This reminds me of John Kerry when trying to explain his vote for an $87 billion supplemental appropriation for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan by telling the crowd, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it."
The majority commission in 2006 (Retha Lowe, Dave Vespo and Nadine Burns) was so concerned about tax base that they were encouraging a five story building to be built on South Palmway, a monstrosity in John Szerdi's neighborhood directly across from his home. The city was being over-run by developers and millions went missing in our Treasury, the same millions that Vice Mayor Maxwell brings up blaming all the wrong people.
Residents were up in arms about this 5 story building called The Palms that could be built right in the heart of a residential neighborhood and very concerned about home value in the Bryant Park neighborhood. Those who sided with the developers then are using the same old lines today...if you're against what we want, then you are against progress. "If only Lake Worth would recognize its full potential," the mayor said last night and then proceeded to take credit for $100 million in development going on in Lake Worth. $90 million of it was already mentioned during Suzanne Mulvehill's term but this commission stopped the zoning in progress as soon as Stanton was fired and replaced by Bornstein.
Originally John Szerdi was against the Palms project. What started as a proposed 60-foot, five-story condominium that ran the length of a city block and towered over several one-and two-story homes, forced the developer to do some design changes because the Planning, Zoning and Historic Resources Preservation board denied their alley abandonment request. That's when Szerdi got into the picture and joined the development team.
An excerpt from the Palm Beach Post written by Nicole Janok on September 25, 2006 reads as follows: "Architect and Bryant Park Neighborhood resident John Szerdi, who vocally opposed the project two months ago, joined the development team Thursday night to discuss the redesign. 'There's a big difference from their first design', Szerdi said. 'It's a good improvement'. To give residents a more accurate picture, Szerdi developed a three-dimensional computer model that showed the heights, shadows and density of the two buildings."
A resident would tell Szerdi where they lived and he would show them how the 5 story building would or would not affect their sunlight and their quality of life. People packed the meetings expressing their displeasure about the project. And as it turned out, it never got built--perhaps the economy got in the way or the developers got tired of all the hoops they had to go through back then, dealing with the resident's objections. But the fact that the project stopped from going forward had nothing to do with the majority commission listening to the wants of the people they served.
John Szerdi continues to mention this project at all candidate forums and how he saved the day across the street from where he lives. The entire project was scaled back thanks to him but the devil is in the details. He was against it before he was for it.
Read about it...
So he was vocally against it at first but then got involved in the redesign of the project. He happens to be an architect. With the redesign, he changed his mind? Maybe the redesign changed the setbacks or dealt with other objectionable aspects of the project. Your comments about how it would "tower" over one and two story homes "right next door" are valuable criticisms. Szerdi understands appropriateness of projects in urban planning. You don't put 5 story buildings next to single story homes.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the "scaling back" of the design improved the appropriateness of the project. It would have still affected him since his home was right across the street.
Sort of like when you really liked the Eco-Center he designed because it is appropriate for the area and because it was only 3 stories until you found out it was almost 65' high. Only then did you change your mind. Funny how that works in reverse too.
These exact same people are still in bed together. Amazing, isn't it? Follow the money. Where there is big development, there is money under tables.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a five story building could legally be built in this neighborhood is the issue. It's not about whether you agree with the building because the laws allowed the owners of this property to build it. So Szerdi and everyone else had no legal power to stop this building from going up. What he did was to get involved with the project and work to figure out a way to make it tolerable. The real question is why did the past commissions allow our zoning and land use laws to become so bad. It was not until our present commission was elected that our zoning and land use laws were completely rewritten and as a result no 5 story condos are ever going to be built in our residential neighborhoods. You can thank John Szerdi and the rest of our commission for finally doing what every other past commission refused to do. This is the real reason why we are seeing new investment coming into our city. In fact our new laws were so well written that our city has received awards for the work and other cities are copying them. This is probably the single biggest accomplishment of the current commission that few people even know about.
ReplyDeleteA lot of it had to do with Susan Stanton hiring William Waters. Without him, who knows where we would be. I personally don't think that zoning and land use laws can be blamed on a commission but rather a city manager who doesn't know his/her stuff. I do, however, blame this commission for decisions it made early on with the P&Z and stopping the zoning in progress.
ReplyDeleteRight now, development is moving forward because of the economy and projects previously proposed are going forward.
anony at 9:10. You talk about the Eco Centre, that foreclosed building that looks like a box that Szerdi designed? did he really do that?
ReplyDeleteNow it is coming out that he is involved with Hudson Holdings the people who bought the gulfstream Hotel. They now want our casino. What's Szerdi getting out of this? Isn't it always about the money? It just seems that way even though he says no.
ReplyDeleteHe was for the Eco-Centre before he and John Romano built it, then he was against it when it went into foreclosure and he didn't get paid and then he was for it when he was thrown the plum of the south half of the beach project including that ridiculous toilet blocking the ocean view and he now is taking credit for stopping a building that was stopped by the lack of demand and money of the downturn.
ReplyDeleteDidn't he build the 1950's Casino building? It certainly reflected his style.
Politician and liar are synonyms in most cases. This one happens to be arrogant too.
Szerdi was pushing the 5 story project. The PZHRB turned it down and stopped the folly.
ReplyDeleteThe comp plan and zoning code was re-written long before Zerdi stumbled onto the dais. He just raised the heights once it was finished.
ReplyDeleteTri-board meeting Jan 28th 2012. The code was finished except for the discussion of heights. Mulvehill was commissioner at that time. Too bad she didn't run again. She would have kicked his ass.
John Szerdi and I were very against the project and along with others discouraged the developer from proceeding with the project. Szerdi never joined the developers team, he did experiment with design (independently) to see if it was even possible to get a project approved and discovered it was not feasible. The developer also began to discover this and started losing her interest especially with the public speaking out against the project. The developer, at that time, was a recent divorcee of a prominent Chicago developer that received a large settlement and thought she also got his experience - she didn't. The architecture firm she hired (not Szerdi's) was also very incompetent and would not listen to the City or public. She would have needed investors and financing and that is where it all fell apart along with the economy. Thank Steve Miller and all his realtor buddies for bringing her to town. They were all as inexperienced as her and closed on most of the properties at high prices only to lose them to foreclosure or other. Don't elaborate on something unless you know the truth. I dedicated many, many hours to making sure this project did not go forward and did it under the radar. With new land use regulations it should be impossible to a building like this in that location.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the long explanation. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou say John Szerdi and I were against it. Why did you not leave your name?