Planning and Zoning Update - 7/18 City Commission meeting

For those of you that were unable to attend the City Commisson meeting on 7/18, here is the outline that I used for the update regarding Planning, Zoning Historic Resource Preservation Activities:

Planning and Zoning Board – Update

City Commission Meeting

July 18, 2006

1. Introduction

a. Wes Blackman, Chairman, PZHRPB

b. Thank you for the opportunity. A good idea as we come to the end of some board members’ terms and start the terms of new members.

c. Reception in the Commission Conference Room at 5 p.m. to greet the new members and say “so long” to the former members. We all sincerely hope that those members: Helen Greene, Herman Robinson and Jon MacGillis will still be active in the workings of the City and we would love to see them at our meetings – although they might like a little bit of a break.

d. As for the new members, their first meeting will be August 2 and we will welcome Anne Hoctor - planner, Ed LeBlanc – architect and Vincent DeVito – Developer.

e. We look forward to getting to know one another and gelling as a new board.

f. Had the benefit of a well balanced article in the Palm Beach Post yesterday

2. Past

a. Go over handout showing number of cases reviewed over the past 12 months, both PZ and HRPB

i. Many of you occasionally attend our meetings, and we appreciate that when you do.

b. Code Changes: Increased fees for Planned Development (new and amended) and created new fees for ROW abandonment and extension of site plan approval.

c. Corrected inconsistencies throughout the Zoning Code for front setback and permeable surface.

d. Revised the format of the Development Application to add more process information to assist the applicant to prepare for submission.

e. Remind them that this was with a fluctuating staffing level this year – including secretary, planner and urban designer

3. Issues

a. Over the course of the year, we have identified the following issues that relate to redevelopment, the protection of residential neighborhoods, controlling impacts of development and guiding City policies related to the judicious redevelopment of the City. They are as follows:

b. Planning Board -

i. Revised Gateway Zoning Districts (as recommended by the CRA) - increasing density to 30 units per acre and injecting more diverse retail opportunities.

ii. Beach Overlay District – current zoning is Preservation Recreation and Open Space without any standards as it relates to physical improvements and to guide design related issues.

iii. 25 foot wide lots – (subject of current zoning in progress) creation of pattern book, assessment of new building code regulations relating to unprotected openings (is there a better way to say this?)

iv. Construction Management Plans - requirements for and coordination with Building Department re ROW permits and construction impacts to neighboring properties.

v. Vacant Lots - ordinance to address maintenance and speculative demolition.

vi. Alley Improvement - pavement of the City’s alleyway system. Currently, the City has interpreted the Code to require any one development regardless of size that if they have access to or from the alley they have to pave the entire alley. The existing policy creates a burden.

c. HRPB

i. Maintenance of our six (6) existing historic districts: Update each district to reflect the number of years that have passed since the establishment of a district. If a district was established eight years ago, we need to go through the list of structures, contributing or non-contributing, and determine if any may now be considered contributing due to the fact that they are now 50 years old or older - perhaps they weren't eligible to be contributing due to their age at the time of the original survey.

ii. “Re-check" the original surveys to make sure that the designation of contributing vs. non-contributing structures really is an adequate reflection of the importance to the integrity of the historic district they are in. Many times we have questioned whether or not a structure that was a subject of a COA request was contributing or vice versa. Apparently, some of the original surveys were "drive-bys" and their accuracy is in doubt.

iii. Immediately, shore up the designation of each one of our existing districts in light of a technical weakness in the procedure establishing the districts. If we can do it with the revised information, fine. If not, we need to go ahead with this right now.

iv. Two districts that we surveyed, bought and paid for, off the shelf that cover the area in the center of the City, north and south of Lake and Lucerne Avenues and west of Dixie Hwy. Previous Commissions indicated that they didn't want to go forward with these designations. If the Commission's attitude is different now, then it is time to move forward with designation of these districts.

v. Creation of design guidelines and how they will be able to guide compatible and harmonious redevelopment within our historic districts. Right now, we have design guidelines for College Park (only they primarily deal with streetscape) and we have the Major Thoroughfare Guidelines, which also apply to the Downtown. We need to establish the same guidelines for the other four, soon to be six, historic districts. Some of this will be covered with the Master Plan.

vi. Individual historic site designations. The City library, Kristine’s

vii. Controls on demolition by neglect

viii. If we are going to separate the Boards, then a good time to do that would be when we are writing our new land development regulations early next year.

d. Master Plan - Refinement of consultant and community recommendations, review of Evaluation and Appraisal Report - major time commitment and looking at meeting every week to address issues and solicit additional public comment. Separation of Boards issue could be accommodated through the re-write of our land development regulations.

i. Much the same process as we used last year for the successful implementation of the ZIP ordinances

e. Likely have to meet weekly – one week dealing with redevelopment related issues and the next dealing with Code changes.

4. Thank you – Questions.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

Good Balanced Reporting

in the Palm Beach Post (thank you, Nicole Janok) on the status of our historic districts and master plan process that appeared in today's edition of the local news section. We have our work cut out for us, but we are addressing the issues as best we can. In fact, we had a meeting this morning with the master plan consultants to chart out how next Thursday will go. That is when the City Commission, Planning and Zoning Board, Community Redevelopment Agency and members from the Stakeholder Advisory Committee will get together and put a finer point on some of the outstanding issues.

Then it is off to prepare the Evaluation and Appraisal Report, required by the State of Florida, updating of the City's existing Comprehensive Plan and creation/adoption of new land development regulations that reflect the public input that we have gathered over the past two years. It will be like a "new world" and something that the City will benefit from for years to come.

Let me know if you have any questions prior to the meeting or anytime during the process.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

In anticipation of tomorrow's article...

...here are few pictures from the 200 and 300 block of N. M. Street.

Cheers!

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

Storytime - "The Tale of your Trail"

In light of the last post, it got me thinking about my move to Florida from Michigan and my eventual (inevitable?) landing in Lake Worth, the hows and whys, etc. I don't think I can completely wrap my mind around the last sentence of the article by M. Craig Barnes yet. That being: "...the right place isn'’t something you choose, but a place that chooses you, molds you, and tells you who you are." But, maybe if I re-trace my tracks and the events that led to today, maybe the answer will reveal itself.

I will try to make this the "Reader's Digest" version - both in content and brevity - and I encourage you to chime in with the "Tale of your Trail" in the comments section. Please, if this bores you, don't be afraid to hit the "snooze" button and wait for the next post. :)

In 1989, I was "over" Michigan. I worked for the City of East Lansing in the Planning Department. It really was my first exposure to zoning and working in a municipal setting. It was interesting, for the most part, and I worked with a very professional group of people, but it was too familiar to me - I had grown up in the area and was aching for something different. But, for me it was more related to a new job - anywhere else but there. I happened to be in a relationship at the time and my partner begged to move somewhere that was warm and had beaches. So, that year I went to the American Planning Association conference in Atlanta. Interviewed with about 5 different governmental entities, got some offers and accepted a job with the City of West Palm Beach. Compared to the other city's, at the time West Palm Beach offered the best compensation -although less than what I was making in Michigan - over the others and I couldn't help be entranced by the location - part of a large and growing metropolitan area, tropical and on the ocean (at least from a Midwestern point-of-view). Somehow, I just knew it would be a good investment in my future - errr, I should say "our" future.

I sold my house, found a newer apartment in the Westgate area and began work in WPB. My partner joined me once the house closed. In 1989, all the municipalities were working on their comprehensive plans in order to meet the "Rule 9.J.5" requirements related to concurrency (mandating the public facilities be in place at the time of the impacts of development). Busy time and I really was energized by the whole process. I also reveled in the diversity of South Florida - different cultures, loved the sun and the tropical breeze. Unfortunately, the joy I experienced with the move was not shared by my partner. I guess that is called being geographically incompatible. But, the important note here is that I would not have moved to this particular area if it wasn't for his push for a warmer climate. Everything has a purpose.

I ended up moving from the initial apartment to a house on Churchill road in the southern part of West Palm Beach. I lived in a room within this rambling 1920s era Mission-style house, complete with a courtyard, roof-top sun deck, pecky cypress everywhere. Really a cool house. I always gravitate towards the unique and the historic and detest the banality of "suburbia" for all kinds of reasons - dislike "malls", etc. and the neighborhood fit the bill. Its proximity to the water was a plus too. I also don't like being "wedded" to my car seat and like to live near work, etc. This is the time when Lake Worth first entered by radar screen as a potential place to live.

Moved from there to a couple blocks further north in WPB and lived in a garage apartment for a while. My landlord, who lived in the main house, owned other properties with many being in Lake Worth. He was from Washington, D.C. and benefited from wise investing in the DuPont Circle area the decade before. He always said that the same thing was bound to happen in Lake Worth. It would eventually be discovered, renovated and be known as a funky, quirky place.

Jump to the present: It turns out that I happened to bump into him last week in front of the Post Office downtown and he has sold most of his properties in LW now. He is frustrated about the rising taxes and how the rent from his properties can barely cover the burden. He is also frustrated by the City's inattention to basic neighborhood issues - street lighting and sidewalks being at the forefront. He has properties on South J Street near the downtown. The people that live there love to go downtown to the restaurants, Friday on the Avenues, etc. but they are frustrated because they feel that they have to drive (all of six blocks) due to inadequate street lighting along South J Street. His other property, I think he said along South D Street, had a whole section of sidewalk damaged by either an accident or weather, or a combination of both. I guess a whole section was missing. When he called Public Works, he was told "Oh, we don't fix those until someone files a lawsuit" - ARGHH! Can you believe that?!?!??

Anyway, back to our story...

So, my next move was to Lake Worth, this being 1992. I lived in a duplex on the 700 block of South H Street. Hardly the garden spot of the world back then, but it fit the bill for about 5 years. All my time there, the property to the south was this "bombed out" former lodge building (which is now converted to a church and came out rather well). In the parking lot adjacent to where I lived, there was an out building that housed an Ambulance dispatch office, complete with ambulances that would go out at all hours of the day or night, lights flashing - with a siren here or there for extra effect. Some previous "Organ of the City" approved this use for the property without any regard for the neighborhood around it - it was around this time that I started thinking about getting involved and using my planning experience to somehow better the conditions of the City. I must say that even though this area was notorious for crime, gunshots (we could hear them during the winter nights when the windows were open), prostitution, etc., we never had a break-in. When we did have someone "jump the fence" or there was "suspicious activity", we called the Police Department and they were always there in minutes - I think they appreciated the fact that we weren't adding to the problems of the area.

But on the good side, we were really close to downtown - loved to go to Rosie's for their lobster specials, went to the beach often, enjoyed the various events at Bryant Park, etc. Too scared to do much walking in the area, but I did ride my bike quite a bit during the daylight hours. It was while I lived here that I served on the City's Leisure Services Board - got to know Babara Aubel and Lynnette Romano, the Webbers, among others.

My next move was to First Avenue South, between L and M Streets - still renting and trying to save for a down payment on a house in LW. When I first moved in, the Baptist Church on M Street owned properties to the west of my place (still do, now a parking lot). Not more than a month after I moved in - I woke up one morning to the sound of a bulldozer knocking down both structures (prior to our historic district regulations) - one was chopped up former single family house, but it looked pretty intact and the other was more of a "boarding house" that was built right to the sidewalk - looked like it dated from the late 20s or 30s. Well, it turns out that those structures, since they were west of the place I lived in, used to block the western sun. With them gone, I then referred to my place as the "Vietnamese Hot-Box". Especially during the summer, the temperature would be over 90 inside. Due to the high electric rates, I left a smaller A/C on during the day (so the candles wouldn't melt) and turned the larger one on when I got home. It would take 6 hours for the place to cool down to the high 70s. And then the cycle would start over again the next day. I didn't like being in there a lot so I spent a lot of time downtown - Coffee Gallery, Club 502, Toojay's - went to the beach, rode my bike, worked like a dog. It was around this time that I was appointed as the last alternate to the Planning and Zoning Board.

It was then I started to panic (and not because I was appointed to the Planning Board - LOL). I saw what was happening to housing prices south of us and knew that the wave was moving north. Somehow I knew that if I didn't hop on the "equity train", I would be left in the dust. I started the search for a house in LW and remember being shown a lot of marginal properties. Finally, in the summer of 2000, I found my current residence and I really consider myself lucky. It is humbling to know now that if I were in the market now and had to re-buy this house, I couldn't afford it or the taxes or the insurance, etc. And I am sure that many people who read this draw the same conclusion. We really have to think about what this means for preservation of the LW way of life, if there is such a thing.

I've gone on too long. Now it's your turn.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

Profound as it Applies to Lake Worth

This is something that a good friend of mine sent me. It is written by M. Craig Barnes and it is titled "Why do we keep moving? - Home has nothing to do with how good the place is. It has everything to do with whether or not it is the right place"

I bring it here because it speaks to the existential notion of "home" and the thought that regardless of where we may be, we are always longing for home - which leads to an innate disatisfaction of where we live. Perhaps this helps to explain the feelings of those that in many ways never seem content. I apologize to those who may be offended by some religious references in the article, but I'd like your reaction to the notion of how this "longing for home" relates to the City we call Lake Worth. I have highlighted areas that I thought were particularly interesting. Here is the article:

It doesn’t matter where you move, how fast you run, or how many new identities you try on along the way, you can’t escape the longing for home. Most people don’t destroy their families and homes in order to die alone in an old camping trailer. Right. But we all leave home, and, like my Dad, we never recover from it.


Even if you stay in the same community in which you were raised, which is rather unusual today, you’re stuck with the same longing the rest of us have because the community itself has changed. Sometimes it is we who leave home, sometimes it is home that leaves us, but an inescapable dynamic of life today is that we are a long way from where we used to be.

The only approximation we have of our true home with God is the place where we grew up. For some that was such a terrible place that the approximation is pale, and they never want to return there. For others the childhood home was a place filled with delightful memories for which they are thankful, but from which they are not trying to recover. They’ve moved on. But in either case leaving home as a young adult sets an agenda in our souls to find a new place where we belong.


According to the U. S. Census Bureau about 43 million Americans move in an average year. That accounts for 16 percent of the population who are hitting the road every year. And for the most part it’s a different 16 percent that move the next year, and a different group the year after that. Pretty soon the numbers add up. The typical American is now expected to move fourteen times over the course of his or her life.


Why are so many of us constantly moving from one place to another? If you ask people that question, and I have certainly asked plenty, the most common answer involves work. As the geographer David Sopher has claimed, "It is the property of vegetables to remain rooted." Our society has taught us from an early age to move ahead in life, and after going away to college we discover that our next move is getting the best job we can, and then an even better job, and then a better one after that. These jobs are usually all in different places. Work may be the excuse for our transiency, and it may even be the only reason of which we are consciously aware. But the pastor in me has been digging deeper to discover what is it that drives us to accept these job offers that make us pack up and take off again.


The answer of the Scriptures to this deeper question is that from the beginning we have been searching for paradise. We think that the next place, where a more lucrative job is waiting, will afford us a better chance of creating it for ourselves. But it never quite works out that way. The house may be bigger, but we were never really looking for that. We’re looking for home.


Before long the new place into which we have moved is marred by all of the pressures that we thought we had left behind in the old one. Stress always seems to be conveyed from one house to the next. In our disillusionment, we find other ways of distracting ourselves and staying on the move, even though our address has not yet changed.


Frances Mayes, a university professor who lives in San Francisco, responded to her divorce by purchasing an old house in the countryside of Tuscany, Italy. She wrote a popular book called Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy about her adventures in renovating the house, called Bramasole, which means in part "to yearn for." Often the book describes the frustrations of having to leave Bramasole to return to her life in San Francisco, where she spends nine months a year. This means much more of her time is spent away from the place she yearns for than in it, which is pretty descriptive for all of us.


In one of the most telling chapters of the book, she describes her observations of the many friends who stop by to see her Tuscan house on their way. As is typical of American tourists, they crammed in far too many stops in their travels, never spending much time in one place, and thus, never getting to know the places along the way. After seeing this repeated pattern, she concluded, "It’s not the destinations; it’s the ability to be on the road, happy trails, out where no one knows or understands or cares about all of the deviling things that have been weighing you down, keeping you frantic as a lizard with a rock on its tail." Eventually, however, we run out of trips and other distractions from the deviling things of life. That’s usually about the time we decided just to move again and look for another rock under which to place our tails.


Quite a bit of literature has been published lately by sociologists and cultural observers who are fascinated by our transiency. One of the most popular of these, written by Gary Pindell, is called A Good Place to Live: America’s Last Migration. Pindell’s thesis is that now people are no longer willing to live anywhere the job calls, and given such recent technological advances as telecommuting, it is no longer necessary. Now, he claims, people are more interested in finding a "good place" in which to settle down. The good place has main streets with grocery and hardware stores you can walk to, and perhaps bump into your neighbors along the way. It hasn’t been wrecked by developers, strip malls on busy four-lane boulevards, and the endless sprawl of ugly houses that all look alike. We’ve had it. We’re sick of it. And we are looking for a good place again. But the reader doesn’t get too far into the book before wondering if the "last migration" to a good place doesn’t look an awful lot like the migration of the Cleaver family to their suburban home in the 1950s.


Pindell illustrates the search for a good place with his own life. After painting an almost idyllic description of his community in Keene, New Hampshire, complete with the white-steepled church on the village green, he decided that it wasn’t quite good enough. As he says, "Fully cognizant that there were lots of places in North America far worse than Keene, I set out to see if I could find better ones...." He soon discovered his search was common to thousands who were all using the same short list of towns. So he organized his book by chapters describing fourteen “good places”—towns ranging from Asheville to Santa Fe. The fascinating thing about his descriptions is that there was something wrong with all of them. Right. Exactly right.


That’s because we’re yearning for home, and home has nothing to do with how good the place is. It has everything to do with whether or not it is the right place. And the right place isn’t something you choose, but a place that chooses you, molds you, and tells you who you are.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

Coming up on Sunday, July 16th...(looks like it will be Monday now)

Looks like we will be the subject of a Palm Beach Post article in tomorrow's paper. Nicole Janok talked to me about two weeks ago, talked to Darrin Engle extensively this week and finished up with me yesterday. The subject will be our historic preservation efforts and the Master Plan process. It sounds like they will be lengthy pieces and run side-by-side. There will also be mention of the potential separation of the PZHRPB functions, but it didn't sound like that was going to be the primary focus.

I am hoping that it will show that we are addressing issues and following the direction given to us by residents of Lake Worth. We shall see. One never knows what the final product will be until it's delivered to your doorstep. Stay tuned!

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

Up-date: Lago Valare - Southwest Corner of Lake Avenue and Palmway

This is an update to a previous post regarding Lago Valare that was last heard at the P&Z meeting of 6/21. The images here are revisions as proposed by the architect in response to the Board's comments. I am also including an excerpt of the e-mail from the architect which identifies the ways that he addressed the comments of the Board and the public in attendance that evening:

Some of the ideas that this revision has responded to were as follows:

1. Incorporate stone at the ground floor to establish a strong building base

(I show stone from ground to second floor at tower elements to accentuate the

anchor image of the more vertical elements since one board member said he

felt the towers gave a feeling that they might fall over?).

2. Revised the look of the office entry vestibule (eliminated the awning since the

entire lobby is covered and directly open to the street.

3. Raised all ground floor office windows to sill/stone base height (better in office

any ways since glass to ground has no benefit - actually a detriment for office)

4. Added corner balcony at towers and dropped the tower height down 2' to 48'

again in response to the board members comment that the towers were to

dominant. Also dropped the 3rd floor balcony roofs down a little.

5. reduce window size from double 37" units to a single 52" unit per board review

6. Added stone banding around windows again to bring the stone as an element at

all floor levels.

7. Do not understand the "Urban Vs. Rural Architecture" thing. This is a 135' long

building with streets/alley's fronting three sides. Building is a stand alone type

building with more than the normal amount of undulation at street level !

8. Removed arches except at 3rd fl. and ground floor areas intended for attention.

9. Removed Arched canopy and replaced with angled awnings.


This will be heard at our meeting of 8/16. I have not talked to Darrin as yet, so I don't know his reaction to the changes. However, I like the lowering of the towers and the more liberal use of stone at the base of the building. You can compare with the colored renderings from the previous post.

Any comments would be appreciated.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

"In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?" - Stephen Hawking

What do you think?

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

SAVED!

Back again. I'd like to review some of the meeting that took place last Wednesday (and the very early reaches of Thursday morning) where the PZHRPB denied the COA application for demo and new construction, special use and site plan approval for the "Federal Mews" located at the SW corner of Federal Hwy. and 4th Avenue N. Nicole Janok of the Palm Beach Post did a good job in her article that was published on Friday July 7. We really should be glad to have her as traditionally the actions of our Board have been under reported by the local media. That is definitely the case as it applies to the Lake Worth Herald, but they are trying to get a paper out the door on the night of our meetings and find it difficult to attend due to that.

A lot went on at our meeting last Wednesday and I will attempt to highlight some of the more significant discussions and revelations that occurred during the deliberations of this particular case. In another post, I will review some of our actions on other items on the agenda. I was glad to see a larger than normal assemblage of citizens in the audience - who should be commended for staying through to the later parts of the long meeting to make their comments. What we are trying to do as a City will not work without vigorous public input. Unfortunately, due to other commitments, we were missing three of our usual members for this meeting, so we had the unusual situation of only having 6 members present.

First of all, I would like to give "kudos" to our staff, particularly Darrin Engle. Darrin put together a solid case for the preservation of these structures at 325 and 327 N. Federal Hwy. If you have the Microsoft program PowerPoint, I would encourage you to get a copy of Darrin's presentation in electronic form and watch it yourself. He did an excellent job identifying the virtues and unique qualities of these structures and the importance of their placement on Federal Highway. According to Darrin's research, these properties were, up until the last few years, one property. When the two story structure was built in the 40s, it was probably a tourist home, with the proprietor living in the older structure at 327 N. Federal. Perhaps these properties can someday return to their originally intended use in the form of a modern day bed and breakfast. Time will tell.

One of the more important points made that really galvanized my decision was the rarity of this type of structure and property along North Federal. Now, I have been a proponent of townhouse development along Federal for a number of reasons:

• For the large majority of cases, what has been removed in order to allow for the development of townhouses was not worthy of keeping in the first place - either non-contributing structures or structures that were in need of major code work or that were harbors of crime.
• Where there were historically sensitive structures, demolition was the very last resort and only then after an exhaustive process looking at the conditions present in the structure. Relocation was the preferred method if there was not a way to incorporate the structure into the redevelopment plan.
• Townhouses represent new construction that should be free of code enforcement worries for the foreseeable future, they are a great marginal increase to the tax base (and generally along Federal Hwy. they are out of the CRA district and therefore taxes go directly to the general fund).
• Parking is either enclosed in garages and/or in the rear of the property - with access controlled so that, in most cases, points of access are consolidated or reduced - we don't have cars backing out onto Federal with these projects. Same goes for solid waste removal.
  
• The zoning allows a multi-family density of 20 units to the acre along most of N. Federal to 18th Avenue (30 units to an acre here) and Townhouses are a use permitted by special exception - meaning that they have to meet additional standards over and above those uses that are permitted "by right".
• For those that say that they represent "the future slums of tomorrow" I say that they eliminated the long-standing slums of yesterday. All real estate experiences cycles - many of our single family neighborhoods east of Dixie 15 years ago were under severe negative pressures due to the existence of high crime rates.
• They introduce a new residential "product" into the community that didn't exist before for which there is a market. We are yet to feel the affects of the economic impact from these "new" people moving into our community and supporting our local businesses. This is one of the reasons I supported the Lucerne (but only when it had a public parking component, which was subsequently removed by the City Commission).
  
• But, they are not a "panacea" and there are other uses - like professional offices - that will have their time in the sun as that market increases (which we are beginning to see).
• They create a visual and noise buffer for the interior neighborhoods from the traffic and activity along a major thoroughfare.

However, there was a reason why we created historic districts and included properties along Federal Highway in the district. As I was quoted in the Post article:

• "We're balancing the old versus the new here," board chairman Wes Blackman said. "We are a city that was built during the '20s, '30s and '40s; and we need to reflect that in our major thoroughfares."

We in Lake Worth have a history that other "newer" communities in South Florida covet. Where we have contributing structures along our major thoroughfares, we need to take extraordinary steps to protect them. And, if we do stand to lose them to new development, then all alternatives must be exhausted prior to demolition. Looking at what was being offered to replace these historically contributing structures was, in my view, not worth of the cost of losing them (two tiers of townhouse buildings, complete with an erzatz mansard roof).

The headline of "Saved!" could really be "Saved, for Now." There might be a time in the future, who knows how long, where someone could come forward with a project that would include the relocation of the two structures (there were two conclusions drawn regarding the ability to move the structure at 327 N. Federal by two separate professional engineers - one said "no", one said "maybe". In his presentation, Darrin Engle of our staff showed pictures of a large hollow-tile structure being moved a great distance). Another consideration was the existence of canopy trees (Royal Poincianas and a triple Live Oak) that would, as a last resort, be relocated if they weren't part of a new redevelopment plan. If those items were addressed, along with a building that could be considered an architectural asset, then we might have a different story.

The applicant put on a good presentation as well and enlisted the services of experts in the process. Frank Palen, architect and author of our historic district ordinance identified many potential weaknesses in the regulatory framework, which staff is looking at right now. It really is through adversity that you identify potential weaknesses in regulations and this was one of those cases. I have identified many of these already and most will be incorporated inot our revisions of the land development regulations. These changes, coupled with the changes contemplated by the Master Plan process, will help to shape these forces of change to the benefit of the City in the long run.

In the short run, we will likely still have a problem with the use of these two properties. The owner testified that increases in taxes of 206.7% and 402.3% (from 2003 to 2005) on 325 and 327 N. Federal, respectively, have caused hardship as they reflect the development potential of the property - not the existing use. She has also had problems renting to and keeping "quality" tenants. So, while the structures are saved for now, we will likely be dealing with these in the future.

So, this might turn out to be a Pyrrhic victory. But, better that than what was offered.

If you attended the meeting, I would like to see what you think, as well as seeing what others think that didn't attend.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

Smart City, Serendipity and the Benefits of Karaoke

Something got into to me last Sunday morning and like a man possessed, I got up, grabbed the camera, put the top down and headed downtown - all of this a little after six in the morning. Quiet time in the City. The radio was set to WLRN, the public radio station out of Miami, and wouldn't you know the program "Smart City" was on the air. Check out the link because they do have shows archived. Being interviewed was Clive Wilkinson, an architect that was involved with the designing of the new "Google" headquarters building. It really was a fascinating discussion. One of the design principles employed in the design of this new headquarters was the building in of spaces where "spontaneous" education can happen - sounded like small lounge areas where people would gather around and have discussions of new and emerging ideas related to the development of information technologies, etc. And they emphasized the importance of such areas being planned into the larger sphere, beyond an individual building - that being the City.

And at that moment, as I was headed downtown for my first LW Starbuck's experience, I thought about how great that would be to implement in Lake Worth. A couple things come to mind: We need to do much more in terms of interaction and the promotion of links between Palm Beach Community College and the City of Lake Worth. In our changing economy/society, we need to promote the access to information, training and re-training of our workforce, the learning of other languages, etc. Here we have an institution of higher education at the western edge of our City and there seems to be little acknowledgement of what that means as one of the strengths that we can actively promote. We need to do a lot more to reinforce the physical linkage between PBCC, the Lake Worth High School and our downtown along Lake Worth Road in terms of pedestrian and bicycle friendliness - and other transit links. Here we have our existing Tri-Rail station, too - which may spin-off our first transit oriented development (TOD) and is treated in our Master Plan. A lot of possibilities here.

But the biggest opportunity to promote this "spontaneous learning and communication" would be the establishment of global internet access over the air waves (wi-fi) throughout the downtown area. This is something that many cities across the nation are promoting and adding as an amenity to their resident and visiting populations. This really is an idea whose time has come and one that the City and the CRA should look into. I think the City of Boynton Beach has made some headway in this area and we need to look at what they have learned to see what the pitfalls are. Try to think of some other ways that we can promote and get some momentum behind this concept - I'd love to hear what you are thinking.

Well, back to my Sunday morning expedition - the product of which you can see in the post on Redevelopment. So, I get to our downtown Starbuck's and FYI they open at 6:30 a.m. I got there around 6:15 a.m. I thought it was interesting that during that period of time, no less than three parties tried to get in - they eventually came back. Seems to be a popular place anytime of day. I hang out a while, got my jolt of java and headed on my photo expedition, all the while listening to Smart City.

After the interview with Clive Wilkinson, the last segment was - believe it or not - on the importance of singing and studies which link singing to the pleasure centers of the brain. Apparently, it doesn't matter what you sing, as long as you sing. And, the effect is more pronounced when singing is done in a group environment! Now, those of you that know me probably know that I am a Karaoke freak (I admit that once I had a six day a week Karaoke habit). In fact, during the last campaign cycle Commissioner hopeful Barbara Aubel and new Commissioner Cara Jennings, came by with their supporters and joined in our singing marathon. I don't remember Barbara singing, but Cara did. And since then, some of Cara's supporters in the form of local Green Party people have come by to say "Hi" and sing too. We have a good time whoever shows up. Consider dropping by some Thursday night.

So, the whole thing was "over-the-top" in terms of serendipity - here I was listening to "Smart City", taking pictures related to redevelopment of neighboring cities and Lake Worth and then to hear about the benefits of singing - it was all just about too much to take.

Thought I'd share the experience with you all.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

Florida East Coast (FEC) Corridor Study

This is from the following website: www.sfeccstudy.com

"The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 4 is leading a regional partnership that is conducting the South Florida East Coast Corridor (SFECC) Transit Analysis Study.The scope of this Transit Analysis Study (TAS) is to develop and analyze alternatives that potentially integrate passenger and freight transport along the SFECC, which is centered along the existing FEC Railway. The study will consider various alignments and transit technologies. Right-of-way on streets and areas parallel to the SFECC, as well as stretches of waterways, will be evaluated for the alternative transit routes. The different technologies that will be considered include bus, waterway transit, light-rail, commuter-rail, and heavy-rail."

I was fortunate to go to the kick-off of the study that was held at the Kravis Center in late April of this year. This project has significant long term implications for coastal communities, chief among them the City of Lake Worth. The prospect of a train running with short "head ways" (times between train arrivals) that could take you to the north or south part of Lake Worth, or a quick trip to City Place from Lake Worth would all be a possibility. Beyond trains, they are also looking at dedicated buses that would work on the corridor in much the same way - there are many options in terms of the actual vehicles to be used to achieve this provision of transit service to the eastern corridor of South Florida.

There are many complications with this study - and coordination with freight train service and potential competition with Tri-Rail are among them. Time estimated to actually have service in place on the FEC corridor is a disappointing 2012 to 2019. But, providing additional transportation opportunities to the more densely populated communities along the South Florida coast is an idea whose time has more than arrived if we are serious about directing quality redevelopment to the east and getting away from the single passenger, gasoline powered vehicle.

I encourage you to refer to this website (noted above) as the study continues so that you can be part of the decision making process. We also need to keep this in mind as we plot our changes to the City's Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Regulations that are a product of the Master Plan process.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

Lake Worth Redevelopment Compared to Other Municipalities

It's well worth taking a look at how Lake Worth stacks up against other coastal municipalities in terms of redevelopment projects. Given our geographic proximity, we experience many of the same growth pressures and issues and each City has its own way of regulating and promoting growth. I think that, contrary to the "conventional wisdom" espoused by some, the following photographic evidence shows that we are more than holding our own when it comes to the quality and scale of redevelopment we are experiencing in Lake Worth.

Most of these shots were taken early morning on July 2, with the exception of the ones from Boynton Beach. They were taken about two weeks ago when my college roommate dropped in for a visit. We went to Two Georges on the water (cool place - not sure how long its going to be there) and I happened to have my camera with me.

Boynton BeachI didn't want to miss the opportunity to capture their version of "downtown redevelopment". Boynton Beach had the same sort of scale as Lake Worth until these buildings landed. Apparently more are on the way. One of my planning colleagues, Bradley Miller, responded in an e-mail to me a while ago regarding the "instant skyline". This is what he said, "You referred to Boynton's unusual sky line. I hope you realize that the Marina project is one of several "high rise" projects approved for Boynton's CBD area. It just happens to be the first to go vertical (finally since it's 1985 original application). Boynton has chosen to achieve their higher density with height, that decreases as you get farther away from Boynton Beach Blvd. I think when their Master Plan is developed, it will be a quite interesting sky line."

I think I counted a total of 16 stories in each of the towers - probably around 160 feet. The west side of the lower part of the tower "complex" is made up of a parking garage. They also have a series of townhouses closer to the water that are visible in the second picture. A little bit of a modern take on the townhouse - looks somewhat institutional to me. I show these not to advocate anything like this for Lake Worth - that's true for the rest of these examples too. But, it does serve as an example of how one of our near-by municipalities is handling redevelopment and allowing for additional density.

Lantana

The first four pictures that follow are from the Moorings in Lantana. This is the major mixed-use (although predominantly residential) that is immediately south of the Lake Worth City Limits. As you go south on Dixie Hwy south of 12th Avenue South, it is "dead ahead" until the road turns once into Lantana. The first picture is of their townhouse "product" along the south side of the property. They are three stories, garage access to the rear (south) with metal roofs. Clean, not much ornament, other than the shutters and the awnings. The rails leading to the front doors seem a little "flimsy" and detract from over all feel - my opinion. I was on this "street" early Sunday morning - most units didn't seem occupied, but there were cars parked in the parallel parking spaces closer to the water. So, there are people living there.

The next two pictures are of the condominiums - seem to top out at seven stories. Very urban feel to the project and the streetscape is nicely done. Not sure how successful the retail is going to be along the Dixie Hwy. side. The last of the Moorings series is of their sizable parking garage along the north side of the complex - overlooking the commercial marina to the north. This seems disconnected from what surrounds the property at the present time. Perhaps that will change as properties redevelop between Lantana Road and the northern City limits.

The next picture with the barricades on Ocean Avenue is downtown Lantana and you can see a mixed use project, with retail on the first floor and residential above and behind. Brightly colored, except for the commercial portion at the bottom which is white. I like the staggered rooflines and ins-and-outs along the Ocean Avenue side. Not too sure of the zoning regulations here, but this is probably what we can expect for the rest of Ocean Avenue over time. The next project I had a hard time swallowing. It must be on a long and narrow piece of property and backs up to an apparent single family, single story neighborhood to the rear and it is a total of four stories. The top floor is smaller and leaves room for open terraces - and probably great views. However, I couldn't get over the long, slab sided look to it and it being so out of scale with the rest of the area around it. But, depending on what they have in mind, more of these could be on the way. Really didn't like the windowless western wall.

West Palm Beach

The first four of this set are of the townhouses that are supposed to serve as a buffer, just north of the historic Grandview Heights neighborhood, to the convention center and the eventual convention center hotel to the north. Very close to the street and very simply detailed. Howard Park is just to the west, so there is public greenspace in the area. Access to these units is from the north side, which can be seen in the fourth picture in the series. These have shingle roofs and seem to be a "step down" quality-wise from the average townhouse.

The remainder of the photos above are of the "Manhattanesque" downtown West Palm Beach. Construction is still fast and furious with many cranes on the skyline. I still have to rub my eyes in disbelief that this is really happening. When I worked for the City of West Palm Beach in the early 90s, I don't think anyone ever thought this would be possible. But, with the City's master plan in place in 1994 or so and the addition of a "hot" residential real estate market, it took off. The idea here was to have people living and working downtown to save commuter trips from the western and northern/southern suburbs. In many ways this really has to happen in our "central" city - people still keep moving in from other parts of the country and the state - some as second homes or in retirement, but many are working professionals. We cannot continue to go further to the west due to traffic and environmental concerns, so increased density is the reality for the eastern part of Palm Beach County. Not sure how it will all work once these units are occupied. The Town of Palm Beach is seriously concerned about all this density next to their "island".

Lake Worth

Our fair City - the yin to West Palm Beach's yang.

We, as a City, have weathered a very hot residential real estate market. Signs are apparent now that a lot of corrective action by the forces of the marketplace are taking place. There was a lot of speculation (flipping of properties, etc.) during the boom market period and prices will stabilize once supply of housing better meets the actual demand for housing. Additional supply is still being added and, as said before, people are still relocating to Florida, Palm Beach County and Lake Worth for a number of reasons. We live in a very dynamic economy. Just like a hurricane, you need to be prepared as a City to weather the real estate "storm" with the best regulations - ones that reflect the desires of the people who live in the City - and an adequately trained and funded staff to administer them.

We should be looking forward to the eventual adoption and implementation of the products from the Master Plan process - by the way the next meeting on it will be July 27th between the City Commission, CRA, Planning Board and representatives from the Stakeholder Advisory Committee. Soon we will be looking at major modifications to our zoning and comprehensive plan documents - meant to reflect public opinion and protect and defend the character of Lake Worth.

With that being said, how are we doing without that being in place? Last year we took the first major step in the protection of many areas around our downtown commercial area by instituting a Zoning in Progress (ZIP) ordinance. Lots of people worked long hours in putting these regulations in place so that "what makes Lake Worth, stays like Lake Worth" - essentially preventing speculation, assemblage and proposed townhouse projects within areas that have high allowable density, but a predominant historical, single family character. Previous Commissions - dating back decades - have always thought of these areas as prime for redevelopment. Concerned citizens, like Barbara Aubel, led the charge for protection of these areas. The Planning Board itself discussed the details of the ZIP at no less than nine (9) meetings! The City Commission ultimately approved the ZIP and it was one of the few times that "all sides" walked out of the Commission Chambers satisfied with the result.

Besides protecting many of the historic areas of the City, we also used the opportunity to increase the minimum setback requirements for townhouse projects along the Federal Highway corridor.

Interestingly, the first project shown below - after the peaceful shot looking down Lake Avenue - is Coco Walk, that had filed their application in advance of the ZIP going into effect. As the pictures show, it is in the process of being constructed (North L Street). We had a difficult time with this one and wanted them to adhere as much as possible to the ZIP as it was being formulated. We got some, not entirely all of what we were looking for, but I think we will be happy with the result none-the-less. It is important to note that a project like this would be impossible to construct now due to the ZIP's provisions that require reconstruction of a single family house if one is demolished, a maximum of 4 contiguous townhouse units, stricter height limitations, etc. All this was done to correct the actions of Commissions long-ago that significantly "up-zoned" the area around the downtown - disregarding the historic resources we have present in these neighborhoods. I think we have come a long way in turning that around - now we just to to dedicate more resources to it.

The other pictures are of the Cloisters, which is located at the intersection of 6th Avenue South and South Federal. This one came after the ZIP and was able to adhere to the requirements of the additional setback requirements. We also made sure that the front porches at the corners of the buildings wrapped around to the other facade. I was surprised when I went by to take the pictures and saw that a couple buildings had color on them already. The architect is David Miller. Especially considering what was there - derilict apartments and tourist hotel "Swiss Chalet" which provided a perfect habitat for localized criminal eactivity - I think this is going to be one of the better townhouse projects we have seen. The applicant spent a lot of time with the Downtown Jewel neighborhood association and I think you will be able to see the results of that after the project is finished and landscaped. This is also a very visable corner as it is at the eastern end of our 6th Avenue South "Gateway" project - currently underway and under the auspices of the CRA. This is one of our entrances to the downtown commercial area, as well as the barrier island and our beach.

I threw a picture in of the Phase II of the Courtyards, which happen to be at the end of my street. That phase is finishing up now and I think we did some good things there in terms of requiring a two story unit at the southern end of the project. We also required "dedicated public access" through the development that links Columbia Drive with Spillway Park - helping to make a difficult to access City park more accessible to the people living in the remainder of the College Park area.

Then, as a teaser, I provided a shot of our downtown which shows the Lucerne. I say "teaser" since I am working up a post on the Lucerne project which you all should find informative - not sure when it will be, but stay tuned.

To summarize, the reason I put this together was to remind ourselves we are in a regional context and that, given our desirable waterfront location and the tremendous amount of public land that we have on the waterfront, we will continue to face serious redevelopment pressures. This is compounded, in that we as a City have chosen to remain at a lower scale that surrounding areas and we wish to protect our modest historical structures. This is a great thing! But we have to realize that we can only combat and harness these forces so that they are consistent with the City's goals by being unified and consistent in our regulatory approaches. Again, you can see the importance of the Master Plan and its by-products. I am also hoping that by now, you are getting the message that preserving the charming character of our City requires constant effort and public input/participation.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"

32% Increase in City's Taxable Value 2004 to 2005

Well, amid all the recent bad news coming from our fair City, let's look at a little bit of some positive news. According to the Palm Beach Post article of July 1, 2006, the City's taxable value went from $1,528.6 million to $2,016.1 million. This is an increase of 32%! At the May 3, 2006 budget workshop, Mr. Boyer estimated a 15% increase in taxable value. I am sure this was meant to be a conservative estimate but raised much concern as the estimated budget deficit with that 15% increase was $4,797,500.

Doing some quick and dirty calculations, and using the same assumptions and the 8.4 millage rate but applying the new tax base, now yields a deficit of $3,626,830. Granted, still a deficit, but an extra $1,167,727 isn't a kick in the teeth by any means. That additional money over the original forecast actually more than pays for the elimination of the Outside Surcharge for the Electric. Clearly, we are still in a situation where tough choices will have to be made during the upcoming budget cycle, but the situation is not as dire as once thought.

This additional tax base is courtesy of the increase in property values generally, as well as new development in our City. While the general increase in property values is expected to decline next year, we will still benefit from new development that is currently under construction and not currently on the tax rolls.

"Political advertisement paid for and approved by Wes Blackman for Commissioner – District #3"