Per the ordinance rushed through by this commission on Tuesday night, the one where Commissioner Maier asked that it be work-shopped and the mayor put a plug in her ears--McVoy and Maier didn't even get to vote on it, this hotel property is about to be upzoned. It's no wonder there was such a rush and such annoyance displayed by the Vice mayor and Mayor when Commissioner Maier wanted to ask some questions on the Land Development Regulations--the notice below was already in the hands of the Lake Worth Herald.
Hudson Holdings was smart hiring a commissioner and the chair of the Historic Board (He resigned from that board recently). The majority commission, friends with former commissioner John Szerdi as well as Wes Blackman, both being employees of Hudson Holdings, are interested in the Gulfstream getting this up-zoning. And what are the odds that Historic Resources Preservation board will not allow that zoning change?
What Blackman's boss wants is going from MF-30 medium-density multi-family residential (thirty (30) du/net acre) to DT downtown (forty (40) du/net acre). As everyone knows, the Gulfstream has submitted plans for a 5 story addition which is against the heights Charter Amendment won by the electorate.
The Gulfstream Hotel has had numerous code complaints. There is an open lien (Case Number : 15-00000487) on the property that was filed by the city manager. It's rather astonishing that someone would spend $7,225,000 just 16 months ago and let it go to ruin. Could they be looking at demolishing it?...demolition by neglect in order to circumvent local preservation efforts... or are they simply just asking for more advantageous zoning in order for it to be more valuable to another investor?
27 comments:
Here's what I see when I drive by the hotel. A closed old building that has sat vacant for years. We finally have someone who wants to spend millions to bring it back to life. The building is surrounded by other 6 story buildings so I don't care if they want to add a 5 story addition since it is within the character of the other buildings in the neighborhood directly within eye shot.I can see no reason why our city residents should be incited to attack the owners of this property when they are the only people in years willing to do something with it. What is the point of starting an attack on them. Sure they want to upzone. They need to make this hotel a success. Why don't we let them try and do just that. If this hotel opens the assessed value will add millions to the city's tax base and bring in much needed tax dollars. The hotel will employ many of our citizens and it will encourage tourists to stay in our city. The benefits of the hotel far outweigh any argument that you can make about the height amendment. Finally with all the problems faced by our little city why would anyone make this an issue. It has the potential to really help us. I am taking the position that I am open to whatever the new owners propose and will decide if I support or do not support the new proposal when I have had a chance to see and hear all the facts. Until than I can see no reason to keep insinuating that we need to fear Hudson Holdings. Why not take the opposite approach and work with the new owners to get this project started asap.
Well, John, not surprised with your response. You, along with some others, want to derail the vote.
How do you know that they want to do anything as far as developing this property themselves? Because they bought it?
Should everyone be allowed to go around the vote of the people because they want to?
They can build a 4 story structure and stop playing games.
As far as taxes go, the hotel is in the CRA and historic district. They could pull a "Bob Lepa."
Talk about annoying,,,HH is annoying right along with the city and those who sit on planning boards. How dare you people want to ignore the vote and give developers every damn thing they want. How dare you. All you greedy people should take a flying leap. Would you sell your B&B John and then maybe, just maybe, you can stop compromising our town for out of town developers.
I have absolutely no respect or trust for Hudson Holdings. They have done nothing that they promised they were going to do. NOTHING,but let MORE harm and neglect come to this historic bldg. And yes, sorry, how inconvenient laws can be! Shall we just ignore our laws for every good time Charlie that slithers into Lake Worth promising rainbows and ponies for everyone ?
People, it's called demolition by neglect. Once HH gets whatever they want from the Commissioners,city manager,city attorneys and local growth whores that don't blink twice about breaking the law, they will flip the bldg to a hotel chain. Said hotel chain will then cry and whine that the only thing possible for them to help Lake Worth (which is really all these people want to do,right )is to demolish the bldg.
And won't Commissioner Maxwell and Mayor Triolo and Commissioner Amoroso have stars in their eyes when that happens? Just think of all the shiny NEW possibilities!
Why aren't Willliam Waters and the ITN Committee in jail for tampering with an election?
In the CRA district??? Oh GREAT, another piece of property that the city will never get the taxes from !!!
Too bad they paid too much for the property. I guess they can give John Szerdi a big fat kiss.
Lynn all I am saying is we have a hotel that has been vacant for years. What is the point of attacking these owners at this stage of the process. What is the point of assuming they are out to hurt the city. Why not sit back and see what they come up with before gong on the attack. You might just be giving them what they want. Do any of us really want to see this building stay vacant for another 10 years because they add one more floor. I Under our current law no can build more than 4 stories unless they are in the hotel district (which is a very limited area of the city) and want to build a hotel. Well folks no one but HH is interested. So go ahead and attack them and you just might see the hotel demolished as it can't stand vacant much longer and survive. All I am saying is keep an open mind until you see the whole plan and than decide whether you support it or don't.support it.
The heights amendment needs to be challenged in court and won by the City. This commission pushed in a Hotel District after they nullified our vote. I think we have a problem here, John.
And by the way, no one is attacking the Gulfstream owners. We just don't trust them. That's it in a nutshell. You look at the property every day? Nice, isn't it, as it decays even further with broken windows and the homeless sleeping about.
Commissioner Maxwell came to my house about 2 years ago when I had questioned why the heights amendment was not honored. In a greater than 2 hour diatribe I received no coherent answer to that question. He went on at length about needing more taxes, the great need to get rid of the people "paying no taxes" (I never met one!)which isn't fair to me. And that what we really need is A BIG ANCHOR HOTEL, LIKE A HOLIDAY INN, DOWNTOWN. Yes, sure sounds like another "bait and switch" like renting the vacant space at the beach property. Yep, sounds like Scottie and crew and bowtie are again placing themselves and cronies above the law. Why follow the law, government in the sunshine, when all can be accomplished in the dark very effectively by simply infiltrating select committees with employees of special development interests. Against zoning rules?? No problem--spot zoning upon request to the highest bidder! Remember the ITN audio--where the Mayor's "volunteer" states, "I mean whaaat's wrong with you people...I mean you don't want to be this one lil' house in the middle of all these high rises?" I wonder how many B&Bs are starting to count their profits if they sell one little plot for a high rise?? Anyone remember our "small town charm?" Gone with the wind maybe. But we'll have a bigger tax base, bigger bills, no representation in gov't, no breeze, no afternoon sunshine on the beach, and less green, and lots more concrete and conflicts of interest. Government for hire? Maybe we should place an add for that in the Herald--
Mr Rinaldi makes a lot of sense.
Properties in the CRA district contribute the same amount of taxes to the general fund as they did when the CRA was formed-I believe that was 1989- when the assessed valuation was only a tiny percentage of today's value even before any renovation and construction occur.
The increase in value since then and after any restoration and construction creates taxes that go only to the CRA and not our general fund.
The taxes that would go to the CRA if this hotel is in the CRA district would really help pay off the CRA debt. Once that debt is paid down we can focus on expanding or changing the district. The value in taxes comes from the revenue the hotel will generate by employing our neighbors and bringing tourists to the city who will spend money and possibly want to buy here. It's a win win for our city for this hotel to open and we should do whatever it takes to get that accomplished. If you don't trust the owners of the hotel that's fine but at least give them a chance to get something done before coming to conclusions that they are out to screw the city. If they get approval can they sell the hotel to another buyer? You bet. This is the USA and the owners of private property can sell at any time to whoever they like. That's not the issue. The real issue is do you want to see this hotel opened or kept closed until it gets demolished? Helping HH might just get it opened. Bashing them does no one any good.
We want to see them perform. No one is bashing them.
Telling them to get out of town, calling them greedy, etc.even complaining about free food served to residents at a meeting isn't bashing?
@2:38--you have NO idea what bashing is. Telling the truth is not bashing. No one complained about their food.
And 2:00 above, didn't you even bother to read 1:13 above?
In regards to Mr Rinaldi remarks, coming from New York, where there are many old buildings that are still in use now still serving the community now and in the future.
If High rise buildings are desirable for tax income then how come
cities such as NY,LA,Detroit, etc , are the highest taxed Cities in the Country? Who wants to live where the sun doesn't shine? Then New Yorker's and others, come down her and try to change our way of life.
They havent done anything to the Gulfstream and it has sat there with
homeless people living in it and degrading it, looks like the CM wants it to rot so they can say it has to be demolished just like he wanted to do the Casino. Get Rid of him and find someone who can manage/
I do hope they are successful but need to conform to laws on the books. They knew it when they bought it. Simple as that
One problem--they have friends in high places. As this blog stated, the zoning is being changed to help them out. Aren't we nice?
So well said 7:06! Our problems with representation really took a huge hit when Bornstein came in. He has a very nice demeanor and absolutely deadly effect on our city by the sea. When he is through we may not even be able to afford our taxes here, much less have any say in government. Yes, he presents himself as a bowtie gentleman; but it seems his goal is more like devious and deadly "gentrification." Hike taxes, change laws for whatever developers want, establish an expectation of pay to play behind the scenes, inform the gang of three and Palm Beach Post and LW Herald way before the voters, and coordinate a seamless performance to give the appearance of real government. Then tax out all of us useless trouble makers that expect to have a say in government and have an expectation that laws will apply to all. Nirvana, all the tax money you want in our "small town feel" city curiously inhabited in the future by only wealthy snow birds at their convenience when the weather is bad up north. All the money you want and none of the messy problems usually encountered with taking responsibility for running a city.
That's a pretty brutal assessment, anonymous at 8:22. All I know is that the slum, blight and crime have not been reduced. Until those problems are fixed, the city has no where to go no matter how much they tax or build to the sky.
And just WHY is there a CRA debt to pay off? The ridiculous "let them eat cake" attitude of Jeff Clemens, Shanon Materio and Brendan Lynch, to name a few of the previous wasteful CRA board! Buying homes for triple their market value for a parking lot and the 6th Ave south and 10th ave north takeover of county roads. MILLIONS spent to make these roads a death trap for the residents living near them ! NO accountability as millions in tax payer dollars disappeared. Just how did Jeff Clemens afford to run for the state legislature when he was in foreclosure? A "Sugar Mama", or some other means of funding???? How much money did Shanon Materio take for her business from CRA grants?A stained glass place stays in biz during the worst recession in the countries history? People can't even buy food, but stained glass is selling???? PLEASE !!!
Lets get the facts straight here. Our city takes in far less than it needs to operate each year. Our roads and infrastructure are falling apart. Crime is going up as we are now becoming a sober home location. Lynn says to fix this we need to live within our means. That is a great concept except for the fact that the city has an obligation to provide basic city services and there is no money to do that. Unless we figure out a way to raise our income we face the very real possibility that the city will not be here in the future. So you can scream and yell that a 5 story addition to the hotel will destroy the city, is against the law, is against the will of a few thousand people in a city of over 30,000 people most of whom don't vote and could care less, and talk about your rights but bottom line is you want one thing. You want to keep the city poor so you can afford to live here. Your options in south Florida are limited and this is your only hope. Good luck as you just might cause this city to be taken over by the county and than your power is gone, your city is gone and your voice is limited. On the other hand you could work to find common ground but I doubt it.
Yes, you are correct. We don't have enough revenue. But on the other hand, the city added employees and added expenses to departmental budgets. Now they are taking from Reserves (savngs) to manage it all. They must provide basic services but to get us years in debt to do that is ridiculous. Reduce spending until we can turn this city around. Our public safety cost is $19,817,316 of our total revenues of $31,078,033. Do you not find a problem here? Cut the unnecessary and manage better. Get a better contract with the PBSO and contracts in general. The city has raised most all fees as it is and the commission has made some bad decisions that are more obvious when it comes to votes--parking fees at our beach and not raising elec rates.
To dishonor the heights vote and ignore it all--you might just easily enjoy living somewhere else where your voice doesn't count...maybe Cuba. Our right to vote is the most important right--far more important than some developer who wants to ignore it or some politicians who love development at any cost.
What I said was, until we end the slum and blight that breeds crime, this city doesn't have much of a chance. Building higher doesn't solve that problem. The tax revenue on future development at the Gulfstream is really a win for the CRA.
"Working to find common ground" would be agreeing with you. I say, you need to honor the vote of the people. let's stop catering to Hudson Holdings. They can build 4 stories, no problem..if they even ever int4end to build.
It is hard to have any trust or confidence in HH after all the shennanigans at the Gulfstream and the beach. People are suspicious for good reason, saying lets just wait and see seems silly after witnessing all the backroom dealing on the beach by HH. People should be paying very close attention to what HH is up to, they have demolished historic buildings in Delray and they are certainly only out for their own profit. Assuming they care about our city or anything beyond profit is simply pie in the sky.
I don't assume they are looking to demo the building, but I do assume they are looking for every tax break, tax reduction, historic renovation tax reduction, etc. upzoning, concession, etc. from the city. And sadly the City is so desperate I assume they will get it all.
ITS TIME TO MOVE ON LIKE SO MANY PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT HOUSES HERE AND NOW CANT EVEN GET CLOSE TO WHAT THEY PAID FOR IT----TRAP HERE WITHOUT A EXIT
WORD TO SUM UP WHAT ARE CITY REALLY IS ---DOLLAR STORE EVER GO IN THERE----ITS LIKE HOLLOWEEN EVERYDAY --SCAREY AND THE PEOPLE IN THERE IS WHAT MAJORITY OF CITY PEOPLE LOOK LIKE--RUN DOWN
Post a Comment