Concerned resident offers his support for the Gulf Stream rezoning request on tonight's City Commission agenda

From: Sander Schrantz
Sent: Tuesday, December 8, 2015 8:19 AM
To: Pamela Lopez
Cc: Michael Bornstein; Pam Triolo; Christopher McVoy; Scott Maxwell; Ryan Maier; Andy Amoroso
Subject: Public Comment for item 12b

"Hello Pam,

I am traveling out the country, but would like for my statement below to be read into the record tonight during public comment for agenda item 12b - rezoning application. Thank you.

City of Lake Worth Commissioners:

Three years ago my wife and I purchased a triplex on S M Street that had previously been an active sober home, and was suffering from years of neglect and shady property management practices by absentee landlords. Over the past 3 years we have invested everything we have and more to completely and legally renovate the property. I am proud to say that we now live on the property, and are renting out the additional renovated units to young local working professionals, including a young family with a toddler. We hope that our hard work and investment will give us a place to start our own family here in the little beach town we love.

We chose lake worth for several reasons, and certainly the small town neighborhood feel was a major factor. We like the laid back, low-rise, eclectic feel of our city, and prefer this to other more developed and bustling local cities such west palm and delray beach.

That being said, I strongly support Hudson Holding's recently proposed plan for renovating and upgrading the historic Gulfstream Hotel, and I encourage the commission to approve the proposed rezoning application that will allow their plan to come to fruition. The proposed rezoning and subsequent renovation plan would be a major win for our city and all of its residents, and it would not, in my opinion, change the low rise feel of our city. All one needs to do to understand this is to go stand in the spot where the proposed plan would take place, and look at the surrounding buildings that would continue to tower over the proposed hotel addition, including the historic hotel itself which is well over 70 feet in height. To claim that this proposal would negatively affect the city and change its small town feel is absurd. [emphasis added] What this proposal would do, however, is convert a decades old dilapidated building into a beautiful and active historic hotel, which would be a point of pride for our city and attract more young families like ourselves to come and purchase homes; not as absentee investors or sober home proprietors, but to live and raise a new generation of proud Lake Worth residents. Please do not give in to the heated rhetoric that so often holds back our beloved city, and approve this rezoning application.

Sander Schrantz - 210 South M Street"