Heart of Palm Beach Report

Comment Up

Nearly a year ago, there was a joint workshop with representatives from Palm Beach County and seven cities in Shelley's Vana's district. The purpose was to discuss major opportunities and impediments to economic development of her District that comprises 18-square-miles. The population is 62,790 people and includes all or a portion of seven cities, including Atlantis, Boynton Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth, Lake Clarke Shores, Lantana, and Palm Springs. About 60 percent of the land area is unincorporated county, with the remaining 40 percent falling under the jurisdiction of these seven municipalities.

John Prince Park was discussed:

• Address homeless camps at John Prince Park

• Redo John Prince Park based on the changing demographic of the area and potential opportunities for Intracoastal Waterway access

• Create a new Strategic Plan for John Prince Park.

• Gold Coast Builders wants to focus on improving John Prince Park

• Palm Springs said that John Prince Park is a real opportunity that could have a world class facility to attract tourism from all over.

Attendees from Lake Worth: Dolores Key, Economic Development Manager and William Waters, Director for Community Sustainability

Lake Worth's ideas for Economic Growth and comments:

Improve infrastructure within Lake Worth Park of Commerce

Have more community redevelopment; work with other cities to find grant initiatives; provide more housing availability; more business investment. Branding is important.

Crime and panhandling is out of control and gives the cities a bad image. This affects all the community, because it inhibits investment in the area.

Lake Worth has been building consensus from the community on redevelopment and has developed new land development regulations.

There has been $45 million in recent investment to the Lake Worth Park of Commerce.

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