Next City Council Mtg on Thurs Feb 3 at 6pm

The February Palm Beach Gardens City Council Meeting will be held in City Hall on Thursday, Feb 3 at 6pm. You can watch it livestreaming either during or after the meeting, if you are unable to attend.

Announcements/Presentations:

• West Palm Beach VA Resource Center Check Presentation and Recognition of Sponsors
• Local Charity Golf Fundraiser Yearly Update

Consent Agenda includes:

• Purchase Award: Air Filtration Systems for Fire-Rescue Department – Not openly competed (NA) – $248K

Public Hearings – Ordinances and Resolutions:

• Ordinance 1, 2022 – First Reading – An amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021/2022 budget to adjust fund balance carryovers to actual amounts; re-appropriate amounts committed from the FY 2020/2021 budget for outstanding purchase orders and open projects; and for other purposes – it also includes acceleration of several significant repairs and capital purchases, as well as a request for 8 new Full Time positions. See more here.
• Ordinance 2, 2022 – First Reading – A City-initiated Comprehensive Plan Text Amendment to add a new Property Rights Element, pursuant to House Bill 59-Growth Management, and Text Amendment and Map Amendment to remove the City’s Urban Growth Boundary.
• Ordinance 3, 2022 – First Reading – Referendum Election – authorizing City Council to grant Property Tax Exemption to certain qualified businesses, pursuant to Sec. 3, Article VII of the State Constitution.  Background includes ” Pursuant to Chapter 196, Florida Statutes, the electorate of the City of Palm Beach Gardens may authorize the City Council, through a voter referendum, to grant property tax exemptions to new businesses and expansions of existing businesses that are expected to create new jobs in the City..” The City would place the referendum on the ballot for the August 23, 2022 election.
• Ordinance 4,2022 – First Reading – A City-initiated request to amend Chapter 78 – Land Development, Article V. Supplementary District Regulations, Section 78-187 – Special Events…”This update is to allow for an emergency medical testing and or vaccination site, drive-through or walk-up, as a special event type to permit the City’s Development Review Committee to review these uses to ensure that any proposal would not impact the ordinary and normal use of the site. This amendment would also increase the length of time for pumpkin and Christmas tree sales from 30 days to 45 days.”

Please check the agenda before the meeting for additions or modifications.

Quiet Zones In Our Future

Todd Engle, City Engineer kicked off the meeting with an update on Quiet Zones (rail) – a topic always of great interest to those of us who live in the City.  The City will be submitting a notice of intent to create quiet zones for 6 intersections within the City limits (3 belonging to PBG and 3 belonging to Palm Beach County).  The entire Palm Beach County corridor is being coordinated via the PBC Transportation Planning Agency (TPA) which will also be supplying additional funding as needed to do additional upgrades to intersections.  Although quiet zones will be implemented, he reiterated that “Train horns still may be sounded in emergencies or to comply with other RR or FRA Rules!!!!!”  Mr. Engle’s presentation and more details can be seen here.

The three resolutions below all passed 5:0 – there were no comment cards submitted.

• Resolution 1, 2022 – Public Hearing and Consideration for Approval: A request by Centaur (Palm Beach) Owner, LLC for Site Plan approval for a 139-lot single-family subdivision on approximately 70.49 acres within Panther National Pod 12, which is located in Parcel A of the Avenir Planned Community Development (PCD).
• Resolution 2, 2022 – Avondale at Avenir Site Plan Amendment – A request by DiVosta Homes, LP for a site plan amendment to approve single-family home architectural floor plan models, elevation themes, and typical lot landscaping for Avondale at Avenir (Site Plan #3) that is located north of Avenir Drive and east of Coconut Boulevard within the Avenir Planned Community Development (PCD).
• Resolution 3, 2022 – A request by the Old Palm Golf Club, Inc. to modify Phase Two of the approved Old Palm Clubhouse parcel (Parcel F1) to include a new 17,637-square-foot Lifestyle Center building and pool amenity.

Public Comment was made by Ramona Bean – thanking the Council for their information on covid testing and asking about monoclonal antibody availability.

The Consent Agenda passed 5:0.

Mayor Litt gave an update on Palm Beach County Day at Tallahassee (attended by Litt and Vice-Mayor Reed via zoom)

• PBG requested that conversations re-open about the I-95/Central Blvd intersection to provide for privacy/barrier walls as part of the project, which is scheduled to start in 2028
• SB1824 and HB1415  – these 2 bills provide the details on mobility plans and fees, the details of which give the actions already taken by PBG backed by the state, if these are passed.
• The mayor expressed concern that SB280/HB403 – would have impacts on municipalities – when a single individual registering a complaint about an action could put the entire item on hold.
• She also was concerned about SB620/HB569 – would allow a business to sue for damages when regulatory actions by a municipality causes more than 15% impact on a business.

Vice Mayor Reed said she gets a lot of questions on road safety and pointed residents to the Transportation Comment Map,  Comments and suggestions can be made on the site.

City Attorney Lohman gave a quick update saying that the City was awaiting the judge’s ruling on injunctive relief regarding the City’s mobility lawsuit, in the next few weeks.

Next City Council Meeting on Jan 13 at 6pm

The January Palm Beach Gardens City Council Meeting will be held in City Hall on Thursday, Jan 13 at 6pm. You can watch it livestreaming either during or after the meeting, if you are unable to attend.

There are no presentations or announcements listed on the agenda.

Consent Agenda includes:

• Resolution 4, 2022 – A Resolution approving the plat for the Avenir Pump Station within the Avenir Planned Community Development (PCD). “The Pump Station serves as the main stormwater control structure within the development area to control the water levels and water quality within the master drainage lakes. Staff is recommending approval.”
• Resolution 5, 2022 – Lease Purchase of Turf Management Equipment for the Par 3 Golf Course at Sandhill Crane Golf Club, under a Contract with the Sourcewell Group Purchasing Organization’s Cooperative Purchasing Program, and Financed by Huntington Bancshares Financial Corporation for a period of 48 months. Total Contract Price: $390,661.44, 48 Monthly Payments of $8,138.78. Current FY Payment:  $97,665.36
• Resolution 8, 2022 – Lease Purchase of Three Medium Duty Ambulances for the Fire-Rescue Department, under a Contract with the Sourcewell Group Purchasing Organization through its Cooperative Purchasing Program, and Truist Bank for a period of five years. Total Contract Price: $1,602,343.55, 5 Annual Payments of $320,468.71
• Purchase Award – Support Building for Communications Monopole at Avenir – bid waiver, $122.5 K. “The Police Department has provided a single-source justification requesting that the support building be the same as installed for other City communications monopoles to reduce replacement downtime, and maintain familiarity of equipment operations, among other things. The structure is a prefabricated modular concrete building that will host the electronics and communications equipment necessary for the proper operation of the monopole. Modular Connections will deliver the prefabricated building structure with the electronic equipment pre-installed, and the City will construct a pad and install the building.

Public Hearings (Ordinances and Resolutions):

• Resolution 1, 2022 – Public Hearing and Consideration for Approval: A request by Centaur (Palm Beach) Owner, LLC for Site Plan approval for a 139-lot single-family subdivision on approximately 70.49 acres within Panther National Pod 12, which is located in Parcel A of the Avenir Planned Community Development (PCD).
• Resolution 2, 2022 – Avondale at Avenir Site Plan Amendment – A request by DiVosta Homes, LP for a site plan amendment to approve single-family home architectural floor plan models, elevation themes, and typical lot landscaping for Avondale at Avenir (Site Plan #3) that is located north of Avenir Drive and east of Coconut Boulevard within the Avenir Planned Community Development (PCD).
• Resolution 3, 2022 – A request by the Old Palm Golf Club, Inc. to modify Phase Two of the approved Old Palm Clubhouse parcel (Parcel F1) to include a new 17,637-square-foot Lifestyle Center building and pool amenity.

Please check the agenda before the meeting for additions or modifications.