More Development; City Coffers up $10+ Million; Actual Workforce Housing – ZIP!

The topic of Workforce Housing received the bulk of the discussion at the December 6th City Council Meeting, coupled with the addition of new development projects.

New Development and Workforce Housing:

Arcadia Gardens, on the Amara Shrine Center site on RCA Blvd. will be an Independent Living facility of 163 units. See the Palm Beach Post description here.   Resident Peter Banting expressed concern that RCA Blvd is a 2 lane road, and that there will be safety issues with the addition of the property. Staff acknowledged that the road is owned by the County, and when the project is further along they will be able to work with the county for improvements. Part of the developers’ proposal included over $500K to be provided to the City for workforce housing.

Alton submitted amendments to Parcel F – which previously was going to contain an 8+acre park, to instead build an additional 56 townhomes and a 4.49 acre community park, justifying that the modifications due to the proximity of the new North County District Park.

Avenir together with staff, presented their proposal to provide $10 million now in lieu of providing 250 townhomes priced as workforce housing sometime in the future.  The 250 units will still be built but priced at market.  The rationale provided was to give the City money now to enhance the Burns Rd Recreation Center with $5 million – which Rosa Schechter (of Avenir Holdings) described as the ‘Ying and Yang‘ of workforce housing;  

and use the other $5+ million to develop a strategy and solution some time in the next year or so, for providing a central core in the city. The $5.5 million (Avenir plus Arcadia Gardens contributons) would be the start of a fund to help implement a future solution. So actual ‘workforce housing’ remains elusive – not just in the Gardens, but in other cities who discuss the need, make plans but so far have failed to actually execute. See:  Avenir Can Provide $10 Million Instead of Including Workforce Housing for points made during the discussion.

Summarizing the other agenda items:

• Operation Sister City – next deployment of gifts for children took place on 12/10.  Sponsors were recognized
• Governor Rick Scott awarded Palm Beach Gardens Officers Robert Ayala and Rafael Guadalupe the Governor’s Medal of Heroism 
• Mayor’s Veterans Golf Tournament raised over $33K for the Veterans Administration this year
• The Consent Agenda and all Ordinances and Resolutions on the Agenda were passed 5:0 with minimal discussion except for Arcadia Gardens and Avenir.
• City Attorney Lohman gave a brief update on upcoming legal actions:
  • 12/13/18 – Mediation for Sears Attorney Fees
  • 01/15/19 – Sid Dinerstein vs PBG et al lawsuit from March election
  • 02/11/19 – Motion for Summary Judgement – Sid Dinerstein vs PBG et al, lawsuit from August election

The January City Council meeting will be held on January 10, 2019.

Next City Council Meeting on Thursday Dec. 6th

• Resolution 70, 2018 – Three-year GIS Enterprise Agreement under its Small Enterprises Program for counties and municipal governments at a cost of $45,800 per year, with a total cost to the City of $137,400.
• Resolution 83/84 2018 – Providing a new fee schedule for bond issuance and approving the issuance of revenue bonds by the Capital Trust Agency for the Franklin Academy. 
• Purchase award:  Lease of Front-End Loader, Piggyback/Access contract for 3 years, no renewal for $108K
• Purchase award: Retrofit Sports Field Lighting at Plant Drive Park, Piggyback/Access contract for $133K
• Purchase award:  Electric Vehicle Charging Stations – Piggyback/Access contract for 5 years for $350K
• Purchase award:  Two new “Jaws of Life” extrication hydraulic cutters that will replace units that have reached the end of their useful life.- Piggyback/Access contract for $78K
• Purchase award:  Supply and Install Shop Equipment in Vehicle Maintenance Bays – Openly competed – $132K

City Manager Report:  Nothing listed

Public Hearings and Resolutions (not in order):

• Ordinance 26, 2018 – First reading – Voluntary Annexation of two segments of the Northlake Boulevard Rights-of-Way totaling 23.48 acres. Palm Beach County owns the segments and consented to annex them into the City through an lnterlocal Agreement.
• Ordinance 28/29, 2018 – First reading – Arcadia Gardens – land use designation change from Commercial to Residential High, and rezoning to allow the development of a 326-bed/163-unit Independent Living Facility (ILF) within two buildings on RCA Boulevard approximately 500 feet east of Alternate A1A.
• Resolutions 72/73, 2018 – Alton Parcel F – PCD and site plan amendments – The Applicant is modifying the Parcel F acreage back to slightly above the parcel’s original size, revising the configuration of the Master Plan drawing for Parcel F, Phase II, making minor acreage adjustments accordingly, and revising the 8.44-acre City park to be 4.49 acres.
• Resolution 78, 2018 – Ancient Tree – Pulte Home Company, LLC, is requesting approval of the 2.43-acre recreation parcel site plan, as required by Condition of Approval No. 4 of Resolution 76, 2016. The Applicant is also requesting minor modifications to certain Conditions of Approval and site and landscape plan changes.
• Resolution 85, 2018 – Alton Town Center Art in Public Places (AIPP) artwork proposals
• Resolution 86, 2018 – Divosta Towers (fka Gardens Corporate Center)  Art in Public Places (AIPP) – 2 waterwall fountains proposal
• Resolutions 87/81, 2018 – Avenir – Specifically, Conditions of Approval 37(c) and 63 of Resolution 4, 2016 address workforce housing within the Avenir PCD. Condition of Approval 63 required that 250 multifamily rental units be provided within the Town Center District. A minimum of 50 percent shall be provided at a maximum rental rate of 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), and the other 50 percent shall be restricted to a maximum rental rate of 120 percent of the AMI.  The Workforce Housing Payment Agreement specifies that in lieu of the workforce housing a payment of $10 million be made to the City:  $5,000,000 will be used toward a comprehensive workforce housing program, and $5,000,000 will be used for improvements at the Burns Road Recreation Center.
• Resolution 82, 2018 – Avenir Development, LLC and Avenir Holdings, LLC are requesting approval of an Impact Fee Agreement (‘Agreement’) with the City of Palm Beach Gardens with regards to Avenir PCD’s parks and recreation impact fees. The Agreement establishes a process for the distribution of the project’s required parks and recreation impact fee credits. Specifically, in lieu of paying a portion of the City’s parks and recreation impact fees, the Applicant will dedicate 130 acres of land to the City of Palm Beach Gardens pursuant to Condition of Approval 16 of Resolution 4, 2016. Based on the criteria and evaluation process set forth in the City’s Code, a credit amount of $3,000,000 is being provided.  In addition, the Applicant has agreed to clear the dedicated 115-acre civic-recreation site.  The Applicant has agreed to a credit in the amount of $287,000. Therefore, the total impact fee credit is $3,287,000. 

Items for Council Action/Discussion:   

• None listed

Check the agenda to see if any additional items have been added before the meeting here.