Wharf development too tall, council says

Proposal’s 64-foot building rejected but could be resubmitted.

JUPITER — This came down to a fight over height.

After hours of debate, Jupiter council members found a 64-foot Fisherman’s Wharf waterfront development too tall an order in a place where a 40-foot limit normally applies.

“Height is what punches people in the face,” said mayor Todd Woodraska, who said he struggled with the merits before deciding not to approve the plan in its current version.

At least three of the council’s five members expressed concerns,

even if they liked aspects of the project. They made it clear they could not approve the project as submitted, but several said in a council meeting Tuesday evening they might be open to a revised proposal at a lower height.

Councilman Wayne Posner said, “I think it’s a great fit and a beautiful project.”

Project supporters said the design allowed more green space, landscaping and “walkability” on the site on the other side of the Intracoastal Waterway from

Harbourside Place, itself a project where height limits were waived.

“Height is a sensitive issue, we know that,” said Dodi Glas, a partner in Gentile Glas Holloway O’Mahoney & Associates Inc., an architecture and planning firm speaking on behalf of the project.

She called the contemporary design “creative and thoughtful” with three buildings, up to 39 residential units and features includ- ing floor-to-ceiling windows, stone and wood architectural elements, underground parking and buried utility lines.

Two proposed buildings were five stories and one was six stories, with condominiums in the $1 million range. A separate building up to three stories was designed to offer places to live and work and feature more affordable “workforce” housing as inexpensive as $150,000.

But the council’s own staff and planning and zoning officials recommended denial of the plan amid concerns about compliance with exist- ing regulations.

Several residents of nearby neighborhoods expressed support, but others in the town speaking Tuesday voiced opposition.

“How can vari a nces, waivers and special exceptions preserve our quality of life and preserve what is uniquely Jupiter?” said resident Maryann Russo. A trend of allowing higher buildings on new or redeveloped sites, she said, could mean “goodbye Jupiter, hello Boca.”