in the Lucerne and had equally high satisfaction with her location for many of the same reasons.  Our current City Manager, she told me, strongly considered living there, but for the negative political "aura" that surrounded the building.

Look at the area immediately surrounding the building.  The building directly to the east of the building has been recently re-done, in rainbow colors I may add, and the retail bays are nearly full.  It is one of the few complete buildings in the downtown that have had an extensive face-lift in the past ten years.  Paws on the Avenue moved from their previous location immediately across the street from the building.  Studio 205, whose owner was against the Lucerne, seems to profit from the increased traffic and since opening of the building next door put in a take-out window and generally expanded the newsstand area to meet demand for reading material.  It's also kitty-corner from the former Lake Theater which is soon-to-be the new home of the Palm Beach County Cultural Council.

So despite it being used as the perennial "bloody shirt" during various Lake Worth election campaigns as a symbol of all that is wrong with redevelopment and "growth," it is hardly a "pox" upon the downtown.  In fact, it enhances it in many positive ways.

When it came before the Planning and Zoning Board back in 2002 (that's right - eight years ago!), it was I think my first or second meeting as Chairman.  It was presented to us by staff after being through the CRA - who was involved in subsidizing the deal.  Part of the project included a significant number - something like 100 or so - of parking spaces that were going to be reserved for the public at-large and not restricted to owners of units in the building.  This would have further helped the downtown's parking supply and help insure success of the retail operations in the new building and stimulate others throughout the downtown.  We also were presented architectural renderings which showed a varied parapet roof treatment that relieved the "boxy" nature of the building as it stands today.

That was one of the key changes after it made it out the Planning and Zoning Board's doors that evening.  That change happened in the building department - after one of our concerned citizens wanted to make sure that the building was not a micron over 65 feet in height.  There went all the ornamentation along the roofline.  Also, after it made it out our doors the one time that the building came before us, the parking spaces reserved for the public at-large were removed.  That should have triggered the project coming back before the Planning and Zoning Board, but it never did.  I maintain that I would not have voted for the building without public parking as a part of it - that it my mind made it worth the public subsidy.  The other reason I voted for the building was that it was a way of injecting people with incomes that could afford to live in this new condominium into our downtown - encouraging them to spend their money locally without having to get in their vehicles and leave the community with their dollars.  I think we can now see the benefit from that.

So the process was flawed, but the building is built and not going anywhere soon.  I stand by my decision - made with 7 other people on the board at the time (I think the vote was unanimous or close to it.)  I also remember, for all the attention being paid the building and the financing of it at the CRA and the City Commission, that it was one of our most lightly attended meetings - ever!  So, it comes a some surprise that during election time, it is the Lucerne that is hung around my neck and others as being indicative of what is wrong with the city and "what came before."  In fact, this last time, the PBP chose to compare my vote way back in 2002 to be somehow equal in gravity to the mistaken decision by my opponent to not support the takeover by the sheriff's department.  I think the relative importance of the two decisions are hardly equal in terms of eventual negative public policy impacts.

So, next time you are downtown, think about how different our "vibrant downtown" may be without the Lucerne.  You may come up with some surprising answers.