Planning & Zoning, the CRA and Urban Lofts in Lake Worth

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Drawing before the changes

Changing land-uses and giving variances as if they were candy has always raised red flags with me especially in Lake Worth where handing out waivers has run rampant through the years. Agonizingly, we all went through this with the Gulfstream Hotel over several years by an owner who constantly jerked the city around and the P&Z complied. One even resulted in a law suit not to mention many complaints. In years gone by, the P&Z has approved of some projects with no set-backs and little green with townhouse projects sitting empty to this day.

Now we have a thoughtful Planning & Zoning Board. Unlike some other Boards within our city, the P&Z does not implement personal agendas; they work within the rules that are on the books. There are no favors to friends. Even though they personally may like a particular project or renovation that comes before them, they put all of their personal feelings aside and only concentrate on all the i's being dotted and the t's being crossed. They are looking out for your interests--the City's well being. Often times they have to approve of projects that they personally do not like or feel are not right for the neighborhood or our community overall, but because it comes under the guidelines of the P&Z and all zoning codes, they do their job and when needed, offer suggestions to make the project better.

And this is exactly what the P&Z did with Urban Lofts. The P&Z gave some very good suggestions to the CRA for its project in order to make it more appealing. The development will be located on Lucerne across and adjacent to the Shuffleboard Court building. The P&Z took a lot of heat by CRA advocates and those behind the scenes who were pushing this project through, accusing the P&Z of putting unnecessary obstacles in their path and even accusing them for wanting the project to fail and perhaps losing the NSP2 Grant. As it turned out, their suggestions were all agreed and now it is a better project which resulted in approval from the Planning & Zoning Board.

There was and still is a campaign to smear some of the volunteers on the P&Z Board suggesting that they are unqualified and were an obstacle for moving the CRA townhouse project forward. This distasteful political tactic has been happening for awhile. Uttering the sound-bite from the developer crowd, even Commissioner Andy Amoroso implied the same thing during his campaign when he said that he would never apply for the P&Z as he was unqualified. Also, Amoroso said that some members of the P&Z board are not qualified to make decisions when it raised some concerns regarding the Urban Lofts townhouses. This was quoted in the Palm Beach Post.

Certain parties do not want any obstruction, perceived or real, from our Planning & Zoning Board to achieve their ends. A big campaign ensued to ensure that the Urban Lofts project got approval and went forward from the P&Z. The CRA even hired Mark Rickards, former chair of the CRA to help promote it. The CRA has money to literally burn and it was considering anything that came its way in order to spend the Grant. The goal is to spend the money quickly and on time. They even bought the Pugh property last year located at 6th Avenue and the railroad tracks, the very same property that was in their site several years back with a plan to build affordable housing townhouses when they were paying the owner $14,000 a month in an option.

The P&Z, in the past, was dominated by planners, Realtors, developers, architects, etc. who may have had interests or friends involved in the projects that came before them. Often times they recused themselves from a vote. Some of these projects, as we all know, have resulted in foreclosure. We now have William Waters on staff who is a strong force to keep everything in perspective. His involvement should mitigate the politics behind some of the projects that come before the Board from those wanting instant or easy approval.

Developers/Investors have been standing in the wings for several years waiting for the right time to build. Some were buying up Lake Worth property buying in to what they consider strategic locations because of the LULA program. Some people even obtained a coveted real estate license.

On January 3, 2012, the Commission approved the CRA's project to construct 12 townhouses on Lucerne which will be known as Urban Arts Lofts. There were a few from the public that did not want any more failed townhouse projects. Someone from the public gave the argument that these were not townhouses but lofts, trying to deflect from the reality. Some in the neighborhood think it will be good for them and actually increase the value of their own property. That perception is no different than what many people believed in other neighborhoods where townhouses now sit empty, foreclosed or abandoned. Some went so far as to say that this project was "beautiful." If you spin it, some will believe it.

All city boards are political appointments. The CRA Board is more so than any other volunteer board in this City. There have been few exceptions to political appointments. Some believe that Wes Blackman's appointment to the P&Z Historical Preservation Board was not political. He was appointed by commissioners for whom he has never written favorably. However, it was just as political as any other appointment. As Blackman was well qualified, the Commission, wanting to tame the contentiousness, did not want to draw the ire from that side of politics. A few years ago, Blackman was also a member of the CRA and stepped down to run for commissioner.

The CRA is naturally the most sought after volunteer board position. That's where all the money is and where there's money, there is new found power that often can create "situations" and new found friends. In the past, it has even been a stepping stone for some to elected office with a few who brag, to this day, that spending $15 million on 6th Avenue South and 10th Avenue North were major accomplishments and well worth the money. They will also tell you that The Lucerne condo was one of their better decisions as well as voluntarily giving Publix one-half a million dollars to build next to Hammon Park, another failed townhouse project for which a P&Z of the past had approved.

On January 25 at 6pm the Commission will meet to discuss the future of the grounds at the shuffleboard court building where the courts are now located. One of the new "lofts" will overlook this property and of course, that developer, as well as the CRA and its friends, would most likely prefer that area to have green grass and shrubs--probably a water fountain thrown into the mix.

And as there are winners and losers, this time the developer can't lose. He will get his $4.5 to $5 million from the NSP2 government grant paid by loans from China, and the CRA will be selling the twelve, 3,000 square foot townhouses to those artists whose credit score is 550 or better and not making more than 120 percent of the area median income for Palm Beach County of $73,080 for a family of two in a neighborhood already filled with families of the working poor.

I have to wonder how these eventual new townhouse owners will afford the electric bill as these units will be 3 times larger than the average house in Lake Worth. I also wonder if in a few years the City of Lake Worth will, once again, be a loser with another uninhabited townhouse project sitting in an old section of our city. Hopefully by then, the economy will be in better shape and the city will be on its way as a destination, not only for arts but for our beach that will then be redeveloped. That is the gamble but it is, afterall, someone else's money.