Sunday, April 13, 2014

Exercising legal rights to stop inappropriate development

Comment Up
The Chapel By the Sea will have a condo, 22 stories high
unless citizens can stop it

Citizens for Thoughtful Growth, is a political action committee in West Palm Beach with approximately 400 members. It was formed to protect the quality of life for West Palm Beach citizens and businesses by advocating controlled growth and preservation of an appropriate Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan.

Here in Lake Worth, we have the Historical Preservation and Planning & zoning boards and we are under the illusion that they are looking out for our quality of life as well. No one on these boards ever spoke out to honor the vote of the people in March 2013 to keep the downtown a low-rise city. In fact, with their packed developer oriented boards, they voted to change the comprehensive plan and the land-development regulations and gave their recommendations to their "develop at all costs" leaders, the Lake Worth commission. The only ones who spoke out were ordinary citizens who were totally ignored who formed a political action committee, Respectful Planning PAC. They won the vote but temporarily lost the war against a corrupt regime.

Citizens for Thoughtful Growth political action committee was formed because they have experienced that elected officials and political appointees are not looking out for Joe Citizen and it wants to protect and preserve the quality of life for all those in West Palm Beach. It supports reasonable and appropriate development. One of the developments it does NOT support is the development of the Chapel by the Sea waterfront property. They have sued the city for granting waivers for the development of this project that they say the city is not authorized to grant and for the city councils' decision to allow a high rise condo to be developed. They are challenging what they believe to be unsound proposals by over-reaching developers and elected officials.

It is most unfortunate that citizens have to file lawsuits because of elected officials that are there to represent the people. The city commission as well as the mayor did not listen to the citizens when they voted to allow out-of-town developers to build a 295,000-square-foot building that is 315 feet high on the Chapel by the Lake waterfront property no more than Lake Worth's commission did on the heights amendment.

If you want to contact Citizens for Thoughtful Growth or donate, click here. You may not think this is your "fight" but in reality it is everyone's fight.  What could be better than helping to protect the waterfront and the voice of the people?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Higher and higher lets build out this city.....

Anonymous said...

I do not believe that this Commission wants LW to become a high rise town.
The previous Commission of Jennings, Golden and Mulvelhill, IMO, had such extreme positions on things like immigrants and rezoning so livestock could be raised and anti police rhetoric just to name a few, that the more conservative side of LW responded in an extreme way in kind - there never seemed to be any middle ground during that time. It was Pavers and Cavers with a great deal of animus.
Everything seemed to be a huge fight.
I for one am happy that that era of such animosity has ended...
WPB is already full of high rises - the precedent is set there.
I for one, though labeled a 'paver', have never wanted a high rise in our low rise town....what I di and do want, is for the Gulfstream Hotel Bldg to become a viable entity again. And if that took a variance to build a Bldg on the lot next to the Gulfstream, I was definitely for it.
But a logical discussion could never take place it seemed. Pavers were accused of wanting the whole town to become Delray; and Cavers were accused of wanting LW to go bankrupt.
I wished logic and sanity could have simply prevailed on both sides.
I think we have a little of that now with the present Commission.

Lynn Anderson said...

Sorry...there is absolutely NO sanity when you have an entire commission doing what IT wants in spite of a vote. This is insanity and arrogance beyond belief.

We all would like to see the Gulfstream rebuilt and open as a hotel. The height here is grandfathered in. Any new development must be 45 feet on the ADJOINING lot or in that block.

Your memories are slightly different than mine especially when it comes to that commission and in particular, Suzanne Mulvehill. Illegal Immigrants you can blame on the federal government and the churches.

Anonymous said...

So if you want a waiver for the lot next to the Gulfstream, why push to permit 6 story buildings in a much larger area, including within historic one and two story residential neighborhoods.

I similarly am not against a waiver for the Gulfstream lot but don't see what that has to do with 6 story buildings next to my one story cottage.

I don't necessarily disagree with some of your points regarding prior administrations, but now we have swung too far the other way, with commission, city boards and city government all packed with realtor/developer crowd. We really do needs some balance to keep the developers in check. If you don't think they would love to through up some towers in our town you are sorely mistaken.

Anonymous said...

Anon@6:20pm...you told it like it was. I went through minutes of meetings from that commission and that is how it was.
All the buildings surrounding the lot next to the Gulfstream are high rise. Building to that hight would not be out of character for that area.
Memories and perceptions are different for everyone. We tend to see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear.

Lynn Anderson said...

Frankly, it doesn't matter what you heard during the dozens of meetings on the Gulfstream vacant property (do y9u forget all the people who spoke against what Schlesinger wanted to do????) and the owner who was jerking you around during the process...an excuse for never getting anything done.

The people voted and this vote had NOTHING TO DO WITH A HOTEL and the outcome was NO more than 45 feet. I realize that some of you people have a real hard time with that.

Laurence said...

The Gold Coast Towers is 45'-adjacent as in directly across the street. Across 1st ave S all one and two story.
Lofts angled across the street was given a 17' variance to go to 62' even though the builder created a self imposed hardship by his design.
Had it been challenged it is likely it would have been limited to 45'.
The Dollar store also across the street is one story.
On the other hand there is Fleur de Lis at 65' and the condos to the south of the hotel at 65'.
It seems that 45' is appropriate for the vacant lot if one looks North (1 story), South (1 story), and West (45').

Lynn Anderson said...

They won the vote but temporarily lost the war against a corrupt regime.

To the nasty azz who just tried to post here on my comment referenced above, just try building over 45 feet and you will see who is bat stupid and bat crazy.

Anonymous said...

"I for one am happy that that era of such animosity has ended..."

Excuse me? You have a Commission that ignores an election? Are you happy that the era of not representing the majority of citizens in Lake Worth has begun? An era of not having to answer to the voters of Lake Worth? I for one will be happy when these people get kicked out of office by people that understand what an election SHOULD MEAN IN AMERICA !