City rejects boutique hotel plan

Mary Sisoian went before Lake Worth’s City Commission last week with a request. She wanted to rezone her site at 18 S. Palmway Drive, which she bought for $525,000 in 2005, from medium density multifamily residential to downtown.

On Oct. 4, the city’s Planning and Zoning Board approved Sisoian running a bed and breakfast at the location. But Sisoian now wants to run a seven-room boutique hotel, with live music and alcoholic beverages.

“We’re not looking at a bar; it’s a gathering place,” Sisoian told commissioners. “We just had an event last week and had 50 people at the house for a benefit of a local musician. It started at 5 and we were done at 9.”

Commissioners unanimously denied the request, leaving Sisoian dejected.

Commissioner Omari Hardy was the most vocal critic of the request.

“It’s a small place, but there is a concern things might go further than what we’ll allow,” Hardy said. “Now we have to be tasked to follow up to make sure this doesn’t occur. This is another can of worms and I don’t see a huge benefit.”

Hardy had another concern: “What if the hotel changes hands and someone is less scrupulous? ... I don’t have confidence that if things got out of hand, we’d be able to reel it back in. I’m all for doing progressive things, but the payoff has to be huge.”

Ultimately, he said, passing the request would be like “opening a Pandora’s box.”

“There’s nothing to keep this property from being a nuisance,” he said.

Commissioner Herman Robinson said he was “looking for more businesses downtown, but this is not downtown.”

Despite questions about parking, Sisoian said she has never heard a complaint. “Everyone parks along Lake Avenue,” she said. “I know it’s hard for people to be respectful, but they can.”

William Waters, Lake Worth’s community sustainability director, said a bed and breakfast has limitations and can only serve breakfast. He said Sisoian was told she could have special events and serve beer and wine only through a hotel or bar. But it was not to be.

“This is something positive, something happy,” Sisoian said. “We need more of that in Lake Worth.”