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Minutes 01-10-89MINUTES OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP MEETING HELD AT PRIME BANK PLAZA, 211 SOUTE FEDERAL HIGHWAY, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1989 AT 9:05 P. M. RE REVIEW OF COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT PLAN OF THE EXPANDED REDEVELOPMENT AREA FOR CONSISTENCY WITH THE ADOPTED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN (CONTINUATION OF JANUARY 5, 1989 MEETING) PRESENT Robert Walshak, Chairman Harold Blanchette, Vice Chairman Jose' Aguila Gary~,~ehnertz Ma~,i~yn Huckle Da~el Richter N=than Collins, Jr., Alternate (Voting) Hurray Howard, Alternate Carmen Annunziato, Planning Director Jim Golden, Senior City Planner Tambri Heyden, Assistant City Planner Chairman Walshak called the meeting to order at 9:05 P. M. and recalled that at the January 5, 1989 meeting, they had extensive discussion about the East side of Seacrest Boule- vard, between Boynton Beach Boulevard and N. E. 4th Avenue. This property is across from the new City Hall, and this is where they left off. East side of Seacrest Boulevard between N. E. 4th Avenue and N. E. 5th Avenue Chairman Walshak asked if he was correct in assuming that this parcel would have a direct bearing on the parcel on the East side of Seacrest Boulevard, between Boynton Beach Boulevard and N. E. 4th Avenue. Mr. Annunziato replied that the two~ are related, and he advised that they would not want to put~a higher density residential development north of Area 7, unless Area 7 is Commercial. If Map letter B goes to Local Commercial, Chairman Walshak questioned whether this property would lend itself to High Density Residential rather than Medium Density. Mr. Annunziato answered affirma- tively. In their analysis and the information they received from the public, it was evident to the Consultants that there was a need for some additional low to moderate income rental housing. This was supported by the residents who responded to their questions. Mr. Annunzia~© said it was incumbent upon the Consultants to find a location that was best suited to provide for that land use.~?~here Were two components to that: (1) Buffers and what it i,~'related to generally on site. (2) What would have a minimal impact in terms of removing existing structures on MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 site. Apparently, the existing homes in this area are among those that need to be redeveloped. By putting this property in a High Density Residential category and providing apart- ments, Mr. Annunziato advised that the Board would end up satisfying two needs: (1) The need for housing, and (2) removing substandard housing. For the above request, Mr. Annunziato said the proposed Land Use category is followed by an asterik. The connotation is that only happens if all of the land is brought into one ownership. In other words, you could not have piecemeal development of the commercial parcel, with a store here and a shop there. It would be contingent upon all of that property being brought into unified control and then developed. Mr. Annunziato confirmed Chairman Walshak's statement that this held true for Boynton Beach Boulevard. Housing Mr. Collins questioned whether Mr. Annunziato was saying there is no substandard housing in that area right now. Mr. Annunziato replied that there is some, which was one of the reasons that particular block was chosen. In terms of the apartment complexes proposed and substandard housing in the area where he lives, Mr. Collins asked how much of an impact would be eliminated and provided for in this particu- lar area~ He inquired whether it would just be for that particular area in terms of substandard housing. Mr. Annunziato asked if the question was who would occupy those apartments. Mr. Collins replied that was correct. Mr. Annunziato thought that first and foremost, those persons who would have first choice of the apartments would be those people who have been displaced, but the apartments will be to satisfy the needs that were expressed in Boynton Beach. They will be available as part of the program to eliminate substandard housing. Chairman Walshak asked how the plan addresses the displaced persons in the interim period between demolition and on site completion. Mr. Annunziato replied that the more specific elements of the report that related to housing were primarily by Johnnetta Broomfield, Director of Community Improvement. The Planning Department looked at it in respect to Land Use changes. He did not think he could give justice to a ques- tion like that. Chairman Walshak said those were the kinds of specific questions that were being asked, and he felt the plan should address them. Mr. Annunz~ato was not saying that the plan does not address them. - 2 - MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 Chairman Walshak again asked the question, and Mr. Annunziato answered that there are laws that provide for people when they are displaced and their homes are torn down. Money has to be paid. Mr. Annunziato suspected the City would have to be involved in that. Vice Chairman Blanchette questioned whether a Housing Authority would be taking over. Mr. Annunziato did not know that a decision had been made. Those kinds of details are programmatic in the plan. There will have to be very detailed programs, and Mr. Annunziato elaborated. He was sure that kind of detail had been explored at this point, and he added that it was beyond the scope of this program. Mr. Collins believed if they had a meeting and invited the public, that would be a concern that would be posed by the public. At that particular time, someone should be able to address that, because if no one is in a position to address it, people will feel the City is doing something they are not able to tie into. Chairman Walshak referred to the recent situation in Delray Beach. He thought any intelligent plan should address a specific question like this. Chairman Walshak also felt they would have to address the morality of it. He thought that was the basis for making the land changes. Page VII-7 On this page, Mr. Annunziato said there is a section on relocation and the implementation. Vice Chairman Blanchette thought people would be more interested in that than the rest of the book. Chairman Walshak felt it would have a direct bearing on the Board's decision on the consistency between the two plans. Page VII-8 Mr. Annunziato read from VII-8, "The CRA should develop and adopt a Relocation Policy and Procedures Guideline which describes the type and amount of financial and other assistance available to those persons who will be displaced." Mr. Annunziato informed Chairman Walshak that in this busi- ness, the programs follow the plans. The programs are the implementation of the plans. Mr. Annunziato said there will not be that much dislocation. They were not talking about neighborhoods but about four or five houses here and a sub- standard home somewhere else. They were not talking about - 3 - MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 clearing neighborhoods, and this was not of the scale that Delray Beach went through. Vice Chairman Blanchette remarked that they were still talking about 100 or 200 people. Chairman Walshak imagined there were quite a few residences on N. E. 4th Avenue and N. E. 5th Street, and he asked Mr. Collins how many people were in that area. Mr. Collins estimated there were about 75 or 85 people in that one block area. Chairman Walshak asked what "CDBG" funds mean. Mr. Annunziato answered, "Community Development Block Grant." Chairman Walshak noted that it indicated that CDBG funds and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) would be the basis for the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) paying for the reloca- tion. He questioned whether there were any facts or figures as to how many CDBG funds were available, because there are no TIF funds available immediately. Mr. Annunziato apprised the Members that a pool of money comes into Palm Beach County that is allocated in part to thos'e municipalities that have pledged to the Urban County Fund. Some of the total amount of that money is set aside in programs that CD operates, such as demolition, rehabili- tation, relocation, and economic opportunity. Mr. Annunziato did not know that they could say that the City was going to get "X" number of dQllars. What has happened is that those municipalities that have been in the position to use the money have had an opportunity to have the dollars available, especially through rehab. Mr. Annunziato said the City has had the program working where people want their homes rehabilitated. The money is there. The problem is getting people interested in doing the rehab. Chairman Walshak thought it would be nice to know how much money the City woul~ have for the process of relocation. Mr. Aguila asked if it was a process that is very long and ongoing. Just because they have the funds today, it does not mean they will have them in a year, or vice versa. Chairman Walshak did not know, and that was why he wanted to see some facts and figures. Mr. Annunziato did not think they could predict with any degree of assurance. Chairman Walshak responded that they better be able to predict and predict fairly accurately if they are displacing people. Mr. Annunziato assured h~m that it would not be done unless there was a package to make it work totally. - 4 - MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 East side of Seacrest Boulevard between N. E. 4th Avenue and N. E. 5th Avenue (Continued) Chairman Walshak asked if everybody was satisfied with this particular land use change. Mr. Lehnertz drove around the area, and he had the feeling that changing the area from Medium Density Residential to High Density Residential would fit in well with the character of the City. He thought it would be beneficial to the residents of the area. There is a lot of housing there that he did not feel people should be forced to live in. Mr. Lehnertz felt a plan like this might go towards alleviating that situation. Although he under- stood Chairman Walshak's concerns, Mr. Lehnertz felt they should have a plan in effect before trying to implement that. If they approved this plan now, they could not approve any implementation until it sati~sfied all of their concerns. After reiterating prior statements, Mr. Lehnertz stated that he felt this should be approved. Chairman Walshak thought they all agreed that the relocations needed to be revamped. I~e repeated his concerns about money and sai~ he was supposed to base a decision on a Land Use change. Chairman Walshak was leary about doing that. He questioned whether you could change it back, once you change it and find you do not have a viable situation later on. Mr. Lehnertz replied that a change in the Land Use Plan would not necessitate an immediate change in zoning or what exists in a neighborhood. If they change the Land Use Plan, they would still have to have an implementation before the Board, and the Board would s~ill have to approve the imple- mentation. He repeated prior statements. Chairman Walshak explained that for example, if they recommend that the Land Use for Boynton Beach Boulevard be changed from Medium Density Residential to Local Commercial, and if the City Commission goes along with the Board, the property will now be Commercial. If the City does not have the money to implement the p~ograms, what will they do if someone gives them an alternative. He asked if they would change it back to Medium Dens~ity Residential. Mr. Aguila asked if Mr. Annu~ziato was saying in Map letter C that one person would have 'to own or have control of that whole area between 4th and 5t~ before any plan can be imple- mented that will make that change from Medium Density to High Density. Mr. Annunziato confirmed that was right, and he added that the City would not automatically change the zoning of the property. The zoning would have to be applied MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 for. Mr. Aguila stated that the Land Use would change if the Board agreed with this, but the zoning would not necessarily change unless one person had control. He wanted to know the reason for that. Mr. Annunziato answered that the reason was so that you do not get piecemeal development of the site. For example, if the site was four or five acres in size, you would not want somebody who had 20,000 square feet to build an apartment house and make it more expensive to purchase the facility, when your total goal is maybe to build 100 homes. If they were to agree to this, Mr. Aguila asked what would stop anyone from doing work in any of the pieces of property that are consistent with R-2 but not necessarily with R-3. Mr. Annunziato answered that they could not prevent someone from utilizing his land. If there was a vacant lot and some- one wanted to build a single family home, he would be issued a permit. Mr. Aguila was seeing something like that happen- ing, and all of a sudden the whole area would be owned or controlled by one person. Mr. Annunziato agreed that the person could very well lose that ability with this, but that chance is always there. The consensus of the Board was that they were satisfied with this. Proposed Mini Park Site at N. E. 6th Avenue and N. E. 1st Street (Map Letter D) From Medium Density Residential to Recreation Chairman Walshak observed that this would tie into the above pieces of property that the Board had discussed. Mr. Annunziato told the Members that the Planning Staff had a lot of difficulty defining a neighborhood recreation package that was consistent for every neighborhood in the City. The new Planning Act requires that they set a level of service for neighborhood parks and facilities. He explained how they looked at it and said they found they could not have a level of service east of 1-95 equal to those areas west of 1-95 because (1) they were developed a long time ago; (2) they were developed without the benefit of the current sub- division regulations that require recreation and parks dedi- cation, and (3) the facilities were not available. Mr. Annunziato said they divided the City up into 20 func- tional neighborhoods for recreation and parks purposes. This recommendation was consistent with the Recreation and - 6 - MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 Open Space findings that a neighborhood park be located in this area. Mr. Annunziato explained to Vice Chairman Blanchette that when they divided the City up, they used things like high- ways, impassable canals, and walking distances as boundaries and determining factors as to where neighborhood parks should be. There was discussion about neighborhood parks in the City. In many places, Mr. Annunziato said there is no land to buy for a neighborhood park, so levels of service vary by a neighborhood. Everyone on the Board was satisfied with this. Three Lots on the East Sids of N. E. 3rd Street, North of N. E. 9th Avenue (Map Letter E) from Local Retail Commercial to Medium Density Residential Mr. Annunziato apprised the Members that one of the things that was looked for by the Consultants and the City was areas where there was an opportunity to have more single family homes (new construction). He recollected that this land is vacant and said there are more vacant lots west of where Map Letter E was shown. The intent was to create areas where more than one or two homes could be built. What is recommended is to put the land back into a residential category, provide for four or five home sites on the north side of 9th Avenue, where you can build more than one house at a time. Mr. Annunziato agreed with Chairman Walshak that some of this would fit into relocation and that relocation facili- ties could be put here. He thought that could be one of the program conclusions. There was discussion about the lots and location. Chairman Walshak asked what is considered Medium Density. Mr. Annunziato answered that it would be R-l, and he added that the density category provides for a maximum number of units. The zoning in that area is R-1. Chairman Walshak thouqht they had to be more specific in making the changes. There was discussion about land uses and zoning. Mr. Collins inquired whether this was the only parcel in that particular area that could possibly be purchased and which could be changed to Medium Density Residential. Mr. Annunziato replied that there is another possible change to Residential in Area 2, just south of Map Letter G. MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOTflqTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 Mr. Annunziato informed the Members that there is a proposal to purchase the homes along the north and south sides of 13th Avenue in close proximity to Seacrest and do a housing program there (establish new single family homes) in close proximity to Poinciana Elementary School. After comments among Members about the area, Mr. Annunziato said that was what the Consultants considered to be the ideal project. If the City was going to do a demonstration project, that was the ideal location. (1) It eliminated a problem by tearing down those apartments, which are a constant source of problems to residents in the area. (2) Half of the property backs up to the canal, so there is a built in amenity. (3) An elementary school is across the street, (4) A lot of churches are in the area. (5) There is the potential for a Lanehart Subdivision park further east from that location where the vacant property exists just west of the railroad tracks along the canal. There were further comments about the canal, open space, and the school. Mr. Annunziato told the Members there is a recommendation In the Redevelopment Plan to have the School Board square off its property. There is a bottleneck there as they cross the street, and if the City supports the School Board, the Planning Department thinks there is an opportunity for them to expand the lands which serve Poinciana Elementary. Mr. Annunziato was told that if they do not expand the school, the school will relocate. That would be a big blow to that area, and he stressed that they could not let that happen. Mr. Annunziato described the area. Mr. Richter noted it was the bold statement the City was looking for. The Members were satisfied with this. Lanehart Subdivision Mr. Annunziato showed the area and stated that going back to the adoption of the 1979 Comprehensive Plan, there was a recommendation to create a park on the vacant lots adjacent to the north side of 13th Avenue, west of the railroad tracks, and incorporate them with the canal right-of-way to create a five acre neighborhood park. This continued that recommendation. Entities for Redevelopment Mr. Aguila asked if the single control entities could be private developers. Mr. Annunziato replied that all kinds - 8 - MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 of entities could do the redevelopment, and he wished Ms. Broomfield was present because she would know more about it. He continued that there are joint, public, and private corporations. There are different tax categories for private developers who do this kind of work and a lot of oppor- tunities for people to get involved in redevelopment, plus building homes. The intent is to bring a standard product in at no profit. In response to questions posed by Mr. Aguila, Mr. Annunziato informed him that meetings have been held, and the plans have been discussed. The list was generated with people knowing about it, and community leaders were involved. It was Mr. Aguila's impression that some of the people most closely affected did not know or understand what this was all about. Mr. Annunziato responded that there is always a problem with getting people involved, and he reminded him of the public workshop meeting that was conducted last Thursday (January 5, 1989). Mr. Collins thought it was held at at bad time, and he thought they would have had more people especially from his neighorhood, if the time had been changed. Mr. Annunziato understood that but advised that these were meetings where hand notices were passed out. The meetings really do not generate a lot of activity. Mr. Collins thought with the hot issue of the Delray Beach situation in his community, a cross section of the people will be getting involved, providing meetings will be at a good time. People will complain one way or another, but Mr. Collins thought the more input they had, the better they would be able to sell that to a larger group of people. Mr. Annunziato agreed. Mr. Collins thought the recommendation was "right on key." Boynton Canal Right-of-Way Mr. Annunziato stated that the recommendation was to make better utilization of the Boynton Canal right-of-way. They have a resource north of N. E. 13th Avenue that has never been utilized the way it could be. The right-of-way is fairly extensive there, and there is the opportunity to open it up as a linear park along the canal. Mr. Annunziato informed Mr. Aguila that South Florida Water Management District (SFWI~D) owns the right-of-way. Mr. Annunziato explained that SFWMD has programs for using the right-of-way, and he told Vice Chairman Blanchette that MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 it is always available for spoils. Vice Chairman Blanchette recalled that the SFWMD used the south side for spoils in the past between Seacrest and the highway. It is a deep canal and they may never need it again. If it was sodded, Vice Chairman Blanchette advised that it would never erode again. EVeryone on the Board agreed with this. Wilson Park Expansion - Medium DensitY Residential to Recreation On the east side of Wilson Park, Mr. Annunziato said there are some homes which are almost surrounded by the park. The intent is to incorporate them into the park. The home- owners will be paid for thelir property, and they will probably like to sell. Mr. Annunziato informed Vice Chair- man Blanchette that the pool is still operable. Seven or eight years ago, all of the mechanical, plumbing, and gutter system were built. Chairman Walshak asked if all of these recreational facili- ties would be allowed under the present regulations. Mr. Annunziato replied that it was arguable. Chairman Walshak asked whether they thought about doing any of these with or without a Community Redevelopment Plan. Mr. Annunziato answered, "Sure, but if there is a plan, you are able to utilize Tax Increment Financing (TIF) to do some of the work." He added that maybe they could use the County's tax to buy the houses and expand the park, as opposed to the City's tax. That was the beauty of the TIF. There were further comments. The Members agreed with this. Poinciana Elementary School Expansion - Map Letter I Low and Medium Density Residential to Public and Private Governmental Institutional This is what Mr. Annunziato referred to earlier. Right now, Poinciana Elementary traverses 12th Avenue through a lot, and then it reaches another part of the elementary school. The School Board concluded that they do not have enough land to continue to operate Poinciana Elementary as a viable school and to give it the kinds of programs they like to run. The City has had preliminary discussions with the School Board staff about expanding the land area around the school. Mr. Annunziato did not think the School Board would - 10 - MINUTES PLANNING & ZONING BOARD BOYI~TON BEACH, FLORIDA WORKSHOP JANUARY 10, 1989 do that unless the City supported the action. If it is expanded, it would more or less ensure the continued vitality of Poinciana, and it would allow the City to utilize the expanded school grounds in the City's school park program. It would open up another open space that would be available to the neighborhood. Mr. Collins asked how it would affect the roads in the area, as Poinciana is almost disected in half. Mr. Annunziato answered that the roads would disappear. Chairman Walshak asked which way the expansion would go, and Mr. Annunziato answered, "South, east and west." It was not planned to go north. Going south would relate to where the school is now. Mr. Collins asked how many blocks they were contemplating to take. Mr. Annunziato replied, "Two blocks," and added that it would go one-half block north of 10th Avenue. Vice Chairman Blanchette asked how many acres are where the old sewer plant is. Mr. Annunziato thought there were about nine. Vice Chairman Blanchette noted that was more acreage than where the school is now. He wondered if the school would need more than nine acres. Mr. Golden informed them that the school would need about twenty acres. There was discussion about where the school would relocate. Mr. Collins said the school would close up and move west, which is the trend. That is the problem the School Board is running into in terms of integration. There was further discussion about the school. Prior statements were repeated. Chairman Walshak asked how many homes would be involved, if the school is expanded. Mr. Annunziato could not tell him. Mr. Collins asked where the people would go that would be displaced. Mr. Annunziato replied that a lot would depend on what their desires would be. They will be paid the market values of their homes, and they may want to relocate out of the City or somewhere else in the City. There was further discussion. Mr. Collins expressed that the City had to get the people involved and make them aware of what is going on. The City has to give them alternatives. The people are just sitting and waiting, and they are all geared up. Mr. Collins stated that it was a good plan. He estimated that six or seven families have been there for the last fifty years. Mr. Collins knew all of the families and said some - 11 MINUTES - PLANNING & ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA JANUARY 10, 1989 old apartments are at the far end, but most of them are vacant. Some apartments owned by a lady he knows are at 10th. They may be talking about one or two families there. After Chairman Walshak explained, he referred to the piece above the school to the canal and stated that it would make sense for that to also become part of the school complex. Mr. Collins thought there might be seven homes on the border line of the canal, and they have been there for a number of years too. Mr. Aguila questioned if there was a reason why the plan did not extend it down to 10th. Mr. Annunziato answered that the school is oriented to the south, and he explained. Chairman Walshak wondered if the the Board could make that recommendation. Mr. Annunziato replied, "Absolutely." Mr. Collins thought it would be a good selling point, as people are seeing schools being taken out of their neighborhood and put into other neighborhoods. Both Chairman Walshak and Mr. Annunziato thought it made sense, and Mr. Annunziato said the Board should make that comment. Regular Meeting - February 14, 1989 There was discussion about meetings. Chairman Walshak was wondering about the sixty days, and he explained. He thought they should make their recommendations on this plan at the regular meeting on February 14, 1989. Mr. Aguila advised that the end of the sixty days would be February 11, 1989, which is a Saturday. Mrs. ~uckle suggested Thursday, February 2nd at 7:30 P. M. Chairman Walshak asked that a workshop meeting be scheduled for that date. Mr. Annunziato recommended that it be a Special Meeting, so the Board could take action. He asked if anyone wished to start the meeting earlier. There was no response. It was decided that they would meet at 7:30 P. M. unless the Members heard something different. Mr. Annunziato stated that he would send out an agenda. ADJOURNMENT The meeting properly adjourned at 10:20 P. M. Patricia Ramseyer f / Recording Secretary~ (Two Tapes) - 12