Gulfstream Hotel Meeting at Casino tonight 6pm

Lake Worth Beach's shuttered Gulfstream hotel closer to renovation

Say NO to $10 million in giveaways

"Proposed financial giveaways by the city of Lake Worth Beach has some commissioners wondering if the Gulfstream hotel project will be worth it.

Proposed financial giveaways to developer Restoration St. Louis and property owner CDS Holdings – estimated to be as high as $10 million or more – have made McVoy's support for the project conditional.

That's made him the target of critics and trolls who say the project is key to the city's future.

McVoy isn't alone. Commissioners Kim Stokes and Reinaldo Diaz also have expressed unease with parts of the deal that would restore the original hotel building and add an adjacent 165,000 square-foot structure with more hotel rooms, luxury rentals and a parking garage."

We have a tendency in Lake Worth to give developers what they want. And when it comes to the downtown, certain people will give way the farm especially if they are business owners.

Read the Post article

Don't forget about the meeting tonight at the Lake Worth Casino at 6pm--
We will be bending over backwards again for the developers at the Gulfstream Hotel. Click to e-mail your commissioners

Ordinance No. 2022-09 – First Reading – amending the City’s Official Zoning Map by approving the creation of a Mixed Use Urban Planned Development (The Gulfstream Hotel) located primarily at 1 Lake Avenue

Gangsta Rap

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None of the above ever fail to bring only one side of the argument--ever! In fact, discussion or a different view is taboo...it's the same old rap, the same old tune. McVoy and Maier can express an intelligent thought and it is rebuked, criticized, screamed at by Maxwell with eyes rolling, his glare or vote.  Never has there been a more unpleasant and rude bunch of people.

On Tuesday, we only had four commissioners in attendance--the mayor had another engagement. Now our local "news" editor is ticked off because Tuesday night, because his buddies on the commission did not pass the Land Development Regulations on the Second Reading and his Editorial stated that this is "dangerous" and that elected officials "often don't care what the cost is to the taxpayer or this municipality." McVoy and Maier are the only elected officials who DO care.

This all started with the upzoning of the Gulfstream Hotel when this majority commission went against the vote of the people by IGNORING it. This majority approved of Hudson Holdings building 20 feet higher than the Charter Amendment allows and changing a residential zoning to commercial all for a developer. Because of that arrogance, we are now in a law suit. So I ask you, who is making decisions that have cost the taxpayer of Lake Worth? Do you really want to compare a $200 advertisement in the Lake Worth Herald to a law suit that usually gets dragged out by Lake Worth.

On April 5, 2016, the First Reading of Ordinance 2016-13 passed on a 3/1 vote with McVoy dissenting.  Maier was absent.  Commissioner McVoy asked that it come back as a Workshop for discussion.  This Trio already had all the answers they needed regarding all the various changes in our LDR's. Commissioner McVoy's request was denied and totally ignored and this overbearing attitude from Maxwell and the rest of the Trio cost them this time--another public notice must be advertised and meeting set.

Our local editor says that it is "political games like this that chip away at taxpayer money and breed animosity in the community."  You bet that political games breed contempt and there is plenty in this community even if the election results don't reflect it.

So you tell me, why would Commissioners McVoy and Maier vote on something that they believe is not in the best interest of the city especially when 56% of the voters said they wanted 45 feet in the area of the Gulfstream Hotel?  Why would they vote on something that they feel shouldn't be rushed through but requires more discussion and explanation of the proposed changes to our Land Development Regulations? Isn't that their job to represent the people?

Upzoning - Lake Worth Octupus

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Here we go folks--it started with the change for Hudson Holdings and the Gulfstream Hotel.  Now property on Lucerne will be upzoned for an owner.  This practice will continue to spread like an Octopus throughout our downtown.  I thought we went years to FINALLY get our LDR's right. We pay our staff a lot of money. So, what happened? Once again, a Planning & Zoning board going along with a developer/investor's request and now a commission that will do the very same thing. Will it ever end?

Ordinance Nos. 2016-11 & 2016-12 - First Reading
Changes the zoning - rezone property located at the northeast corner of Lucerne Avenue and North F Street and schedule the public hearing date for April 5, 2016.

SUMMARY:
Ordinance No. 2016-11 changes the Small Scale Future Land use Map.
Ordinance No 2016-12 changes the zoning
The Ordinance will rezone approximately .4646 acre from City’s Public (P) to the City’s Mixed Use – East (MU-E) Zoning district.


BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION:
The request falls within the scope of a small-scale comprehensive plan amendment. The parcel is located at the northeast corner of Lucerne Avenue and N F Street. Currently, the site has a City of Lake Worth Public (P) zoning designation and has a City Future Land use designation of Public (P). The Applicant (property owner) is preparing applications to develop the approximate .4646 acre parcel of land as the second phase to the successful Urban Arts loft.

The proposed zoning designation of Mixed Use - E (MU-E) is appropriate for the site and is consistent with surrounding properties which front Lucerne Avenue within the City. The MU-E designation will allow the development of the property as a combination of residential and commercial uses, and, allow the artists to use a portion of their home for their occupation of producing and selling their work or services “by right.” This ability of the artists to work out of their homes was an important decision factor for the phase 1 buyers and is a major selling point for phase 2.

At its meeting of February 3, 2016, the City’s Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously to recommend approval to the City Commission PZB 16-01300001, which covers changing the zoning from zoning classification of Public (P) to a City zoning classification of Mixed-Use – East (MU-E).

Ordinance on Land Development Regulations Lake Worth

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Reading Ordinances is dry and boring.  That's why we pay our city attorney around $220 an hour so that he can read them. The only people who ever changed land development orders or a land use map is the City of Lake Worth and this Commission with the recommendation of our present Planning & Zoning board.  Our Heights Charter Amendment had nothing whatsoever to do with that. Therefore, the commission/city's argument and excuse of applying HB 537 for not honoring the vote results are not relevant.

August 6, 2013

Ordinance No. 2013-34 – Second Reading and Second Public Hearing – adopt the revised Land Development Regulations

Interim City Attorney Torcivia read the following ordinance by title only:
ORDINANCE NO. 2013-34 OF THE CITY OF LAKE WORTH, FLORIDA, REPEALING EXISTING CHAPTER 23, “ZONING” OF THE LAKE WORTH CODE OF ORDINANCES AND REPLACING IT WITH A NEW LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE AS CHAPTER 23, “LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS”, INCLUDING GENERAL PROVISIONS WHICH ALSO INCLUDE ADOPTION OF A NEW OFFICIAL ZONING MAP FOR THE ENTIRE CITY OF LAKE WORTH, ADMINISTRATION, ZONING DISTRICTS, DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS, SUPPLEMENTAL REGULATIONS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS; PROVIDING FOR CONFLICTS; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR CODIFICATION; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.

Motion made by Commissioner Szerdi and seconded by Vice Mayor Maxwell to approve Ordinance No. 2013-34. It passed on a 4/1 vote (Maxwell, Triolo, Amoroso, Szerdi) with McVoy dissenting.

Community Sustainability Director Waters explained that it would be hard to make an educated recommendation or comment on the safety impact caused by the adoption of the Land Development Regulations because structures were not yet built. Currently 65 foot height buildings and new development had to go through a traffic and infrastructure study. If there was a negative impact on infrastructure, then the developer would need to make improvements to the infrastructure. He commented that traffic safety would improve at intersections because the current code allowed structures to be built right up to the sidewalks.

Now Staff is telling us that the Gulfstream has to have a Traffic "Management" Study six months after the building is erected.

The Charter Amendment was won by Referendum on March 13, 2013, five months before the city changed the Land Development Regulations on August 6, 2013 on a vote from the dais.

Quote of the Day - Rodney Romano

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You don't need to do Mixed Use...you can do multi-Family 20 which cuts the traffic problem by a third...still bad but something's going to come there and eventually the entire parcel, including mine, will and should be annexed into Lake Worth but in an organized, well planned fashion, not in the haphazard fashion that our city has been famous for over 75 years where we have apartments next to single family.

~ Rodney Romano
former mayor City of Lake Worth

Speaking to the rezoning of a large parcel of 6.54 acres off of 10th Avenue North. On a 4/1 decision with McVoy dissenting, the commission voted to upzone. From what I could ascertain, that entire street from around I-95 to US #1 is zoned Mixed Use West.

Now, I ask you, this is basically the same "haphazard" decision that this commission made last night on the rezoning of the Gulfstream Hotel parcels where there are many residential properties in direct proximity to that hotel.

Strip Clubs in Palm Beach County

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Great going Palm Beach County Commissioners.  Let the strippers into and around our residential neighborhoods and the MOB as well.

Double D strip club wins showdown
Palm Beach County Commissioners approved a zoning change today that will allow strip clubs like Double D Ranch & Saloon to be built and serve food.  Now you can dine and gawk all at the same time and probably eat one more chicken leg or two.  And just think, the Park of Commerce is zoned for this very thing! 

Read more... at the Palm Beach Post

About Seven50 - Counties dropping like Flies

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Seven now down to Four Counties in South Florida

  What Seven50 Really Means

From the Seven50 website:

It’s a land use, housing, zoning, and transportation Plan for the 7 counties of southeast Florida for the next 50 years but now it's down to 4. Palm Beach County is NOT considering dropping out. There was a mini-demonstration made up of a lot of senior citizens at the County Commission meeting on Tuesday. Extra deputies were called in to shut them up.

• Designed with little public input
• Adds a layer of regional governance
• Encouraged by Federal agencies (your taxes)
• THEIR vision for OUR growth controls all:
  • land and water
  • plants and animals
  • energy
  • construction
  • human beings
  • and more

It will CHANGE FOREVER the way your children and grandchildren live and work in south Florida

• Housing choice – LOST
• Unlimited travel by car – LOST
• Private property rights – LOST
• Local County control – LOST
• Low density character of county – LOST
• Voter access to effect change – LOST