Next City Council Mtg on Thursday March 7 at 7pm

• First reading Ordinances 2 and 3, 2019 small scale comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning request for parcels at the southeast corner of Florida Boulevard and Alt A1A.  The Applicant is proposing to maintain the gas station as developed with modifications to reduce existing non-conformities, demolish the vacant dry-cleaning storefront, and redevelop the southern parcel with a hand car wash facility.  The associated Resolution will be voted upon at 2nd reading and approval.
• Resolution 6, 2019 – A Public Private Partnership Agreement with Cressey Sports Properties, LLC, for the Development of an Indoor Training Facility at Gardens Park. 
  • On August 4, 2018, the City received an unsolicited P3 proposal from Cressey Sports Performance of Jupiter, Florida. The firm proposed the construction and operation of an indoor training facility at Gardens Park, and that this development be considered an integral part of the planned development of the location. The City reviewed the proposal and determined, based on the preliminary analysis, that there was merit to the proposed project…..The City has determined that it is in the best interests of the residents and community to enter into a public-private partnership agreement with Cressey Sports for the development of an Indoor Training Facility at Gardens Park. The City will not have any financial obligations for the design and construction of the Facility, and upon completion of the building, Cressey Sports is required to make regular ground lease and permit fee payments to the City during the term of the Agreement. The Facility shall become the property of the City after 31 years, at which time the initial term of the Agreement will expire

There are no Announcement/Presentations or City Manager Report listed.

• Resolution 5, 2019 –  Lease of Golf Turf Equipment for the Sandhill Crane Golf Club from Hector Turf, Inc., and financed through TCF Equipment Finance, a division of TCF National Bank –  lease of several items of golf turf equipment from Hector Turf for a total financed amount of $177,846.21, and authorizes the City Manager to act on behalf of the City of Palm Beach Gardens in order to negotiate, enter into, execute, and deliver one or more lease agreements with TCF Equipment Finance.
• Purchase award for Paving of Public Services Operations Center and Adjoining Areas, Piggyback/Access contract valued at $827,334.
• Purchase award for Roof Repairs at Fire-Rescue Station 3 –  Piggyback/Access contract valued at $125,100.

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

Both City Hall and Tennis Center 1-Cent Sales Tax Projects Revised

Construction bids for the City Hall Renovations (Resolution 7, 2019) and Tennis Center Renovations (Resolution 8, 2019), both funded by the 1% sales tax, exceeded the budget for the projects. So the City downsized the ambitious plans somewhat to fit both projects within their original budgets and worked with the lowest bidders to adjust plans and materials. These resolutions provided for the City Manager to negotiate and execute with the selected bidders for both projects. The City Hall Renovations will impact both traffic patterns and entry/exit points to the Municipal Complex.

Ordinance 1, 2019 – 2nd Reading and Adoption Budget Amendment – Finance Administrator Allen Owens informed the council that the sale of the Public Works Property did not go through, so the amendment was changed to delete $1.38 million from the budget stabilization reserve fund accordingly, now at $2.4 million.

Both Council Members Lane and Litt each pulled two items from the from the Consent Agenda for further discussion and presentations, but those items and Consent were all passed 5:0. One of Mrs. Litt’s items was a Proclamation by the Mayor on behalf of 211 Awareness Week, which was read aloud. More information on the 211 Helpline can be found on their website.

All Ordinances and Resolutions passed 5:0.

During Items for Council Action/Discussion, Council Member Marciano brought up the topic of Workforce/Essential Services Housing and how more work is needed on the subject. (In January’s meeting, Council Member Lane had said that a workshop will be held on the subject some time in the near future. ) Mayor Marino raised the subject of speed of the traffic on the western portions of Northlake Boulevard.

City Attorney Max Lohman gave a brief status on both lawsuits by resident Sid Dinerstein. When asked how much the two cases have cost the City so far, his response was in excess of $70K.

• 4th District Court of Appeals ruled on behalf of the City on Question 3 (3-yr sit out before running again) from the March, 2018 election – but is being asked for reconsideration
• 2/11 – Hearing for Summary Judgement on Question 2 (the Charter repeal/replace) from August, 2018 election, with the City taking the position that the case is without merit; at the hearing both sides were given additional time to provide the judge with additional information.

Other Upcoming Events:

• February 24 – March 3 – The Honda Classic
• February 28 – Beeline Highway FDOT Public Hearing at Burns Road Community Center (see http://www2.dot.state.fl.us/publicsyndication/PublicMeetings.aspx/publicmeetings)
• March 12 – City Elections – Group 4 (Candidates:  Carl Woods and Howard Rosenkranz).  See the City Elections site for more details.

 

 

 

Next City Council Mtg on Feb 7 at 7pm

• Resolution 7, 2019 authorizing the City Manager to negotiate the agreement with Kast Construction to make the modifications to City Hall and the Police Station.  The total amount of $7,573.485.00 is within the amount budgeted and approved for this project.  
• Resolution 8, 2019 authorizing the City Manager to negotiate with Ahrens Companies for the building of the new Tennis Center Clubhouse.  The total project cost is Four Million Three Hundred Fifty-Nine Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty-Eight Dollars ($4,359,958) and the amount is within the amount budgeted and approved for this project. 

There are no Announcement/Presentations or City Manager Report listed.

• Besides the above mentioned Resolutions, the remainder of the Ordinances are for 2nd Reading and Adoption of items previously passed 5:0 on First Reading:
  • Ordinance 1, 2019 – Budget Amendment
  • Ordinance 28/29, 2018 and related Resolution 80, 2018 – Arcadia Gardens age-restricted 55+ independent living facility on RCA Boulevard

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

We get the government we deserve – and it’s up to us to watch what they do.  Hope you can make it. If you can’t make the meeting try and watch live-streaming or on-demand.

Avenir and $64 Million in City Projects the ‘Big Ticket’ items at the 1/10/19 Council Mtg

The first meeting of 2019 included several presentations, a progress report on Avenir, an update on City Projects, and the usual first budget amendment of the year.

City Projects

David Reyes, CS Administrator/Dir. of Emerg. Mgmt, gave a comprehensive update on City Improvement Projects including those funded by the 1 cent sales tax. The over $64 million in projects are project managed by the team of Mr. Reyes, Angela Brown, Deputy Community Services Administrator, and Jennifer Nelli, Operations Manager, while simultaneously performing their current responsibilties. City Manager Ferris pointed out that other municipalities frequently hire additional staff to oversee such projects, but the Gardens instead is using current staff. Involved in every one of these activities is Todd Engle, City Engineer – who Mr. Ferris described as ‘the Everready (Energizer) Bunny” and the ‘Tasmanian Devil’ for Mr. Engle’s ability to be everywhere at once. A list of the activities can be found at Current City Projects  with a section for One Cent Sales Tax items. Among the items coming before the Council in February are the City Hall Remodeling and Expansion (estimated completion Spring 2020), Police Station Renovations (estimated completion Summer 2019) and the Tennis Center Clubhouse (estimated completion Summer 2019).

Avenir

Ken Tuma, Managing Principal, Urban Design Kilday Studios, reviewed the Conceptual Master Plan of the Avenir Site, before presenting the waivers sought in Site Plan #1 – which will consiste of 4 gated subdivisions. While a golf course has been mentioned before, Mr. Tuma went into slightly more detail on an extremely high-end ‘core golf course’, with 228 homes – similar to ‘Old Palm’. He also showed the placement of two Crystal Lagoons, one which will be incorporated into a subdivision, but the other which will be located in the Town Center, with a beach club, restaurants, a hotel and other items around it. Fifty-one percent of the property is dedicated to ecological restoration and open space, and over 2000 acres are restricted, under the auspices of the South Florida Water Management District. The preserve area, with nature trails, as well as all non-gated areas (subdivisions) will be open to and acessible to the public. View Mr Tuma’s presentation here.

Other items:

• Allan Owens, Finance Director described Ordinance 1, 2019, detailing the $39 million brought forward from 2018 projects
• City Manager Report – Among the topics discussed, Joe Corrao, Director of Public Services, described the transition from Pubic Auction of used city items, to selling such items online, via the GovDeals.com auction website. It operates similarly to Ebay and items can be purchased by anyone. Check it out!
• Presentations included:
  • RECOGNITION OF THE PALM BEACH GARDENS GATORS: 2018 POP WARNER FOOTBALL JUNIOR VARSITY DIVISION SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS.
  •  WEISS SCHOOL UPDATE ON THE LAUNCH OF THE CUBE SATELLITE.
  •  HONDA CLASSIC COMMUNITY IMPACT PRESENTATION.
  •  VETERANS ADMINISTRATION PRESENTATION.
  •  USTA UNITED STATES TENNIS ASSOCIATION AWARD TO THE CITY OF PALM BEACH GARDENS TENNIS CENTER AS THE MEMBER ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR AWARD.
  •  UPDATE ON CIP AND ONE CENT SALES TAX PROJECTS
• During Items of Public Interest and Board Committee Reports, Council Member Lane suggested that there be a Workshop in the near future on what he called Essential Services Housing strategy – which we assume means “Workforce Housing”.

All Resolutions and Ordinances passed 5:0.  There was no City Attorney Report.

Next City Council Mtg on Jan 10 at 7pm

Public Hearings and Resolutions (not in order):

• Ordinance 1, 2019 – An amendment to the Fiscal Year 2018/19 budget to adjust fund balance carryovers to actual amounts; re-appropriate amounts committed from the FY 2017/2018 budget for outstanding purchase orders and open projects; and for other purposes.   This is done every year – however this is also where ‘interesting’ uses are found for the General Budget Stabilization Reserves, such as a transfer of $1,600,000 from the Budget Stabilization Reserve Account to construct a Fire Training Tower located at the Public Safety Training Center on Richard Road. There is also the comment: “It is important to note that the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) contract is currently under negotiation and the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) contract will be negotiated in early 2019. The ultimate cost of these agreements could materially affect the balance in the Budget Stabilization Reserve. In addition, the balance in Unassigned Reserves does not reflect any potential settlement cost related to the Sears litigation; any such cost could significantly impact this balance.” Read the details here. 
• Resolution 3, 2019 –  A request for Site Plan approval for 416 single-family dwelling units within Parcels A-1, A-2, A-3 and A-4 of the Avenir Planned Community Development (PCD). The subject site is approximately 230.49 acres and is located in the southeast portion of the Avenir PCD. Each individual parcel is a separate gated neighborhood with access from Spine Road #4 with separate recreation and open space amenities. 
• Resolution 4, 2019 – A request for a Miscellaneous petition to approve building identification signage for the Divosta Towers project within the Gardens Corporate Center Planned Unit Development (PUD). The Gardens Corporate Center is located on the northeast corner of PGA Boulevard (PGA Bypass) and Alternate A1A
• Ordinance 26, 2018 – Second Reading and Adoption of a request for a Voluntary Annexation of two segments of the Northlake Boulevard Rights-of-Way totaling 23.48 acres, more or less, located between Grapeview Boulevard and Avocado Boulevard and between 130th Avenue North and 120th Avenue North west of the Sandhill Crane Municipal Golf Course, from Palm Beach County

Items for Council Action/Discussion:   

• None listed

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

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.

Out with the Old, In with the New

The Nov 1, 2018 City Council meeting had a fairly short agenda and was lightly attended. Save the date, December 6 at 6PM however as the December agenda is already long and will begin an hour earlier.

The meeting began with a revenue-sharing check presentation by Solid Waste Authority in the amount of $739K for several years worth of recycling by Gardens’ residents and businesses. The representatives also wanted the public to know about “Celebrate America Recycles Day With the SWA!” Open House on Saturday November 17 from 8am to noon. Here are more details about this opportunity to know what happens when you recycle.  Interesting for children and adults alike!

Former Mayor David Levy gave his quarterly report as the City’s representative to the Loxahatchee River Management Coordinating Council, of which he is Secretary.

The City Manager’s report included:

• An update by Police Chief Clint Shannon:
  • on the Canine Training Facility shared with with neighboring agencies
  • Officers assisting with security in our local schools
  • Assistance provided to Mariana FL/Panama City after Hurricane Michael for 7 days
• Deputy City Manager Steve Stepp described Operation Sister City – where Gardens’ Police, Fire-Rescue and Public Works sent to trailers of equipment and supplies to Bay County and the City of Calloway. Also described were the efforts to provide donations by City employees and the public. See Operation Sister City for more information on how you can help.

The Council approved Resolution 67, 2018 – approving the site plan for a 469 single-home Age-Restricted subdivision on a 195 acre site in Avenir. They also approved the sale of the Burns Road Property for $3.8 Million to Stor-All Acquisitions LLC. The proceeds from the sale will be earmarked for use in the City’s capital improvement projects

All other items on the agenda were approved 5:0 with little discussion.

City Attorney Lohman gave a brief update on the two Sears lawsuits. Sears-1 is pending and the City added outside council in negotiating on attorneys’ fees. Sears-2 – since Sears has filed Chapter 11 there is much disruptiong at the company and theypaln to dismiss the case without prejudice so that it can still be refiled in the future…

Next City Council Mtg on Nov 1 at 7pm

• Resolution 41, 2018 – Lease of Two General Motors (GM) Minotour School Buses from Matthews Bus Alliance, Inc. that will be financed through Leasing 2, Inc. 5 year lease valued at $122K
• Resolution 65, 2018 –  Agreement with the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) for Vote Processing Equipment Use and Election Services – contracting for the March 2019 Municipal Election
• Resolution 69, 2018 – Approve a Lease Agreement with the School Board of Palm Beach County for City purposes, including overflow parking for Mirasol Park and the Honda Classic Golf Tournament. 
• Resolution 75, 2018 –  Agreement between the City of Palm Beach Gardens and the Big Heart Brigade, Inc. for Use of Facilities and Provision of In-Kind Support Services in Implementing the Thanksgiving Feast Event. 
• Resolution 76, 2018 –  Appoint the Supervisor of Elections, or designee, as an additional member to the City’s Canvassing Board for the March 12, 2019, Municipal Election.
• Purchase Award – Renovation of Baseball Fields at Gardens Park – Openly competed – no option to renew – $106K

City Manager Report:  Nothing listed

Public Hearings and Resolutions (not in order):

• Ordinance 24, 2018/Ordinance 25, 2018 – First Hearing – Carl’s Plaza Property voluntary annexation was approved at the October 4th, 2018 City Council Meeting.  These two ordinances are primarily an administrative function required pursuant to Chapter 171 , Florida Statutes, that assigns a Commercial land use and General Commercial zoning designation to the parcel. 
• Resolution 67, 2018 – The subject petition is a request for a site plan approval for a 469-unit age-restricted single-family residential subdivision on 195 acres within the Avenir PCD. The neighborhood is proposed to be a gated community with a clubhouse parcel and recreational amenities. Staff is recommending approval of the Site Plan. 
• Resolution 74, 2018 –  Sale of City-Owned Property Located at 3704 Burns Road, Palm Beach Gardens, known as the Public Works Property, to Stor-AII Acquisitions, LLC for $3,800,000.  Funds realized from the sale of this property are earmarked for use in the City’s capital improvement projects. On completion of the sale, the City will have until July 2019 to vacate the premises and turn it over to the new owners. The new Public Services Operations Center is scheduled to be completed by June 2019. 
• Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 19, 2018 (Procedures for governing memorials and monuments) and Ordinance 23, 2018 ( Amending the City of Palm Beach Gardens Budget for the Fiscal Year Beginning October 1, 2017 and Ending September 30, 2018.) 

Items for Council Action/Discussion:   

• None listed

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

Transit Oriented Development Workshop

The city would like you to participate in a workshop on 10/25 concerning potential plans around the proposed PBG Tri-Rail station. 6PM at the City Hall Chambers.

« Previous Page — Next Page »