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As the Vice Mayor, Scott Maxwell, indicated at the Swearing In Ceremony, he wants the heights of our buildings to be in-line with the Charter. This means that the entire look of our City could change. Next, we will start to look like Fort Lauderdale. This, again, was NEVER the vision for our city by the vast majority of people who responded to the Master Plan.
Keeping our small town charm is important to keeping our identity. It is just as important to me as retaining our history, our library, our historic buildings and not further commercializing our beach park.
From the Planning & Zoning Board...a member writes:
Commercial:
As the Vice Mayor, Scott Maxwell, indicated at the Swearing In Ceremony, he wants the heights of our buildings to be in-line with the Charter. This means that the entire look of our City could change. Next, we will start to look like Fort Lauderdale. This, again, was NEVER the vision for our city by the vast majority of people who responded to the Master Plan.
Keeping our small town charm is important to keeping our identity. It is just as important to me as retaining our history, our library, our historic buildings and not further commercializing our beach park.
From the Planning & Zoning Board...a member writes:
Commercial:
East Dixie is suggested to be 30 feet no higher no public benefit
West Dixie is mirrored to east but deep lots can go to 45 feet with public benefit (note that developers can buy the smaller lots and combine them) This is on Dixie to H street and then H street to G street (to railroad tracks) is set suggested to be 35 feet if not combined.
East side of Lake/Lucerne (Federal to Bridge) ONLY on the blvds 35 feet with public benefit (The rest of the area is suggested not to be touched that it already defines itself)
Downtown is 45 feet on Lake/Lucerne on North and South side it goes down to 35 feet then 30 feet there after.
West of Downtown middle between Lake/Lucerne suggested at 35 feet and south/north sides at 30 feet
All of this must meet setbacks, impervious surface ratio's and landscape requirements in all area's. This basically means investors must contribute to the city as a whole and the P&Z is going to define a specific list of public benefits. It suggested that we DO NOT set up another volunteer board (as I stated that until the City commission takes these boards seriously we do not need to make any new boards - all agreed) but set up either in Trust Accounts OR since the list will be specific, the public benefit will be spent and mandated before a CO is issued.
This also leaves all neighborhoods at 30 feet max no higher
TOD's are up to 45 feet depending on location and if near or in neighborhoods max at 35 feet
POC on Lake Worth Road north and south 45 feet max and interior up to 65 feet based on set backs AND appropriate infrastructure which will limit much of the density.
The issue here is Scott already stated he wants the heights to go back to the Charter (not the Comprehensive Plan) which places East Dixie to 65 feet and West Dixie at 100 feet. If he accomplishes this, we will loose our small town feel. What the P&Z is proposing are steps up to a small degree but not crazy heights. Impact fees need to be online and all developers need to be assessed so that absolutely NO TAX dollars are spent for development-- that the developers not only pay their own way and the impact fees should improve all infrastructure upgrades.
It's all in the hands of the commission to vote it through. With Scott leading the pack, I do not expect him to support this small step up plan. He has always been on the side of development for development sake. The P&Z also agreed on these heights as Market conditions will determine what will and will not happen AND they have language that all new building must compliment neighboring buildings which also puts additional restrictions on development and also ensures a "baby step" height increase for now.
26 comments:
Scott does not want to see lake worth become ft lauderdale
Since he wants buildings to grow to 100 feet, this sure sounds like a big city feel to me. If not Ft. Lauderdale, what about West Palm beach or eventually Miami Beach?
Slow down, Scott. You are like a freight train barreling down on humanity.
Why not change the charter. The same way it was changed before.Do a ballot question, and put it to the voters, then you will know exactly what the voters want. Last time they wanted 65 feet east of Dixie, and 100 feet west. Maybe this time the will want Caras 30 feet.
How bouts changing it to a hundred feet in College Park as they seem to be the ones that want higher buildings.
Lake Worth needs new business in town to survive. Charm and prosperity are not mutually exclusive. Taller buildings need to be allowed in the Park of Commerce. LIKE RIGHT NOW! A plan needs to be made to utilize this area. It is wasting away right now, underplanned, badly planned roads, and a money pit.... Lake Worth residents will continue to enjoy the charm of the historic districts and other parts of the town. I am really sick of people saying we CAN'T have both....and I DON'T live in College Park....I am just a person that sees the writing on the wall if we don't learn to move with the times...
Somehow there are a few that did not get the memo--there are PLENTY of new businesses moving into Lake Worth. Cleaning up the slum and the blight right now should be a top priority so that families will once again move back. This is not Maxwell's number #1 priority anymore. All of a sudden it was replaced by economic development.
I agree with the Park of Commerce. Heights need to be changed to 100' there. However, we don't have the money to develop that area. It will be many, many years before you see anything going on.
An what exactly is "moving with the times?"
And unfortunately there are businesses moving out of Lake Worth.Or more importantly not coming into Lake Worth. You are not suggesting that we could have too many businesses.
Of course not. In the same token, the brunt of our property taxes are paid by residential homeowners, not businesses.
I recently took a trip to Winter Park Florida. It has a beautiful downtown with all the charm you could want. The train tracks run through town and they created a park around the tracks that go through the downtown. Building heights in this small city allowed for condos that were 6 stories and office buidlings that were also 6 stories. We could learn from other small successful citys. There is a way to keep a small town charm and build a business tax base to support the residents of our small town. Our neighborhoods need to be protected and our business districts need to get real and do what every other successful small city is doing to create jobs and get tax revenue.
Not knowing how big Winter Park is or how many people they have, perhaps they could accommodate more growth. We are very dense in this city and we need to consider our natural resources as well. It's not all about tax base. It is about quality of life.
Well Lynn if we keep the quality of life, as you suggest, get ready for many more assessments. But then that will give ou something to BLOG about..
Be more specific if you will. Quality of life is not through assessments. Do something with the UNIONS, Susan. That could be a great start. Stop spending. Stop the law suits. 153? Really? That msut be an ugly rumor.
By the Winter Park has way more room and is spread out a lot more. I agree it is a beautiful place but the have the space to do it in. Lake Worth does not in the Downtown area's. Dixie will thrive as if you read the full article they can go up if the lot dictates the space and setbacks.
Last but not least the POC could go to 100' if the infrastructure was supportive but the vast expense it would take to make that work under the current systems in place in Lake worth would not support that type of building.
I love the discussion on this as it shows one unifying theme that we ALL want to keep our small town charm. Good Direction in my humble opinion.
Winter Park is about the same size as our city with beautiful natural resources. (About 7 square miles with a population of about 28,000.)They are surrounded by lakes with wonderful lake front homes. They are also home to a multi story university. What you don't see is hundreds of illegals walking the streets. What you do see is a mix of structures at different heights that works. The cost of a home in this area is far greater than anything here in our city. They did it right and were never taken over by Cara's gang.
I wish people would stop assuming that any development at all will result in 50 story bldgs.
Expressing serious fear that by allowing height restrictions to change, we may end up looking like WPB, Ft Lauderdale or (seriously?) South Beach is ridiculous.
There IS a happy medium here....
And Winter Park is a beautiful example -
Well, I wish people would read what in heck I write. No one mentioned 50 story buildings, now did they? What was mentioned is what the P&Z has recommended which is in opposition to what Maxwell wants. I can't find too many people that want more Lucernes in our downtown.
And Winter Park is not in the middle of the Orlando Sprawl? I know the area very well and have family there for as long as the place has existed. Yes is very pretty and nice and nicely done but they were not a DENSE as our city was from the start and they had SMART planning from the beginning. Unless your suggesting with level the city and start fresh......
For the other poster yes I think some mix of taller and shorter buildings will work! Absolutely however given the track record of the city and the current CM do you really want to give Carte Blanch (sorry for spelling and yes I know it shows my age)?
I say we do the "baby steps" and work on the living document that is our LDR's as the market dictates....If you get a developer that is going to be completely responsible and help improve the city I think you will see a public that is willing to embrace if its in the right area's.
Anything is possible at this juncture of history for Lake Worth so lets just be smart and a little cautious with it. God Save the Queen! and may God Save our Library!
When you try to compare our Charter Approved building heights to Ft. Lauderdale, 50 stories are what you are referring to. The Lucerne's height was not the issue. It was allowed to be 65 feet tall.
The lowering of the maximum heights was and is idiotic. Publix would not have had to go "retro" with it's "Art Deco" design, and could have had a Mediteranean (sp) feel like much of our city, had it not been for circumventing our Charter with these low heights.
It causes businesses to go elsewhere. Just because you CAN guild to 65 or 100 feet, you still have to go through the hoops that show it fits in.
Just as in the Internal Auditor, if you don't like something in the Charter, then change it. There's a reason we all voted in these heights in the areas and thought it important enough to make it part of our Charter. How dare a group of "I know what's best for our city" types to arbitrarily change the character of our town over the stated wishes of our residents! The people who did this are known to be anti-business. This one act, reducing heights, along with packing boards with anti-business, anti-development people will have long lasting effects on Lake Worth's ability to sustain itself in the future.
The damage is already evident.
Yep all these new businesses moving into town??? How about some of the major ones who left??? I'm not talking start-ups either. Theis, Sewell, L'anjou, Rum Shack, Peacock, Steve Moore just to name a few. Lake Worth should be open for business, just like Maxwell stated.
Your continous shrieking about the city keeping it's "small town charm" while 75% of the city is blighted is hysterical and a tired bunch of pure B.S.
To the anonymous poster above (sounds like by BF from CC) whose entire post I did not post because it was 1) untrue assumptions and 2) a personal attack--
It's not a matter of "where will the land come from" to build high. Once the heights are changed to 100feet and 65 feet, the entire look of our city can and will change in time.
Part of what makes this city unique is the fact that we do have a small town feel, unlike Ft. Lauderdale or some other city that does have tall buildings. That is our drawing power. Do you think people come here for tall buildings?
Those were my points. So, if you want to come over here and be obnoxious, it will not happen. If you want to debate my points on any topic under the sun, feel free.
Businesses come and go because of the economy. A few moved out and many more moved in.
And lastly, post with your REAL name. You don't do that because you don't want to stand up to and for your beliefs?
Wow its amazing that you mention Theis, Sewell, L'anjou, rum Shack, etc....NONE of which had height issues so how about keeping your perspective in focus when naming who left and why.
YES we are open for business and we are welcoming business and we all know that Lake Worth is going to have growth. The Market is dictating that we have the opportunity to bring new businesses to our fair city.
Many companies are watching our POC project right now and tracking our progress. What we need to do is work on making it affordable for the mom and pops through lowering electric costs etc....
Give it time and we will be a great small town with lots to offer. For those worried about 50 story buildings....please no one has ever suggested such a thing and would never happen.
We can have higher heights in the right locations is all that anyone is really saying here and if we all work together we can make our growth happen responsibly.
My perspective WAS on focus. Sorry that I disagree and have a different opinion than do you. AND NO ONE SAID THAT WE WOULD EVER HAVE 50 FOOT TALL BUILDINGS.
It is tough to keep sarcasm in check.
I think those heights are right on. I would like to see 4 stories on Dixie and 6 or more at the Park of Commerce. That would be reasonable. Who will occupy them? If you build, will the people come?
As the economy improves, the people will come. And then this new commission can take all of the credit for the economy improving just as it gave all of the credit for the entire economy going down the drain to the past commission. Can't wait to hear all of that political BS propaganda.
I never implied the height restrictions were the reasons those long established companies left town. In some cases, we bent over backwards for them and they still left.
The sarcasm meant by comparing our citizen voted on Charter amendment to us becoming like Ft Lauderdale, in the first paragraph of this thread, is just as off target as "keeping our small town feel" is in the opposite end of the spectrum.
We have always had building height allowed to 65 feet. The Gulfstream Hotel is not a sky-scraper. We also allowed the Lake Worth Towers, hopefully as an exception. There are also a few dozen buildings which have reasonable heights above 35 feet that do not destroy a sense of small town.
And to your last point, as the economy improves, the people will come.... well they will come first where their potential to succeed is greatest. For a homeowner, that means the most appreciation of his/her investment, good schools and stable government. For businesses, the same thing. Why on earth would they consider Lake Worth over neighboring cities?
I remain anonymous because who says something is sometimes as important as what is said. I would appreciate people considering the content only.
What is the height of the empty building on 2nd Ave. North and Federal that towers over the historic homes that sit behind it. I would never vote for taller buildings because the powers that be could care less about appropriate planning. Why would you allow this particular building on Federal in a single family home neighborhoood? And it was built but remains empty, so what in the hell was the point except to negatively impact a charming neighborhood?
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