Tuesday Night's Commission Meeting

What we Learned at Tuesday Night's Commission Meeting

1.  Referendum to raise the heights at the Gulfstream Hotel
     a.  Referendum on raising heights to 87 feet passed on 5/0 vote. It will be placed on the 2020 March ballot.
     b.  Commission is strongly implying to voters that there will be a hotel there, using an emotional issue in order to pass this referendum.  No guarantees that a hotel will ever be built there.
     c.  The referendum only affects the Gulfstream property, not the entire block.
     d.  Commissioner Robinson said he was disappointed in the Palm Beach Post for its reporting in its suggestion that it was the entire block. I am disappointed all of the time with the biased PBPost, but if the Post got it wrong and I got it wrong, perhaps it was due to the City not being clear enough.

2.  2nd Reading on changing our Charter to allow 30 year leases on Parks, City owned waterfront property and City owned downtown property
     a.  Referendum failed on a 1/4 vote with Robinson and Hardy wanting to bring it back at another time. Pam Triolo suggested changing the wordage of the ballot amendment. A Charter Review Committee was mentioned. Nothing is ever over in this city. Commissioners ALWAYS want their own way and find a way to accomplish that.
     b.  City hired a Polling company...details were not given to the public on who they canvassed or what  concerns were given from the public. I asked about the number of Yeas and Nays from those polled and Commissioner Hardy said 42 yeas, 39 nays and 19 undecided. Omari further stated that we don't have the ability to lease to folks over 20 years in the present Charter that we passed in 2005. This is wrong. He believes that all those opposed are not telling the truth and have some agenda. It's the city with the agenda and those commissioners who want their own way.
     c.  How the Referendum reads:
IN ORDER TO CREATE REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND LONG TERM INVESTMENT IN THE CITY, SHALL ARTICLE II, SECTION 4, OF THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH BEACH CHARTER ENTITLED “SALE OF PARKS, CITY-OWNED WATERFRONT PROPERTY, AND CITY-  OWNED DOWNTOWN PROPERTY ONLY BY REFERENDUM” BE  AMENDED TO ALLOW A LEASE OF UP TO 30 YEARS?

     d.  It's all about catering to developers and investors and the hell with the people or even common sense.

Changing the Zoning of Properties  located at 109, 121, 125 North Golfview.

     a.  Three property owners appealed to the city to upzone their property. The other parcel not involved in this request is a condo building. Some of the owners spoke at the meeting and were opposed to this upzoning from MF-20 to DT, a commercial zoning.

     b.  Commissioners had to reveal any ex-parte and Hardy, Triolo and Amoroso had communicated with at least one of the owners, John Rinaldi, and at least four of them had received campaign contributions other than Robinson.. 

     c.  The Ordinance 2019-15 passed on a 4/1 vote with Robinson dissenting (coincidentally, the only commissioner who had not received a campaign contribution from the applicant(s).

     d. What this shows is that any owner can approach the city to upzone their property and it will be approved if the commission wants it. It appears that the city, per this Ordinance, can upzone any time it wants. Now the property of  three owners has become more valuable thanks to this commission. John Rinaldi who owns the Sable Palm B&B has been trying to sell his property for several years. He has a better chance now that it is rezoned. That small stretch of Golfview directly across from the golfcourse, could very possibly be changed forever to 65 foot buildings in the future..