Reference: Letter from Steve Martino to City Council on conditions in Plat 1

(Editor:  This is the text of the letter that resident Steve Martino sent to the Council on 7/11/14.  He also spoke to the issues at the July 10th City Council meeting.)

Mayor and City Council,

The City of Palm Beach Gardens was chartered in 1959. The original 6 plats and plats PGA 1 and 2,
together with some of the later annexed areas, such as, the Town Hall Home sections, can be
considered for senior citizen status.

These areas are the heart and soul of the City of Palm Beach Gardens. This is where the City of Palm
Beach Gardens cut its teeth. Here is where it learned to walk tall and be proud. Many of today’s
50,000 residents may not know that it is here that the cornerstones were laid and the
foundations built on which the charm, character, and beauty of Palm Beach Gardens that we
enjoy today was crafted. The first City Council members, the first City board volunteers, the first
volunteer fire department members, the first coaches, directors, and concession Moms for the
Palm Beach Gardens Youth Athletic Association, the first residents who insisted on high quality
levels of education in our local schools, and so on, all lived in these original plats. It’s from the
dedication and hard work of these original residents that the traditions of volunteerism, fiscal
responsibility and high level of municipal services in our City government, and the other great
Gardens’ attributes where woven into the fabric of our City.

In essence, the City Council and City Administration are the HOA for these areas. In my opinion, it is
time long overdue for the City Council to take stock of these areas with an eye toward the
attendant problems that age can and is manifesting. In my presentation at the July 10th City
Council meeting I related some of my concerns and observations about the Plat 1 neighborhood
which is the neighborhood I grew up in and therefore most familiar with. Below I attempt to
highlight just a few of the obvious City areas that need corrective measures…

1. The Multi-family duplexes throughout the City but particularly along Holly Drive between
Ironwood and Lighthouse Drive in Plat 1.
2. City owned property on the corner of Ironwood and Lighthouse Drive.
3. City swale areas along Holly Drive on the east side between Ironwood and Lighthouse Drive.
4. City swale areas along Lighthouse Drive to Riverside Drive.
5. Medians along Alternate A1A between RCA Blvd and the City’s south boundary.
6. Median and city swales along Keating Drive from Northlake Blvd.
7. Paving of Holly Drive and other neighborhood streets and sidewalks in need of repair.
8. Cross-walk, street stop bars, and lane line separators in some areas need attention.
9. Paver stone areas of MacArthur Blvd. as well as some sidewalks could use a pressure cleaning.
10. Canals in general, particularly along Gardens East Drive in the Sandalwood and Meridian areas.
11. The Promenade Shopping Plaza, as well as, other commercial areas in the original plats.
12. Absentee owners of investment and rental properties.

It is imperative that the City Council commit to a face lift for these neighborhoods before the aging
process becomes irreversible. A City Council policy of enhancement, appearance, beautification,
and improvement should be considered now before it is too late. Among many suggestions that
can be offered to solve some of the problems, I would offer the following as a starting point…

1. Identify enhancement, appearance, beautification, and improvement needs directly related to
City responsibilities such as, roads, sidewalks, swales, and medians, etc. and make them better.
2. A review of the neighborhoods to identify the obvious and potential problems, such as the
duplex properties on Holly Drive, and absentee owners of investment and rental properties.
3. A review of city codes and ordinances with the intent to remove the inappropriate and
modernize for today’s needs.
4. Perhaps, additional code compliance officers should be considered for these neighborhoods.
5. Add to WOW program requesting City personnel to identify neighborhood enhancement needs.
6. Reinvigorate the Community Action Support Team and the Property Maintenance Standards.
7. Consider implementing an Enhancement hotline and/or a specific Enhancement link and/or area
on the City’s website that is customer friendly.
8. Emphasize to our residents that the City, in its enhancement and compliance efforts, desires to
be their friend and partner in seeking improvements in a helpful manner.
9. Perhaps, create a Gardens list of businesses that are willing to offer services to our needy
residents on a volunteer basis or at least at discounted rates.
10. Consider an umbrella-type City-wide Enhancement, Appearance, and Beautification program
with resident, HOA, and civic organizations participation.

None of what is needed to provide corrective measures or that I am suggesting as fixes are budget
busting propositions. Taxes need not be increased and assessments are not necessary. The
policies can be modestly budgeted for and cost effectively administered by the City
Administration once established by the City Council. The policies can be administered over
number of budget years, if need be. Quite frankly, it is my opinion that these initiatives, if
commenced and implemented with the fortitude for success, will enhance and increase
property values, thus, providing an increase in property taxes that could make the program
revenue neutral.

My goal, if you will, is not just to complain or point fingers, and so forth. I have no ax to grind. I am
just a resident with concerns. In the main, we have a great City to call our home. I want to help
to keep it that way. Simply said I want our City to be the best it can be every day. Our City’s
appearance is a first impression that should underscore who and what we are. The City’s
appearance is an indicator to those of us who live here, to our visitors and guests who come
here, to our business prospects who are considering moving here, and to our neighbors, that we
value and care for, our properties, our people, and our quality of life.

I look forward to your response, comment and opinion. Thank you for your service to our City.

Sincerely,
Steven Martino

Next City Council meeting on Thursday August 7th at 7pm

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, August 7th at 7pm at City Hall.  It’s not a long agenda but there are several interesting items on the list.

Here are some highlights:

• Presentations:
  • Update on Minto: if you’re interested in PBC western development
  • Plat 1 Update: resident Steve Martino spoke about several issues with this older area in the City.  This is a response from the City.  View Steve’s letter to the city here.

• City Manager Report:
  • City Attorney Retention: Max Lohman has left the employ of Corbett, White and Davis and has formed Lohman Law Group.  The City Manager proposes that Mr. Lohman be retained rather than taking the services of another attorney from his former employer
  • Special Issue Referendum Election:  In July the Council pass Resolution 48, 2014 to resolve an issue between the City and the SOE about placing the Term Limits questions on the ballot, assuming PBGNTL submits the required petitions.  Apparently issues still exist with SOE.

• Consent agenda:
  • Renewal of the City’s health insurance with Florida Blue, a plat change at Downtown at the Gardens, and purchase award for additional benefits – health, life insurance

• Public Hearings:
  • Resolution 52,2014 which is an abandonment of a right of a platted right of way by the City – upon which ownership will revert to Paloma HOA and South Gardens LLC – both in agreement with this proposal
  • Resolution 48, 2014 approving and ratifying a 3-yr contract negotiated with SEIU

The agenda (with links to full detail) can be found here.

See a summary from July’s meeting, an open letter from former Mayor Martino on the PBG Watch website.

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.

Former Mayor Martino’s perspectives on the July 10th City Council Mtg

I attended the July 10th Palm Beach Gardens Council meeting and I was glad that I did. I was pleasantly surprised as I witnessed my nephew’s son, Joshua Wilkes, receive acclaim in conjunction with his other PBG Police Explorers mates. I proudly watched as my son, Steven, reminded the Mayor and City Council that we do have some problems in the older sections of our fair City that require their attention.

I listened to a Council member opine about the Scripps Research Institute and its recent newsworthy problems. It was difficult to follow this conversation and what the member’s conclusions were. Let me offer my conclusion, Scripps has problems. How severe or deep they are we do not know at the moment but we better find out. The North County and our City have a lot riding on Scripps. As I articulated in a recent letter I wrote even though Scripps has met internal hiring expectations the promise of 50,000 local jobs from spin-off companies has been minimal, at best. Local governments have planned development around these spin-off promises, the Briger acreage in Palm Beach Gardens is an example. With all of this in play, plus $579,000,000 in incentives from state and local governments on the line, this “drama” could transition to crisis.

Then there was the normal agenda routine of proclamations, resolutions, public hearings, ordinances for approval, etc. To my surprise there was very little, if any, serious conversation by the City Council as they voted unanimously for all of these items. However, an ordinance banning the sale of dog and cats in the City did generate a lot of comment and conversation by the Public. There were emotional expressions in favor of the ordinance and against its passage. This forced the City Council to express their thoughts which they did and then voted 5 to 0 in favor of the ban.

But the meeting wasn’t over yet. There were still term limits to deal with. When it was term limits turn we again heard the voices of our Council members. It was obvious that the Council members were not happy about this resolution but to their credit all said they did not want to thwart the democratic process and voted to place the term limit proposition on the November ballot if the Citizen Petition drive met all legal hurdles.

The next to last item on the back end of the agenda was the City Manager evaluation. That’s all the agenda identified, evaluation. The City Council did not appear to have any reference materials or forms to fill out; apparently it’s to be a verbal evaluation only. Generally, all of the council members’ comments were effusive in their verbal evaluation and praise for the City Manager. However, the more the members evaluated the more interesting the evaluation became…

1. One council member was more restrained and questioned the City Manager’s communication skills and tied them to the transparency issue that the City is somewhat mired in.

2. Another council member lobbed some softballs at the manager’s performance. Then this member tried to hit a home run by raising the baseball stadium fiasco, defending the City Manager’s role in not being more forthcoming with the public on the issue, and suggesting us residents should believe that due diligence was done. Based on these comments this member would have us believe that the City Manager is the superhero that saved us residents from the disaster that the baseball stadium would have been.

I thought the verbal evaluation discussion was over. All of a sudden a council member sounding like an agent for the City Manager moved to extend the City Manager’s current contract for 2 more years, apparently, until 2018. A second to the motion was made and then discussion ensued. So without regard for the agenda listing only an evaluation, a 2-year extension to the City Manager’s contract had been moved, seconded, and discussion began…

1. The agent for the City Manager, excuse me I meant council person, who motioned the contract extension, commented that our leader, the City Manager (I thought the City Council were our leaders), should be able to stay here as long as he wants. Rambling, this member said, we control the City now but alluded to term limits changing that, we owe it to the City Manager because of his future plans, no one has heard from this man…

2. Discussion from other council members revealed that at least two of them had never seen or read the contract; therefore, they did not know its content or conditions, and a third member said he had not seen or read the contract in a long time.

3. We finally hear from the City Manager and he was not a happy camper. Perhaps, not appreciating the discussion, the City Manager, uttered some incoherent comments ending with a suggestion he did not want to be part of this ”turmoil”, which quieted the City Council briefly.

4. Here comes the agent, I did it again, I mean council person, to the rescue. The agent or council person, take your pick, defends the Manager’s comments by suggesting that they were released “out of emotion”.

5. Finally, the council member who seconded the motion to extend the contract withdrew his second, so the motion dies.

6. Subsequently, the City Council decided to review the manager’s contract for consideration of a 2-year extension at the September City Council meeting.

In conclusion, the City Manager evaluation was by far the most interesting part of the meeting and worth the wait. Hopefully, the City Council will be transparent enough to put the original City Manager contract with all its extensions and additions since its inception, along with the new proposed contract on its web site for the public’s consumption.

Sincerely,

Michael Martino

 

 

Award winning Police Explorers and Puppy Sale Ban fill the chambers

Thursday’s meeting was a long one; over 3 1/2 hours.  As is almost always the case, all Ordinances and Resolutions passed 5:0 except for Resolution 47, 2014 appointing former councilman Carl Sabatello as 2nd alternate to the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board, from which Councilman Russo recused himself.  Also Resolution 42, 2014 updating the schedule of fees and charges will be held until the September council meeting.

Thus it was surprising to once again see the Chamber filled with people wanting to speak on 2nd reading of the Ordinance 11, 2014 banning the retail sale of dogs and cats in Palm Beach Gardens.  First reading had passed unanimously.  Nevertheless 21 people spoke (10 for and 11 against) – with many heartfelt stories for the resolution, and equally emotional store owners and employees against. When one of the speakers asked those in the audience supporting the ban to stand, it was obvious that most filling the chambers were there for this purpose.

Public comment on other topics included Steve Martino, asking the Council to look at the neglect of the original Plat 1 neighborhoods and asked the Council to commit to act upon it.  Steve Mathison of PGA Corridor gave his thanks and support.  Suzette Navratik requested that a traffic consultant do another study of the PGA Waterfront project area. Doug Frevert wanted to speak against the Church in the Gardens item (opposed to a sidewalk to nowhere), but was missed on that item; he also spoke on behalf of Resolution 48, 2014 thanking the administration for the resolution to preserve the election process.  Iris Scheibl also spoke on the resolution,  thanking staff and requesting that this hole in the process be fixed during the Charter Review.  She also challenged the Council to lower the  millage as the max rate (flat millage)would represent a 6.14% increase.

The annual evaluation of City Manager Ferris had been postponed from the June council meeting.  It was held until the Items for Council Action/Discussion portion of the meeting.    For the most part, the Council members’ comments were glowing.  Mr. Levy did not have any suggestions for improvement, loved how the City had been managed over the last 10 years and said that the millage rate today is lower than it was when Levy was first elected  (Ed. Note: millage rate is not an indicator of City’s revenue).  Mrs. Tinsley suggested that there is always more need for improvement on open communications, transparency, and more workshops like the PZAD one on the PGA Waterfront.  Mr. Russo said that Mr. Ferris took a lot of heat for the stadium fiasco, but that he saw nothing wrong with how it was handled.  He also praised the City Manager’s handling of the Police contract.   Mr. Jablin pointed out that Ferris came in as an interim city manager after the prior one was essentially fired and asked to stay.  He also praised his outstanding staff and their loyalty. Mayor Premuroso praised Ferris’ performance and then listed upcoming challenges for the next year, including the Fire/Rescue contract, Parks and facilities expansion, infrastructure repairs and improvements.  The Mayor also seemed to take offense at clamors for more transparency, but then said they’d be even more transparent.  The discussion took an interesting turn when Eric Jablin proposed an extension of the City Manager’s Contract for an additional 2 years to June,  2018 – primarily because if term limits are imposed, “the council will be wiped out“.  (Watch the discussion here!)  The motion was withdrawn until the contract could be reviewed, and placed on the agenda for transparency and public vote.  Retirement intentions and a succession plan need to be discussed as well.  It will be on the agenda in the first budget meeting in September.

Last on the agenda was discussion of the impact of the Gas Station ordinance recently passed by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners with respect to signage on fuel pricing, specifically cash/discount prices.   Cities are subjected to the ordinance unless they take overt action to withdraw and adopt an ‘ordinance in conflict’.  The ordinance will take effect in 1 year after approval.  Kevin Dalton, an owner of 3 gas stations in Palm Beach Gardens raised his objections to the County’s ordinance, describing impacts to him.  This topic will also come back before the Council after Planning and Zoning have a meeting/workshop with the PGA Corridor and gas station owners.

Recognized at the beginning of the meeting were Justin Autwell, awarded paramedic of the year and Robert Pieris awarded firefighter of the year by local organizations.  Amazing young members of the Palm Beach Gardens Police Explorers placed 1st in a regional competition and were honored for their accomplishments.

Traffic and Safety the Overwhelming Issues with PGA Waterfront Project Proposal

The City Council chambers were almost full with residents of Palm Beach Gardens and other affected communities eager to hear the developer’s proposal for the PGA Waterfront Project on the SW corner of PGA Blvd and Ellison-Wilson Road.

Dodi Glas, project agent, handled most of the slick presentation, along with the architect, Bernard Zyscovich. The architect described how the primary and unique inspiration for the design was the 30′ elevation change from Ellison Wilson down to the waterfront – and it was the hill that enabled both the underground parking and a 75′ staircase leading down to the Promenade area and Beach (sic). Much of the discussion focused on various views provided by a preliminary 3D simulation. The Hotel and Condominium buildings were intentionally placed in an east/west orientation so as to not block views or create a ‘hulk’ (my words, not the presenters’ ;-). To their credit – the parking garage view at Ellison Wilson was only 2 1/2 stories high – but the garage was still the first thing one would see when driving east on PGA Blvd from US 1, much like Harbourside in Jupiter.

Promenade View including the ‘beach’

Challenged by the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board – some of whom did like aspects of the project, were the traffic assumptions, number of trips, handling of traffic turning onto Ellison Wilson from those westbound on PGA, disguising the parking garage, having a hotel so close to a bridge with associated noise. There was also discussion on the Promenade – which is not part of a Riverwalk type of plan but essentially a promenade to nowhere. It was clear that the project as presented was not going to get their support.

Public comment was vociferously against the project. Petitions were submitted by 3 of the speakers – Ms. Karch from NPB with 100, Ms. Navratick, of PBG (of FB Page Save the Rum Bar) with 800 and Ms Harvey of NPBconnect with 1500 petitions all objecting to the project. Former County Commissioner, Karen Marcus, represented Lost Tree Village and voiced the subdivision’s opposition. She also brought historic perspective to the County’s plans for the site – saying that there were already approved plans for the site that more resembled the casual mix found at Sailfish Marina. Many disagreed with the accuracy of the traffic studies – performed out of season and only during selected periods. Others pointed out that in order to avoid the intersection, drivers would find other routes causing traffic impacts elsewhere. The hotel and residence buildings were 10 stories high – so if one found the 5-story Harbourside project objectionable, these would be twice as high! There is so much retail space empty in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens so others questioned the need for yet more office and retail buildings.

I counted 18 speakers – all given 2 minutes to speak. They came from North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Juno Beach, PB Shores and Singer Island, and Old Port Cove.

It is clear that more traffic studies will be required and there will be more opportunities for the public to voice their opinions, even before it comes to the City Council.

A Perspective on North County Development by former Mayor Martino

Of late there has been a substantial amount of North County news much of which affects Palm Beach Gardens. On July 4th the Palm Beach Post featured a front page article concerning “drama” surrounding The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, a lead editorial about the proposed Panama Hattie’s development, and a story about a World Wide Sportsman store in the local section. But have no fear the articles suggest, the Scripps “drama” will pass, the proposed “Hattie” development is “good new days for Gardens”, and the World Wide Sportsman store owned by Bass Pro is a “winner”. As an attentive resident of Palm Beach Gardens for 49 years I offer a different perspective.

Scripps problems, as related by recent Palm Beach Post articles, suggest more than just “drama”. A CEO under fire, leading scientists questioning administrative decisions, shrinking grants, a $21,000,000 budget deficit with suggestions it might grow, and apparently little or no communications with state or local officials about any of this, should be considered as more than just “angst”. Even though Scripps has met internal hiring expectations the promise of 50,000 local jobs from spin-off companies has been minimal, at best. Local governments have planned development around these spin-off promises, the Brigger acreage in Palm Beach Gardens is an example. With all of this in play, plus $579,000,000 in incentives from state and local governments on the line, this “drama” could transition to crisis.

The serious side to the “Hattie” situation is more than cocktails, seafood, urban-style development, and “Eastwood Ho!” as the editorial banters about. It’s about the quality of life of the residents that are living in the community today, as opposed to the residents of tomorrow. It’s about common sense when considering the density and intensity of a project on an 8 acre site, proposed to house condo units, commercial office space, a boutique hotel, restaurant space, dock space for 16 boats, and a public promenade. It’s about how this project affects the PGA Bridge, under it and over it. It’s about traffic this project will add to the immediate roadways already approaching capacity, and possibly over it. It’s about the inconvenience this project will cause surrounding neighborhoods as alternate traffic routes are sought to avoid the congestion around this project. It’s about emergency vehicle response times. It is my opinion this project, as proposed, is not “growth…in the right places” as the editorial opines, but growth in the wrong place for all the wrong reasons.

The World Wide Sportsman store could be a “winner”. It is filling vacant space which should enhance the neighborhood. The World Wide Sportsman store is to be located on a 6-acre site on the east side of U. S.1 north of the Palm Beach Gardens Oakbrook shopping center at the troubled intersection of U.S. 1 and PGA Boulevard. The old Carl’s Furniture store was a tenant there. According to the Post article the renovation is to consist of 58,000 square feet of retail space, 5,000 square feet of warehouse and 5,000 square feet of boat sales. It’s a County pocket area, thus, the planning falls into County jurisdiction. If it does not generate more traffic than its predecessors, it could be an asset. Perhaps, a restriction preventing an expansion into a much larger Bass Pro Shop box store should be considered.

If North County is booming, that’s good. But if the intensity of the booming is not controlled, that’s bad.

Editor’s note:  The owner of a local flooring business, Michael Martino was a member of the City Council from 1974-1993 and served several terms as Mayor. He also was President of the Palm Beach County League of Cities from 1991 to 1993.

 

 

Next City Council Meeting on Thursday, July 10th at 7pm

Reminder – PGA Waterfront Workshop, tomorrow, Tuesday July 8th at 6pm

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, July 10th at 7pm at City Hall.

Here are some highlights:

• Consent agenda: Resolution 45, 2014 provides a grant/tax refund incentive of up to $36K to Medytox Solutions, Inc., providing the company moves its headquarters to Palm Beach Gardens and creates 60 new full-time jobs.

• Public Hearings (regular agenda) includes:
  • Resolution 38, 2014 – which sets a proposed max millage for the 2014/2015 budget.  This rate can be lowered at the September budget hearings.  Note that while millage would be slightly lower, this would still represent a 6.14% increase in property taxes!
  • Resolution 42, 2014 which changes the charges and fee schedules for the upcoming year
  • Resolution 48, 2014 –  would allow a Special Referendum to be placed on the November ballot should Palm Beach Gardens Needs Term Limits meet all necessary schedules and petition criteria.
  • Appointments to the Art in Public Places (AIPP) and Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB) boards
  • 2nd Reading on several ordinances and associated resolutions including prohibition on dog/cat retail sales, zoning changes, and amendments to the Palm Beach Gardens Police Officers’ Retirement Plan

• Under items for Council Action/Discussion is the annual City Manager Evaluation – postponed from June’s meeting, and a discussion of Gas Station Signage.

The agenda (with links to full detail) can be found here.

We get the government we deserve – and it’s up to us to watch what they do.  Hope you can make it.

PGA Waterfront Project – PZ&AB Public Workshop on July 8th – Save the date!

Many of you have expressed a great interest in knowing more about the plans for the PGA Waterfront proposed project, by the developers of Harbourside Place in Jupiter.    The project will be coming before the Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board (PZAB) meeting next Tuesday.  Come early and expect a full house!  Watch the Palm Beach Post  for more details in the coming days.

When:  Tuesday, July 8th at 6pm

Where: City Hall Council Chambers

The project is described in the list of Major Projects on the City’s website as follows:

PGA WATERFRONT WMXD PUD (PETITION #: PPUD-14-01-000034)
(PETITION #: CPSS-14-01-000006)
(PETITION #: ANNX-13-12-000007)
(PETITION #: CONC-13-12-000025)
(PETITION #: CPTA-14-01-000027)
(PETITION #: LDRA-14-01-000051)
11401 ELLISON WILSON RD
Project Manager: Peter Hofheinz/Dawn Sonneborn
Project Agent: Dodi Glas
Company: Gentile Glas Holloway O’Mahoney & Associates, Inc
Property Owner: Rocco Cantore, Water Club Associates, Ltd. Chris and Sandra Erneston,
Christopher Doyle

Description: A request for annexation and redevelopment of 7.95 acres of
land at the southwest corner of PGA Blvd and Ellison Wilson Rd. The proposed
development will consist of 150 residential Multi-family homes, a 160 room Hotel,
7,500 square feet of Retail, 35,000 square feet of Office, 32,000 square feet of Restaurant
with outdoor seating, and 30 Marina slips with public and private dockage.

LOCATION MAP	CLICK HERE
APPLICATION	CLICK HERE
DRC MEETING DATE	MAY 6, 2014
PZAB PUBLIC WORKSHOP	JULY 8, 2014
PZAB PUBLIC HEARING	TBD
PZAB STAFF REPORT	TBD
PZAB MEMO	N/A
SITE PLAN OR RENDERING	CLICK HERE
CITY COUNCIL DATE	TBD
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT	TBD
APPROVAL DATE	TBD
ORD/RESOLUTION #	TBD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Urbanism and Diversity the Buzz Words from the 6/5 Meeting

The agenda for the evening was very lengthy and the City Council Meeting ran out the clock at 11:30pm – without a City Manager Evaluation, City Manager Report and final discussion.

Different from typical meetings was the very heavy PBG Police presence.  Bags were checked on entry to the building and several uniformed officers were visible throughout the chambers.   Based on the various Agenda items, one can reasonably  surmise that the item with the most public comment, Resolution 30, 2014,  related to the site plan application for the Alton Development (F.K.A. Scripps Florida Phase II/Briger PCD) was the culprit.

Resolution 30, 2014:  This item took the bulk of the evening   Speaking for the applicant, Kolter Acquisitions LLC, was Don Hearing.   He went into very great detail about the site plan, describing how this is a new kind of development for Palm Beach Gardens, representing New Urbanism, discussed diversity in this 360-dwelling non-gated community comprised of town-homes and single-family residences.  (Note:  a quick web search of the terms New Urbanism and diversity will yield many interesting definitions)  Notably different from most developments in our city was the high density of  homes, with all backyards hidden, limited green space, and a lake accessible to all, but fronted by very few of the homes.   Mr. Hearing’s presentation, along with responses by the  Zoning and Planning department spokesman, comments by 13 members of the public and a very long back and forth between the council and Mr. Hearing after the public hearing was declared closed, took almost 2 1/2  hours!  All but one or two of the speakers were from outside the City and had apparently been protesting the development of the Briger Forest for a long time.  They sought no more development in northeast Palm Beach County, lamented the destruction of habitat, animals, and archaeological sites, and claimed the the project violates the law.  Those speaking were polite and were treated with respect – although most did not expect any satisfaction from the Council.  Gardens’ resident Ruth Peeples spoke stating that the development as shown had nothing in the way of preserves, with land being cleared to be replaced with other plantings.  She also objected to a setback waiver which staff had also raised as an issue with the developer.

After the hearing was ‘closed’,  the Council spoke at length about their issues and ideas for more green space, more amenities, concerns about recreational areas being placed far from the residences and across a 4-lane road, and concerns about the setback waiver for a specific 5-unit building, and additional issues.  There was significant back and forth between the very assertive applicant spokespeople who would brook no delay, staff and the Council. Finally, the motion was to approve the resolution with an additional approval of Waiver 6 (which allowed for the setback exception) and a commitment by the applicant to work with staff to add greenspace and amenities.  The vote was 5:0.

A second controversial topic on the Agenda was Ordinance 11, 2014, which adopts new regulations prohibiting the retail sale of dogs and cats (such as in pet stores).  Stores may sell or offer shelter animals or rescued animals gotten from governmental or approved organizations.  The ordinance was presented by Max Lohman, City Attorney and was introduced/requested by Councilman Jablin.   Those making public comment were all in favor of the ordinance, other than the spokesman/attorney, Robert Sweetapple, who represented the only two affected pet stores in Palm Beach Gardens.    Mr. Sweetapple described the impact to the stores, said there had never been an issue in 20 years and said that the ordinance as written would take effect immediately without a grandfather clause, causing severe financial hits to the store owners.  (He also took time to comment on what he considered the embarrassing ‘lets make a deal’ interplay between the City Council and the developers during the Resolution 30, 2014 discussion after the hearing had been closed.  This later resulted in a short but heated interaction between Mr. Jablin from the dais and Mr. Sweetwater in the audience).  Jablin spoke first and suggested that a clause be added giving the store owners time to deal with any existing ‘inventory’.  The rest of the council was in agreement and the resolution passed 5:0 with the addition of 180 day clause.

Todd Engle, City Engineer, gave an update on the PGA Blvd (West) FDOT improvement plans and Resolution 41, 2014 which the council approved on Consent – opposing any total  road closure during construction.  There was public comment and council discussion on safety and security issues, environmental impacts (pro and con) to the water level raising of the C18 Canal.

All other resolutions and ordinances were approved 5:0 with much less discussion.

Congratulations to the hard-working volunteers on the Community Mobile Patrol Program, who celebrated their 10th Anniversary and were honored at the start of the meeting.  Eight volunteers have been there from the start and have relieved the officers of lots of activities that took them off the street.  The volunteers perform a worthy public service.

Also receiving acknowledgement was Km! Ra and the Purchasing Department for receiving ‘Universal Public Procurement Certification Council 2014 Agency Award’.

Next City Council Mtg on Thursday June 5th

The next City Council Meeting will be this Thursday, June 5th at 7pm at City Hall.

There is a very full agenda this week – here are some highlights:

• Presentation by FDOT on their plans to improve western PGA Blvd
• Consent agenda: includes a plat change for the Mandel JCC property; a resolution by the Council opposing a complete closure of western PGA Blvd in order to raise the roadway; various purchase awards, and a contract with Mark Fuller to design, create and install 3 proposed artistic bus shelters using AIPP (Art in Public Places) funds previously approved by the Council
• Public Hearings (regular agenda) includes first readings on: a site plan approval for a 360-dwelling unit town-home and single-family residential neighborhood in the Briger Tract; an Ordinance which would prohibit puppy mills and the retail sale of dogs and cats within the city limits; an amendment to the PGA Corridor overlay to allow for micro-brewery/brew pub; a resolution describing a non-ad valorem assessment collection for the installation of potable water lines in Sunset Drive and 40^th Terrace and a resolution amending the city budget for the associated water and street improvements; a resolution re-establishing the Budget Oversight Committee.  There are additional first and second readings on the agenda.
• Under items for Council Action/Discussion is the annual City Manager Evaluation

The short form of the agenda can be found here, and  the full agenda can be found here.

We get the government we deserve – and it’s up to us to watch what they do.  Hope you can make it.

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