17 years later, Neighborhood is still in limbo on Sunset Drive property

We have been going round and round with the City of Lake Worth (now called Lake Worth Beach, a really stupid vote), with 826 Sunset Drive in the ROLO neighborhood.

For a little history: The Pac, Save Our Neighborhood, Inc. collected over 3,000 signatures city wide wanting the single family zoning kept in place. Former Lake Worth city attorney Larry Karns refused to forward the petitions to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections for verification citing a State Statute that you could not petition on less than 5 acres even though it was he who approved our petition.

A battle in the circuit court then ensued between Save Our Neighborhood, Inc. and the City. Save Our Neighborhood won its case in the circuit court, but the decision was challenged by the City of Lake Worth. Even then the city was going against its citizens, favoring a developer just like it did on the Heights Amendment in recent years.

The Sunset case moved up the judicial ladder into the Appellate court which then overturned the Circuit Court's decision.

In a special meeting held on August 25, 2009, the Lake Worth City Commission voted to repeal two city ordinances that would have allowed MF 20 zoning (20 units per acre) into the single family Lake Osborne Heights neighborhood. The commission consisted of Commissioners Cara Jennings, Commissioner Retha Lowe, Mayor Jeff Clemens, Commissioner Joanne Golden and Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill.

The undeveloped 4.02 acre property that was the subject of the commission's action reverted to its previous zoning of “County Agricultural” (five units per acre). According to PAPA, the zoning is Single family. Zoning is all political.

We have continually asked the city attorney about the status of this property and have never received an answer other than "what are you worried about--there is no action on the property?"

Apparently the City of Lake Worth did not inform the PAC that was in an unresolved mitigation for years and the property, according to PAPA, sill is owned by Sunset Drive Holdings LLC although a developer is now in the picture.