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It is always unsettling when you realize that the church has committed a sin--that of Greed, which is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm
of the spiritual. In fact, it is a cardinal sin. Some people might think that the church was "evil" in what it did and categorize its action as lustful appetite, (gluttony, or extreme avarice). Yes, the church has the right to make money but look at what has been lost because of its action.
ROBERT DAVIDSSON, West Palm Beach, wrote a good opinion piece for the Palm Beach Post today on the recent approval of the West Palm Beach Commission regarding the sale of the Chapel on the Lake property for a 22 story condo highrise to be built on the waterfront, blocking gorgeous views forever.
"The losers are the people of West Palm Beach. Citizens have lost another section of the waterfront to an emerging condominium wall along the Lake Worth Lagoon. Smart developers know how to game the city’s
existing zoning variance rules and will continue to do so. As the result of the City Commission’s action, more high-rise projects will follow along Flagler Drive."
Read his point of view.
5 comments:
the biggest detriment to florida has been politicians, the chamber of commerce, developers, and planners. Throw in a crappy realtor or two.
This article is incredible, what a sin, I hope these commissioners from WPB and these developers go to jail for this, what avarice, just so bad and a sin. It just has to irk so many of us that this happens. You know, we have the same problem here in Lake Worth, we cannot see our very own ocean from the other side of the bridge, but if we did not have all those high 6 story or so buildings, we could likely see the view of our beach and ocean from our downtown or park, golf course, or inter-costal, it is all a sin, we let the rich and developers do this to us.
You know, we need to make the rich pay, why should the poor or middle class have to wait at the bridge for the drawbridge when it is up? We shouldn't, let the rich build the bridge higher so we do ever have to wait, it is not fair, let the rich pay to build it higher, they are making us wait using our precious time, it is all a sin.
" Developer gifts. The county’s Code of Ethics (Section 2-444(a-b) prohibits political gifts or campaign contributions to elected officials in excess of $100 annually. Yet, according to Commissioner Keith James’ own Florida Division of Elections Campaign Treasurer’s Report summary, on Dec. 12, 2012, he received a $200 gift from GAK Partners LLC developer Al Adelson — just five months after an agreement was made between the developer and the First Baptist Church for the chapel site.
Paid lobbyist gifts. On Feb. 8, 2012, Commissioner Sylvia Moffett received a $200 political campaign gift from Kerry Kilday, the paid lobbyist for GAK Partners and the First Baptist, according to her Feb. 27, 2012, Florida Division of Elections Treasurers Report.
Commissioner disclosure. Neither Commissioner James nor Moffett disclosed political campaign “gifts” received from GAK developers or their lobbyist at the Jan. 21 public hearing. (Florida Statute 286.0115 states disclosure “must” be made before or during quasi-judicial public meetings.) The commissioners also declined to recuse themselves from the final vote.
Public interest. GAK Partners filed as a state business entity with the Florida Division of Corporations on June 14, 2012, one month before it cut a deal with First Baptist. However, as of Jan. 24, 2014, there are no municipal or county business tax receipt records on file in the Palm Beach County Tax Collector’s database, the official local business tax archive. These unresolved ethical issues need to be addressed before the next Flagler Drive project comes before the City Commission."
"As the result of the City Commission’s action, more high-rise projects will follow along Flagler Drive."
In your ever droning argument against allowing similar height building that could only be a "hotel" in our "hotel district", you now cast your venom at our neighbor who has taken a different tact. It ALREADY has high rises (REAL high rises) along the waterfront and has for decades.
Now you want to put a stop to it? The church is now greedy? Now you want to dictate to a church, whose decision I'm sure wasn't one individual's, about how they dispose of one of their valuable assets?
I personally think the building design is awful and that it will be an eyesore, even though it sits next to an existing (real) high rise. But thank God we'll get a chance to see for ourselves what someone wants to do with THEIR OWN PROPERTY!
I wonder if the "anti everything" faction of WPB went around telling sacred residents that if THIS passes, you'll have 22 story buildings right next to your single family home. After all.... they are right next door to us.
Your argument that WPB already has high rises so why not more is invalid. Someone jumped off the Lake Worth bridge so everyone now should be able to do so?
The Florida coast has been paved over. You once could drive down A1A and actually view the ocean and that was in my lifetime for much of it. It is a travesty that local governments have allowed highrises to be built private property or no private property. We have LDR's and governments continue to give waivers just as they did on this property that once was submerged.
It is elected officials who have to be accountable. And yes, WPB residents were against this project which will be one half block away from single family residences.
The City of WPB should not have approved the Chapel by the Lake high rise b/c that land was created (out of the intracoastal), meaning it was fill and the requirement for the permission to infill part of the intracoastal was that the land had to stay as open space.
So no, the Church should not have been permitted to sell the land to a developer since it was created with a deed restriction that it remain open.
And if you ask the church members, the vast majority of them are against it so its not really a congregation decision since only a few of the executive board made that decison, kind of like the WPB commission.
Then you look at the waivers and set backs provided for this project, the waivers on density, traffic and allowing a developer to use underwater land to the north, to qualify as set backs and man the project really does start to stink. Yes there is a high rise to the south, but this high rise will tower over that one. Anyone who drives Flagler knows of the traffic woes at that intersection but sure approve an illegal high rise and add to the problem. We are turning into Ft. Lauderdale and we don't have the roads, the bridges or other infrastructure to support these projects that our elected officials keep approving even though residents don't want them.
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