In a building that was supposed to be the salvation for the City of Lake Worth, it has been anything but.
The CRA is always saying that the present Board cannot be accountable for the sins of the past but it maligns our present Commissioners for the very same thing. But it was only a few years ago when the CRA approved this building by waiving setbacks, paying for the infrastructure and eventually giving up the parking component. It pays all the taxes on the building to this day. Investors got caught in the economic meltdown and another unit is in foreclosure.
Unit 309 was purchased in June 2006 for $422,000. Today it is appraised at $119,000. The CRA Board doesn't talk much about this "investment," a deal to save the City. Instead it focuses on all the other decisions it made to spend millions.
11 comments:
We're stuck with it, right?
The Lucerne is the poster child as to why we want low heights in our downtown. It us totally out of place.
I guess the fact that there are 3 other buildings the same height or higher within a 10 block radius means nothing? Or the fact that most of the activity on Lake Ave. not centered on drinking is based around the businesses around the building.
You complain about the shuffleboard courts becoming a hangout, what do you think would have become of the vacant lot the building is now on? It would be a big blighted trash filled lot.
But based on your opinions you prefer blight to any change.
Andy and Aunt Bee left town with Ron Howard a long time ago. Get over it.
I really think that we need to move on when it comes to this issue. I never was a big fan of this building but I must admit that the area around it has become the centerpiece of our downtown's economic strength. I might not like the building but I do like the fact that the stores and business in the area look great and seem to be doing well. What I can tell you is that guests from out of town that stay at the Sabal Palm always comment that they like the building and the stores. So lets move on and learn from what went wrong with this project and be thankful for what seems to be working downtown. The tax money for each individual unit that is not being paid by the CRA has got to be helping the city.
How many in foreclosure there? A lot. We all have different tastes on what is attractive. The fact remains it is costing us.
Why should we move on? That is the typical answer to anything when someones doesn't have an answer. Are your clients down from New York where they are used to high rises or did they come here for a small town feel? It all can just grow on you with time. It still doesn't mean that I like it nor does it mean that we should dismiss it. This will be a constant reminder of a bad CRA decision. I like Hoffman Chocolates anyway and Dunkin Donuts coffee.
Our guests come from all over the world. Big cities and small Florida towns. They really overwhelmingly like the building and our town. Since the building is not going anywhere soon we need to move on but learn from the mistakes. What they don't like are the empty stores and dirty sidewalks. I wish we could focus our energy on fixing what we can and cleaning up the city.
Moving on is ok but never forgetting is the key. The merchants downtown should be out there every day sweeping in front of their stores. They are the culprits. The government should not be taking care of their mess, the cradle to grave theory. Ironically, some of those very merchants are the ones who blame Jennings on the slum and blight. They are responsible for our filthy downtown (on most days). Get Andy with the Downtown Cultural Alliance to give them the word. He is good at spreading words.
I agree Lynn. No one cleans up in front of our place but us. Each business should cean up the sidewalk in front of their store. It's a matter of pride.
What's more of an eyesore? The Lucerne Starbucks and Kilwins or the blocks and blocks of delapidated, dangerous, unkept properties that surround our "quaint" downtown and our current commission completely ignores?
If you don't complain about one can you really complain about the other?
Our Commission has nothing to do with "blocks and blocks of dilapidated, dangerous properties" . The previous CRA does! Think people like the crybaby twins Shannon Materio , Brendan Lynch,and Jeff Clemens. That Bunch. Those idiots spent MILLIONS to take over roads that Palm Beach County should have been maintaining.Millions to drive a road RIGHT THROUGH THE REAL SLUM AND BLIGHT that they SHOULD have been preventing!The ONLY thing that these mini Marie Antoinettes and their "let them eat cake" attitudes gave us was a better place for the drug dealers to sit.
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