PALM BEACH: HAVE HEARING ON BUSINESS DISTRICT PLAN
Town, county push for hearing before state can OK zoning change.
Citing traffic concerns, the town of Palm Beach will join Palm Beach County’s fight for a hearing before the state can approve a zoning amendment allowing West Palm Beach to create an Okeechobee Business District.
The Town Council unanimously voted Wednesday to participate in the county petition requesting a hearing before an administrative law judge before the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity can approve the city’s requested amendment to its comprehensive land-use plan. The department already has signed off on the amendment, and a final decision is expected later this month.
Mayor Gail Coniglio said she’s concerned the new business district will intensify gridlock in the downtown. She urged the council to vote for the petition on Wednesday, the deadline for doing so.
“If we don’t do it, we lose our legal right to object,” Town Manager Kirk Blouin said. “We don’t have a seat at the table, and the dispute will just continue between the city and county.”
The district, which has been in the works for about 18 months, will encourage office and hotel construction along Okeechobee Boulevard from CityPlace to Flagler Drive, the city says. The West Palm Beach City Commission approved moving forward with the district in August. Palm Beach, the county and the Florida Department of Transportation wanted a state traffic study done first.
Coniglio has said she’s concerned about residents and emergency vehicles being able to travel in a timely fashion in and out of town via the three bridges linking the town and city.
“We are not in any way obstructing the development opportunities in another city,” Coniglio said. The town’s concern is “simply the traffic, and what that might look like.”
There’s widespread opinion on how much congestion the new district would generate, and the DOT is trying to determine a range, she said.
“That analysis is to be done in
the very near future. The purpose of the petition is to hold in abeyance any further comprehensive plan review until we get that analysis.”
Karl Sanders, a lawyer with Jones Foster Johnston & Stubbs, the West Palm Beach firm that represents the town, will represent both the county and town in the petition. The petition will allow the town to participate in a conflict resolution process required by state law when there are intergovernmental disputes, Sanders said.
“I think it’s absolutely essential,” Councilwoman Margaret Zeidman said of the petition.
County Administrator Verdenia Baker said the opposition is not to the project in principle but, rather, to make sure it is carried out in an orderly fashion.
“I am clear that growth is going to occur . ... I have no issue with the vibrant downtown West Palm Beach. I am all for that. It helps with our economy here in Palm Beach County as a whole,” Baker said. “My concern is we have no idea what the impact is going to be and that we need to work together to ensure that, whatever is built in downtown, that we have the appropriate infrastructure in place to handle the impact.”
Staff writer Tony Doris contributed to this story.