Parking Garage in Downtown Lake Worth Beach
Palm Beach County’s last city with a traditional downtown that lacks a fully public parking garage is a step closer to building one. The plan’s opponents and even one key supporter say they expect it to bring an end to free street parking.The Lake Worth Beach City Commission on June 8 gave initial approval to the construction of a long-discussed parking garage south of Lake Avenue, on the northwest corner of South K Street and First Avenue South. Commissioner Chris McVoy cast the lone dissenting vote.
The final public hearing and commission vote on the zoning changes needed to pave the way for construction is scheduled for June 30.
The planned 95,000-square-foot, four-story garage will have 260 spaces but after used for the museum and the apartments, it is wittled down to around 47 spaces. The K street garage will be part of the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts and arts campus, which will include an art museum and 110 apartments two blocks east of the garage. The developer, Anthony Wiener, is contributing $1 million to the $8.5 million garage, with the city contributing the rest.
Read about it... As you read this article, the details get worse.
Lake Worth For All sued the city on Feb. 3 to stop construction of WMODA, claiming it illegally spent Palm Beach County sales tax money to get the project built.
The lawsuit argues the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, in charge of improving blighted areas, broke state law by buying land downtown with more than $1.6 million in sales-tax revenue meant for public parking, then selling the site to Wiener for $10 to build WMODA. The case is before Circuit Judge Scott Kerner.
And all commissioners other than McVoy, have no problem screwing the residents by eventually charging for downtown parking that has always been free.
Back in August 2010 we were going through this. Suzanne Mulvehill was the only commissioner who stated, "It is our job to support business." She also wanted to check with the downtown businesses before anything.
To bring it up again in 2026--does our present commission not believe that it might hurt our downtown businesses? Perhaps people will go dine and shop somewhere else? Perhaps shoppers don't like meters or pay-stations or the hassle of it all? Perhaps the amount of revenue derived is just not worth the risk?
Lake Worth has always been a draw because of free parking. But it was the same old philosophy of charging more to the people here because of a revenue need. Charge the shoppers and let those who don't want to pay, walk from 3 blocks away...not consumer friendly.
The downtown is hurting. We should be doing all that we can do build up our downtown, not put obstacles in its pathway to success. We should stop screwing the residents and shop owners of this city.
