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Minutes 05-20-86 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP MEETING HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON TUESDAY, MAY 20, 1986 AT 4:00 P. M. PRESENT: Walter "Marty" Trauger Chairman Garry Winter vice chairman simon Ryder George deLong John Pagliarulo Robert Wandelt Marilyn G. Huckle William Schultz, Alternate ABSENT: Norman Gregory, Alternate Carmen Annunziato Planning Director Tim Cannon Senior city Planner Jim Golden Assistant city Planner Chairman Trauger called the meeting to order at 4:07 P.M., and advised that Board member, Robert Wandelt, would be a few minutes late and that an alternate Board member was not needed. Chairman Trauger announced that Tim Cannon who did a remarkable job preparing the books with the Planning Department would initiate the discussions. Tim Cannon stated that this is the first meeting in a series of three workshop meetings and noted that the Board members should have received a letter from the Planning Department last week detailing the schedules for the Workshop meetings and for the PUBLIC HEARINGS. There are going to be three Workshop meetings this week and two PUBLIC HEARINGS to be held by the Planning and zoning Board in June regarding the Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report (E & A Report). In addition, there are going to be three PUBLIC HEARINGS in June regarding specific land use and rezoning applications. Mr. Cannon advised that the E & A Report would go to the City Council at a special hearing on July 2. Assuming that the City Council adopts the E & A Report that night, it would then be transmitted to the Florida Department of · ~MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Community Affairs. At that point, the Florida Department of Community Affairs is entitled to a ninety-day review period, and before the end of that ninety-day review period they would transmit their comments back to the city in regard to the modifications or additions they recommend. Mr. Cannon anticipated that the E & A Report would be adopted sometime in September or October. Mr. Ryder asked if this review is in accordance with the Growth Management Act. Tim Cannon acknowledged that this has turned out to be the E & A Report that is not required. Originally, the city was attempting to complete the E & A Report in 1984-1985 since that would have been the five-year period specified by the State. With the adoption of the 1985 Growth Management Legislation, the City must adopt an entirely new Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report by 1988. Mr. Cannon stated the Planning Department decided to complete it since the city was so far along with it. Mr. Cannon disclosed that the Comprehensive Plan will have to be rewritten in its entirety by 1988 which includes a number of requirements above and beyond what the E & A Report covers. Mr. Cannon stated that the State would require the city to rewrite the Comprehensive Plan con- sistent with this E & A Report within one year from the adoption of the E & A Report. Mr. Cannon stated that as far as the format for the workshop and PUBLIC HEARINGS, the Board would follow the format used for the zoning and ordinance amendments for which a Workshop was recently held. He would make note of the suggestions that the Planning and zoning Board offers and would type a list of those suggestions and at the time of the PUBLIC HEARING, the Planning and zoning Board could then vote on each of those specific suggestions. Mr. Cannon suggested this as a format and asked if the Board members wanted to vote on proposed changes at the workshops. Mr. Ryder noted that ordinarily voting would not be done at a Workshop meeting. Mr. deLong remarked that it would defeat the purpose of having PUBLIC HEARINGS in order to get input so that the Board could decide on how to vote on a specific issue. -2- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon pointed out that if that was the Board's sen- timents, the Board members could vote on specific issues at the PUBLIC HEARING. This was agreeable with the members. Mr. Ryder recounted that at a Council meeting he attended a request was made to farm this job out, and the Council decided to do it in-house, and he felt they did a monumen- tal job. Mr. Cannon apprised the members that he would be working with the Technical Report Manual which is the actual E & A Report (green book). He noted that the red book is the sum- mary report and is not the actual E & A Report. Each of these books was submitted to the Board members at the Workshop meeting. In response to Mr. deLong's inquiry, Mr. Cannon responded that the Workshop meeting would review the Growth and Change Section, Housing Section, and Conservation and Coastal Zone Section. He apprised the members that the first section for review, Growth and Change, would be referenced on Page 6 in the Technical Report Manual. BASIS FOR GROWTH AND CHANGE Mr. Cannon reported that population projections were made out to the year 2000 and build out was anticipated to be the year 2010. He stated if the city follows the recommen- dations of the Planning Department for annexation out to Lawrence Road, the City of Boynton Beach will possibly have a population of 80,000 people. The city has been permitting on the average of 700-800 dwellings per year for the past three years. This year the number of dwelling units may be significantly above that figure. It is believed that this is an overall trend for the next twenty years, and 700-800 dwelling units per year could be anticipated. Mr. Cannon stated this would give the City a population of 66,000 by the year 2000 and a build-up population of 80,000. Mr. Cannon noted that on Page 7 there is a breakdown as of 1983, as to what phase of development the various dwelling units would be in - whether they would be unzoned or unplatted acreage, master plan approved, etc. -3- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon directed the members' attention to Page 8 where it was indicated the total population was 76,850 to 82,000 which is a varying range depending on how aggressive the City is in annexing properties out to Lawrence Road. He stated the 82,000 figure is the population achieved if the City was to annex all of the large undeveloped parcels out to Lawrence Road including the Sunny South Estates which is anticipated to be redeveloped from a Mobile Home Park to permanent housing. Obviously, there are some developments in that area which the City could not annex. For example, it would be very difficult to annex the entire Boynton West subdivision since it is already subdivided and built up. Continuing on Page 8, Population Characteristics, Mr. Cannon summarized what happened in the past ten years and what is anticipated to occur in the next ten years. The population of Boynton Beach has gotten older since 1970 and the average household size has gone down. It is believed that with the new commercial and industrial developments coming into the City, the trend will reverse. He stated that there are no new retirement communities being built, and there are not going to be anymore -Leisurevilles" or "Hunters Run" in Boynton Beach. It is believed that a majority of the housing to be built on Congress Avenue will be young middle- aged residents, the medium age will begin to drop, and the average household size will increase in size in Boynton Beach. In regard to the ethnic composition of the population, the entire area north of Boynton Beach Boulevard continues to become a predominantly black neighborhood with some Hispanic residents. The number of blacks in the City has doubled in the past ten years, and the number of Hispanics has increased threefold from about 500 in 1970 to 1500 in 1980. Mr. Cannon believed that the educational attainment will rise as more white-collar workers move into the City. It is anticipated the average income in the City will con- tinue to rise compared to the rest of Palm Beach County. At present, the average income is slightly below the County. In the next ten years, it is anticipated the City of Boynton Beach will probably catch up or at least match the County- wide medium income. Up to this point, the city of Boynton -4- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Beach has been a somewhat blue-collar worker City, with lower medium income, and lower educational attainment com- pared to the rest of the County. It is believed that within the next ten years, the number of blue-collar workers in Boynton Beach will become less, educational attainment will be higher, and the medium income will increase. Mr. Cannon directed the members' attention to a map on Page 10A and a diagram on Page 10B, which summarized the con- dition of neighborhoods. What was determined, through the use of various socio-economic indicators on Page 10B, was probably what one would intuitively know about Boynton Beach - that the area north of Boynton Beach, Census Tracks 56 and 57, have declined somewhat since 1970. However, what surprised Mr. Cannon was that there has been substantial improvement in Census Track 61, located between Boynton Beach Boulevard and the Boynton Canal, which traditionally has been considered the poorest area. It seems that poverty-level households, overcrowding, substandard housing, all of those socio-economic indicators, have improved in the very worst area of the city. Mr. Cannon noted this may be partly due to the actions of the Code Enforcement Department and to the influx of monies through Palm Beach County Community Development. Mr. Cannon concurred with Mr. deLong's statement that it still remains the area with the most problems. However, he reiterated that it has improved significantly since the 1970 census. Mr. Cannon concluded that this Section is basically the introduction to the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. deLong questioned the direction in which the City is going. He commented that you can get more than a "gut" feeling when you see Congress develop and hear discussions about younger families moving in. He suggested looking at some different needs the City might have in the future as compared to what existed heretofore. Mr. deLong asked Mr. Cannon if he was basing his prospectives on anything statistical - was it based on permits issued, on recent cen- sus information, or was it a "gut" feeling. Mr. Cannon advised the Planning Department would not have concrete facts until the 1990 Census. The City itself does not undertake any type of socio-economic research. However, -5- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon disclosed that presently the majority of the housing being built on Congress Avenue is either rental apartments or small zero lot-line houses with two or three bedrooms. Based on Mr. Cannon's observation, he believed these dwelling units are being occupied by mostly young people or young families. Referencing the Section on Housing Organization on Page 9, second sentence from the bottom, Mr. Annunziato interjected that the number of female heads of household are statist- cally correct with ramifications in terms of jobs, child care, and group housing. Mr. deLong commented that this item emphasizes the necessity of permitting day care facilities in any zoning, which he believed was a good idea. Mr. Cannon noted that the Housing Element is the largest Section of the E & A Report because there is a great deal of accounting to perform with respect to the policies foreseen in the original Comprehensive Plan. This is probably the only element where there has been a concerted broad-ranged effort to address a specific problem or series of problems in the city. Mr. Cannon apprised the members that he had listed the goals and objectives at the beginning of each element and made suggestions for the changing of those goals and objectives where appropriate. He stated that the goals and objectives are so broad that it was impossible to evaluate their performance. Mr. Cannon believed that these are philosophi- cal guidelines for specific action on the part of the City. In the case of the Housing Element, Mr. Cannon did not fore- see any need in changing those goals or objectives. However, if the Board decided new directions should be undertaken in growth management, Mr. Cannon believed this calls for a new goal or objective or a modification to those statements. -6- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTONBEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 On the bottom of Page 11 under the Summary of Housing Conditions and Trends, Chairman Trauger referred to the state- ment that a number of overcrowded dwellings in the City have increased slightly from 620 in 1970, to 770 in 1980, and he questioned what constitutes the overcrowding. Mr. Cannon responded that the U. S. Census defines overcrowded housing as housing where there is more than 1.01 persons per room. He stated if there were four people in a house with three rooms it would be considered overcrowded. Therefore, three persons in a house with three rooms is not considered overcrowded. In response to Mr. deLong's inquiry, Mr. Cannon stated that this determination has nothing to do with the size of the rooms. Referring to the goals and objectives in the Housing Element Section, Mrs. Huckle questioned the issue on upgrading zoning and if it could be incorporated as a goal in the Housing Element in an effort to make the density in residential areas less intense or if it conformed to those particular elements as a goal. Mr. Cannon believed Mrs. Huckle was referring to the recom- mendation which was made in the land-use element in the single-family neighborhoods in the City wherein the density on the land-use plan should be reduced to reflect the den- sity, which is actually there, which is about 4.8 dwellings per acre. Mr. Cannon stated this should be addressed when considering the land-use element. Mr. deLong commented that some of the recommendations moved for increasing density. He could not foresee where density was relative to the issue of overcrowding. He assumed that the discussion was concerning a unit that is overcrowded and not the density in terms of acreage, or how many houses can be built on a lot or an acre. Referencing the goals and objectives, Mrs. Huckle thought the Board might want to add or define other goals. She stated that a goal is a broad statement, and it would be an excellent goal in the City to reduce density overall for residential areas. -7- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. deLong agreed that it would be an excellent goal, espe- cially in view of the fact that every member of the Board is aware there are very little low density areas. When viewing housing in Boynton Beach, Mr. deLong commented that it is very stereotype and there are no areas such as R1AA where you have two houses per acre, one to an acre, or one to two acres. Mr. deLong was uncertain if Boynton Beach had the amount of land needed for that zoning and commented that he was not addressing the affordable housing and agreed with Mrs. Huckle that the City should have areas of less density than the normal type of density which is seen in Boynton Beach when looking for a home. Mr. Cannon advised that on Page 11 there is a policy pro- viding adequate range of housing choices. In evaluating rezoning, the policy has been ideally used for the purpose that there should be areas in the City that can accommodate each type of housing from large lots, large single-family detached housing, down to subsidized apartments. When the study is completed, Mr. deLong commented that he would be interested in knowing the percentage of overall acreage, proportionate percentages in areas, the amount of acreage in the City where only one house can be built to the acre, compared to how many there are with a density of 7.6 to the acre. Mr. deLong noted that most lots are 70 by 100 or 60 by 100. city Manager Cheney advised that R1AAA has the lowest den- sity factor and the City has relatively little of that type zoning. He noted that a few R1AAA zones were located on Seacrest Boulevard and around Hunters Run. Mr. Cheney noted that although Hunters Run was not exclusively single-family homes, the density there would be low. Mr. Annunziato advised it depends on the number to be built out. If they have approval for 4000 units, it appears that they wind up with about 2100 units. You spread those 2100 units across approximately 1000 acres and you have 2.1 more or less. -8- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon noted that there is a breakdown on Page 99, under Land Use Element, concerning zoned acreage according to low, modern, medium, and high density residential. He believed what the Board might be looking for is a more detailed breakdown than what was provided. He confirmed the requested data was not in the report, and the report does not go into great detail, but Mr. Cannon could obtain the requested information for the Board members. HOUSING ELEMENT Mr. Cannon apprised the members that he was skipping to Page 19, Housing Elements. In order to save time, Mr. Cannon noted that he was skipping over the Sections dealing with Housing Supply and Demand unless there were specific questions that the Board members had in regard to this issue. Mr. Cannon believed the housing market took care of itself except on the low end, that is, where rehabilitation assistance or subsidized or public housing were needed. He stated it was not necessary for the Board to go into great detail on the Housing Supply and Demand issue and the Workshop should be focusing on more specific problems with regard to housing deterioration and neighborhood con- ditions. On Page 19, Mr. Cannon noted there was an update of the housing problem synthesis which broke housing problems into three major areas - overcrowding, overpayment, and deterioration. The overall percentage of overcrowded dwelling units has decreased from 8.2% to 4.3% between 1970 and 1980. However, since 1980 the number of overcrowded dwellings units has increased slightly from 620 to 770. Considering the amount of growth in the City and the problem the City has with overcrowding, this has become substantially less. As far as eliminating overcrowding, this issue is difficult to address, since you cannot regu- late the size of a family compared to the size of the house they live in. Mr. Cannon advised when there is overcrowded housing this is a general indicator of an overall decline in the neighborhood. Since there was a decline of almost half a percentage not withstanding an increase in the number of overcrowded units, Mr. deLong questioned if the City was heading in the right direction to correct this problem. -9- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon stated that it is a problem that is decreasing in Boynton Beach and believed that part of the decrease may be due to the fact that a few of the older dwellings, the unsound dwellings in the neighborhood strategy area, have been demolished. He reported that a number of dwellings in that area have been rehabilitated and a number of four-plex dwellings have been reduced to duplex units. There is no way the City can directly control the number of people in a family nor the size of the house they live in. This is more or less an indicator rather than something the city can directly influence. Overpayment~ Mr. Cannon directed the members' attention to the next issue on overpayments and asked them to look at the figures for overpayments. In the 1970's, the overall value of housing increased by 223% and the medium income increased by 84%. Mr. Cannon stated that overpayment is not something that can be influenced directly. However, it is an important indicator of neighborhood conditions because people who are overpaying generally are under a personal financial hardship and cannot afford to maintain their houses. Additionally, people who are paying forty to fifty percent of their income for housing probably cannot afford to pay for housing repairs and maintaining their yards. Mr. deLong questioned if this problem is getting worse in the City and if there is a need for more afffordable housing and housing assistance. Mr. Cannon stated there is a definite need for housing assistance in Boynton Beach and there are several paragraphs in the Section that deal specifically with assisted housing. This will be discussed in greater detail in regard to Community Development's pro- posals for assisted housing. Deterioration Mr. Cannon noted deterioration is an issue the city can influence more directly. He stated that the city, in con- junction with the efforts of Community Development, can address problems of deterioration more than problems of overcrowding or overpayment. Mr. Cannon pointed out certain figures which indicate the decrease in the number of deteriorated dwelling units. -10- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 In 1977, the Planning Board determined there were approxima- tely 300 deteriorated dwellings in the City. In 1984, according to the count that the Building Department main- tains, there were 145 dwelling units which needed to be rehabilitated and 47 dwelling units which needed to be demo- lished. Recently, Community Development completed a survey of the area between Boynton Beach Boulevard and the Boynton Canal and determined there were 227 deteriorated or delapi- dated units. There are probably another 100 delapidated units north of the Boynton Canal, but the city is still looking at approximately 350 deteriorated dwellings in the City. Later on in the Housing Element, Mr. Cannon stated he would discuss in more detail what Community Development has done to rehabilitate housing and what Community Development should be doing to correct this problem. Housing Assistance Mr. Cannon advised the members that he would be skipping over the Section on Housing Demand and going directly to Page 24 where specific needs of low and moderate income families are discussed. He stated that the number of house- holds that require housing assistance is equal to the number of households below poverty level which was about 1400 in 1980. Mr. Cannon pointed out that as the members read through the Section on Needs for Low and Moderate Income Families, it will become apparent there is nowhere near 1400 public housing units in the City. Palm Beach County Housing Authority is currently providing rental assistance to 260 families and this is the extent of rental assistance in Boynton Beach. There are 170 families certified for ren- tal assistance and a larger number of families waiting to obtain rental assistance, but the Housing Authority is no longer accepting applications. Mr. Cannon stated this indi- cates the extent of the "crunch" on the low end of the housing market which is simply a gap that is not being met. Mr. deLong commented that this problem will inevitably wor- sen because of the Graham Rudman Act and the Federal withdrawal of funds for this purpose and asked what was the eventual solution. Mr. Cannon advised that Palm Beach County Community Development is currently drafting a report in which they will make specific recommendations for providing -11- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 rental and rehabilitation assistance in Palm Beach County. He believed that one of the recommendations they are exploring is the use of the real estate transfer tax which would go toward housing rehabilitation, rental assistance and public housing construction. A few months ago, Palm Beach County Community Development began drafting a report which will be sent out sometime this year. Mr. Cannon believed this report would become the most important docu- ment in the County and in the City of Boynton Beach, insofar as public policies for housing assistance. Housing assistance, both rental and rehabilitation, is an issue that needs to be addressed on a county-wide basis. He did not believe the City has the financial resources or the manage- ment to conduct a housing assistance program of their own. Mr. deLong stressed his concern on the issue of real estate transfer tax and stated that at the present time Florida has the highest real estate transfer tax in the nation. He remarked that new ways should be investigated and formulated as an alternative to continually considering property as the "scapegoat." Chairman Trauger remarked on the figure he noticed the other day from HUD in reference to income proportionate to housing. Considering the least expensive ways of constructing private subsidized rental housing, the rent charged must be a minimum of $400 per month for at least a two bedroom, two bath, housing construction. Chairman Trauger concluded there is no way private enterprise could fund it at that figure and build it for that meager return. Mr. Cannon advised the members to look on Page 26 in the center of the page. The Palm Beach County Housing Financing Authority prepared a report in 1984 in which they provided estimates on the unmet demand for low income housing. Mr. Cannon was able to deduce by juggling some figures that presently there is a demand for 400-600 rentals of less than $450 and currently there is no construction in Boynton Beach where the rent for two bedroom apartments is less than -12- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 $500 a month. Theoretically, there are 400-600 families in Boynton Beach who cannot find housing at affordable rents. Returning to Page 25, Mr. Cannon stated an important note to be made was that elderly households below poverty level have increased in the past ten years. In 1970, 28% of the people below poverty level consisted of the elderly. In 1980, that proportion increased to approximately 43%. This points to a need for some type of publicly-assisted housing for the elderly. Mr. Cannon was aware that Palm Beach County Community Development has been looking around for sites for this type of facility and have considered a site on South Seacrest, immediately south of the Water Plant. To date, there has been no follow up and it appears the funding is not available to acquire the site and construct a housing facility for the elderly. Mr. Cannon directed the members' attention to the bottom of Page 26, Housing Element, which concerned the future of rehabilitation and rental assistance in the city. Mr. Cannon reported the County Community Development Department is preparing a report which will offer recommen- dations for housing assistance. He suggested that the Planning and zoning Board review the report when it is completed, because it will be the major policy statement for housing assistance in Palm Beach County. Mr. Cannon advised that the next five or six pages, Pages 25 through 31, included a summary of the housing programs in the City that have been accomplished to date in the area of rental and rehabilitation assistance. To summarize the numbers, Mr. Cannon stated there are 100 families in the City who are receiving rental assistance in scattered, privately-owned housing. This program is administered by the Palm Beach County Housing Authority. The Housing Authority owns and rents 72 dwelling units primarily in the neighborhood strategy area. Additionally, there are 89 dwelling units comprising the Boynton Terrace Apartments which are subsidized rental units and managed by the Palm Beach County Housing Authority. On the bottom of Page 28, Mr. deLong questioned the state- ment that "in order to maintain the level of funding that has been available in previous years, it may be necessary -13- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 for the City to also contribute financially toward housing rehabilitation. For these reasons, it is recommended that the City staff review funding on a yearly basis." Mr. deLong asked if it was known what funds were available for rehabilitation assistance and if this original plan had been implemented to the extent that it was known what the City can contribute financially toward housing rehabilita- tion. Mr. Cannon responded it is suggested that the City cannot take for granted that Community Development will have the needed funds available for a housing rehabilitation program at the level necessary, in order to prevent further decline, particularly on the north end. Additionally, he suggested that the funds Community Development has available for housing rehabilitation assistance should be closely moni- tored. If a long-range trend in the amount of money for rehabilitation assistance is foreseen going down, then the City should consider contributing money to Community Development. Mr. deLong questioned if the City was aware of this housing problem when an 11 million dollar bond was voted on for cer- tain improvements in the City, and when that was done, was the City aware that it had a reserve to contribute to reha- bilitate housing. At this point, Mr. Cannon responded that the city has not contributed any money toward housing reha- bilitation. Mr. Annunziato pointed out that they were able to document that the average rehabilitation costs were about $11,000. From a policy point of view, Mr. Annunziato believed, in reference to the number of units per year of what we have been used to as to a level to what we would like to attain given the age and condition of housing, that a decision may have to be made in the future as to what is an acceptable level of rehabilitation in order to overcome the problems that exist. If there is no money available equal to that level, it may alert the city Council to consider public involvement. Mr. Annunziato stated this was pointed out for everyone's information, and Mr. Cannon suggested that it be analyzed in order to predetermine if this is an issue for discussion. If there is a desire to maintain a level of rehabilitation assistance and it cannot be attained through the customary sources, there might be other alternatives to investigate. -14- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. deLong commented that he could foresee the problem increasing and there should be alternatives available. Mr. Annunziato advised that there is only one funding source available for rehabilitation assistance, which is the Community Development funding. He stated that the Community Development funding is diminishing and they are beginning to redirect their program out of capital improvement into housing. He stated there is going to be some exchange in the dollars within the department. In accordance with the suggestion that the City continue to monitor the levels relative to the rate of rehabilitation assistance, it is necessary for Boynton Beach to disallow continued deteriora- tion, to go beyond and do away with deterioration. However, Mr. Annunziato advised these are policy matters to be directed to the Board and City Council. Chairman Trauger commented a program existed five or six years ago whereby each of the deteriorated houses was sold at a nominal fee of $5, $10, or $15 to a person who would occupy the house and borrow money to rehabilitate it. If the house was properly maintained, at the end of a certain period of time the individual would get title to it. Getting back to the recommendation that the City monitor the level of rehabilitation assistance, Mr. Cannon believed the City's actions in this field would largely depend on the outcome of the Community Development Housing Task Force and what their report recommends. If, in fact, the Board of County Commissioners accepts the Community Development's recommendations and imposes a real estate transfer tax or some other mechanism or combination of mechanisms for funding rehabilitation assistance, it will take some burden off of the City. If nothing comes out of the report or the Task Force, Mr. Cannon believed that the City would be wise to consider supplemental funding. The City would then be able to keep track of the situation as to the number of units that need to be rehabilitated, versus the number of units actually rehabilitated each year. Without the influx of outside funds, particularly into the northern end of town, the City can expect these areas to slowly decline. -15- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon suggested that in this report the city stage a concerted attack to prevent that decline through the use of code enforcement and by making sure that the level of reha- bilitation is maintained. Group Housing Mr. Cannon directed the members' attention to Page 31 to a new Section entitled "Group Housing." He stated the reason that this Section should be included is that the State of Florida about one or two years ago passed an amendment to the Local Government Comprehensive Plan (LGCP) Act requiring that all local governments include somewhere in their Comprehensive Plan a section on group housing. The State has adopted as a policy that rather than keep individuals, sUch as, the elderly, the mentally incapacitated, and the handicapped in institutions, that these people should be de- institutionalized and should be living in neighborhoods and leading lives that are as normal as possible, as opposed to being in a large institution. The City is required to come up with specific recommendations as to where these individ- uals can live. Referring to Page 31 and 32, Mr. Cannon stated that the Planning Department has set general guidelines for the type of regulations necessary to allow the handicap and elderly to live in neighborhoods without excessively impacting those neighborhoods. Referring to the study on Page 31, Mr. Cannon believed that there are obviously certain people with certain specific medical or behavioral problems who should not be allowed in the City's residential neighborhoods. This study provides a general description. Mr. Cannon did not believe that people who require professional nursing care or who require drug or alcohol rehabilitation, ex-offenders, or the dangerous or mentally ill should be housed in residential neighborhoods. These are people with specific medical and behavioral problems who need to be supervised by professionals. These residences would be considered to be more of a commercial use rather than a residential use. Mr. Cannon commented that if -16- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 individuals are being treated in a residence, this is not a normal type residence. If there are doctors or full-time social workers on site to supervise the residents, this type of residence should be limited to commercial zoning areas. Mr. Ryder questioned if this group housing was not necessarily limited to public-assisted housing. In response, Mr. Cannon stated in most cases, group housing is subsidized by the State through the State Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services. It is not public housing, but the operators of many of these group homes, specifically where there are people with handicaps, receive funds from the State. Mr. Ryder questioned if this consisted of a mixture of privately-operated and state-assisted housing of this type. Mr. Cannon stated that in all cases it is privately-operated housing and the individuals who operate the group homes are usually reimbursed by the State of Florida. Mr. deLong questioned if this would not preclude certain types of ACLF's and commented that there were a few of these type facilities located in West Palm Beach and they receive state-assisted subsidies for housing of people with maladies such as alcohol, etc. Mr. Cannon stated that if the City is going to allow<housing to these type of residences in our residential neigh- borhoods, the City obviously needs limitations on the number of people who could be housed in a particular dwelling and must set guidelines as to the minimum distance between group homes otherwise there will tend to be an over-concentration of group homes in certain areas. He advised that group homes, typically will locate in a part of the City where the housing is older and less expensive. If the City does not stipulate a certain distance requirement, the group homes will tend to over-concentrate in one area and actually com- pound the problems that neighborhood might already be experiencing. Mr. Cannon advised that what is also needed is limitations on off-duty parking. He stated that the City would not want parking on swales or in the drives which is already a problem in some areas of the City. -17- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon directed the members' attention to the final paragraph in the Section and stated he came up with a rough estimate of the number of group homes that he believed could be accommodated in the City. He stated the guidelines to be followed as to the minimum spacing of 1200 feet be- tween group homes is a standard guideline of the State Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services which they are comfortable with and is a very common standard. It is not the standards that the City would necessarily have, but he believed in estimating the number of group homes, the City would have that estimate as a reasonable standard to use. Mr. Cannon believed that this could be a fairly controver- sial section of the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Cannon assured that wherever a group home is located it is going to generate some controversy in the neighborhood. This is one section of the Plan that the Board should give their utmost attention to and decide whether there are other types of standards that should be included in the general guidelines. Mr. Cannon pointed out that his department was not trying to write a zoning ordinance, but if there are problems that the Board members could foresee, perhaps those problems should be headed off at this point. Mr. Cannon suggested that additional comments should be included in the Comprehensive Plan. He remarked that this is not an area in which there is a great deal of freedom, and it must be addressed in the Comprehensive Plan. The City must provide some place for these people to live. Mr. deLong commented that Mr. Cannon's direction toward allowing group homes to exist in commercially zoned areas is a very good one because there would be less "whiplash" there than there would be in a regular residentially zoned area. Mr. Cannon advised that his department is recommending that group homes be allowed as permitted uses in residential neighborhoods subject to certain distance requirements. Mr. Cannon reiterated that this would generate some contro- versy in the long run but it is a problem that must be addressed. The State requires that the City find places fok these people to live. Mrs. Huckle referred to the top of Page 32, and questioned the statement that "reasonable standards should be -18- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 established for the maximum number of persons to be allowed in group homes located in residential districts." Mrs. Huckle questioned if that should apply to commercial areas as well. Mr. Cannon was not certain if it was necessary in commercial areas. He believed that because of the land values in com- mercial areas, the City would be getting nursing homes and institutions that are similar to hospitals and clinics, as opposed to a residence with a few handicapped people. He could not foresee any need to limit the number of beds in a nursing home or in a facility which provides nursing care. Mrs. Huckle questioned new construction as opposed to re- modeling an older home or building in a commercial zone, and commented on the distinction between new construction where the purpose is originally for a nursing home and where all the facilities would be directed to that use instead of taking some old building or warehouse in a commercial area and adapting it for this use. Mr. Cannon stated that group homes are regulated by the State Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS), and he did not know the severity of their inspections or enforcement rules. He stated there are certain standards as to the number of square feet per occupant, kitchen areas, open areas, etc. He believed that in a commercial zoning district, there is not much need to maintain a residential character. In his opinion, one can assume if it is zoned commercial, it will have a commercial appearance and there will be some noise and traffic. Limitations are necessary in the residential areas where the quiet environment of the neighborhood should be preserved. Mr. deLong disclosed the perfect example would be the Lord's Place which probably would go into a commercially zoned area and is certainly not the home-type, but a commercial type of edifice which could very easily fit into a C-l, C-2, C-3, or C-4 zone. In that respect, it may lessen the problem of concentration in a residential area. The problem foreseen is that the residential area ground is less expensive than the C-l, C-2, C-3 or C-4 zone. -19- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon stated that the Lord's Place, under the City's zoning regulations, meets all the requirements for an apart- ment unit. They originally wanted to make the units smaller than what was required under under the R-3 zoning require- ments. He noted that the Lord's Place asked for a variance and it was denied. Additionally, those units have kitchen facilities and would have to be located in that zoning district. Mr. Cannon advised that technically that is not the policy although it functions in much the same way. The conventional idea of group housing is where you have unre- lated individuals, each one having their own bedroom and some kind of common recreational area and eating facility. Mr. deLong assumed that if the City goes ahead, which he thought was a good idea in commercial zones, we would in fact encourage builders to go into a commercial zone because more units could be constucted due to the less square footage requirement than in a R-3 zone where 750 square feet per person is required. In other words, the developer would be enticed to build his units in a commercially-zoned area and this would tend to lessen the problem of concentration in residential neighborhoods. Mr. Cannon agreed with Mr. deLong's statement and advised if someone wanted to put a igroup home that required some kind of intensive supervision, whether it be nursing care or rehabilitation, that type of use would have to go into a commercially zoned area, and they would not be limited as far as the number of persons allowed to live there. Concurring with Mr. Cannon's statement that the city must be ready for this problem, Mr. deLong commented that the City should make certain that there is a greater attraction placed elsewhere and the way to achieve that goal is to give basically to the "pocketbook" and ~o allow someone to do it elsewhere on a more liberal basis than he can in a residen- tial area. Mrs. Huckle noted that further on in the paragraph it stated that nursing homes can be developed as a PUD on any parcel of land over five acres. She remarked that stipulation will afford leniency to us as well as to a developer. -20- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BoYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mrs. Huckle advised this particular section states that the density for group homes in PUD should correspond to the average number of persons per household as a whole, which would equal 2.3 beds times the number of dwellings allowed under the future land-use plan. She questioned if that meant that under PUD residential areas, they still have to conform to the same density as if it were not a PUD. Mr. Cannon explained that if there are nursing homes in PUD's the number of beds they can have should be limited to the number of beds required in a typical dwelling unit in the city. In other areas, where there had been applications for PUD's, ALCF's and nursing homes, there has always been a grey area as far as intensity allowed and this more or less settles any arguments of what kind of intensity is per- mitted. Mr. Annunziato stated there can be one additional kind of criteria particularly for single-family areas to eliminate overcrowding and that would be concerning the total number of persons occupying a dwelling, in order to continue to maintain a residential character. He suggested that a criteria should be established by defining by census the figure 1.10 persons per room. Mrs. Huckle stated that a five acre parcel required under a PUD permit is a large size parcel and is not considered a normal "Golfview'Harbor" residential neighborhood. Mr. Annunziato noted that it would not be a single-family district - it would be a PUD. He stated that he was referring specifically to the response the Council will receive from the single-family dwellings. In response to Mrs. Huckle's inquiry as to figures used and limitation requirements, Mr. Annunziato stated he was referring to an overcrowding issue within a house and that 2.3 beds per household offers an idea of the density issue as opposed to intensity of land use. -21- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mrs. Buckle remarked that the paragraph she referenced all runs together. It stated that nursing homes and adult congregate living facilities can also be developed as PUD's on any parcel of land over five acres as shown on the city's future land-use plan. Densities for approved homes and PUD's should correspond to the average number of persons per household for the City as a whole. In Mrs. Huckle's opinion, it is stating that there are no advantages in going to a five-acre PUD. Mr. Annunziato stated there are advantages to the extent that the denSity is computed on the total land or property, as opposed to cutting out streets or areas for sidewalks. In this instance, it is a gross calculation as opposed to non-density. The comments that Mr. Annunziato was referencing pertain to specifically single-family homes and the intention is to attempt to keep the character of the home and avoid an overcrowded dwelling. He was suggesting that it might be advantageous in regard to single-family homes, to include a criteria for the total number of persons in the dwelling, including a married couple in a group home. They could have seven rooms and maybe there shouldn't be more than seven people including their own children. Mr. Annunziato concluded that he was putting his comments on the table for discussion. Mr. deLong inquired if the density was geared to 1.1 per room, could there be a density for all R1AA and another den- sity for R2 or R3, etc. and would this create a problem. It appeared to Mr. deLong that there would be the area of greatest upheaval and could not conceive someone putting group homes in Golfview Harbor, Chapel Hill or similar neighborhoods. Mr. Annunziato stated that the City has received requests for group homes in single-family areas. Mr. deLong admitted that the group homes serve their purpose and they are necessary, but stressed that the City also has an obligation to protect property values. Mr. Annunziato suggested that one way to overcome the nega- tive comments is to address the intensity issue. One person per unit will not result in overcrowding by census defini- tion. Mrs. Huckle interjected that it should be specifically spelled out. -22- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 The members agreed that Mr. Annunziato should further review this issue and come back with additional recommendations. Mr. Annunziato concurred that this is one way to address the intensity issue, and it is related to parking and other items. In response to Mr. Wandelt's inquiry, Mr. Annunziato clarified that the figure of one occupant per room according to census definition, refers to the number of rooms in the house. Mrs. Huckle questioned if the figure remains at 1.00 instead of 1.01, are you not getting into the overcrowding defini- tion? Mr. Annunziato stated it can be whatever level the public deems acceptable and that figure was just his suggestion. He stated that there is a standard definition to follow. Mr. Cannon stated that most of the topics in the next sec- tion were already covered or else they will be covered in more detail under the specific neighborhood action areas. The policies deal with home ownership, preserving housing relocation, and assisted households. Those ~ssues have been covered or they will be covered in more detail in the neigh- borhood action areas. Neighborhood City-Wide Housing Policy Mr. Cannon directed attention to Page 35 and 36, Inventory of Social Services in the city. He stated that this is another area of assistance, which in the past, has been very dependent upon the level of Federal funding. The State of Florida provides funding for many of these programs, but even that funding is generally inadequate and varies from year to year. On Page 35, Mr. Cannon suggested that the Community Relations Board make some attempt to monitor the social ser- vices the residents are getting and prepare a report from year to year which would inventory the social services and point out any areas of deficiencies where the City should consider funding. This is the first time Mr. Cannon has actually seen a city do an inventory of available social services and he noted that it is amazing -23- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZOING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 how many different agencies and organizations are providing social services. He stated that it takes some "homework" to investigate what social services are doing and how many people in the City they service. Mr. Cannon acknowledged it is going to be difficult figuring out how many people they serve in the City and what their needs are in the City. It is similar to the housing rehabilitation issue and is something that should be monitored and kept controlled. He added it cannot be assumed with Federal cutbacks that people in the City are getting all the social services that they need. Mr. Cannon commented that this is also something that the Community Relations Board needs to address as to whether Boynton Beach is getting their share compared to other cities in the County. Skipping over to Page 40 in the middle of the page under Providing Normal Maintenance Provision Services Including Police, Fire, Trash Pickup, etc., Mr. Cannon stated there are two points to be noted. Generally, from what Mr. Cannon was able to gather by reading through the budget statements for the past ten years, the city Departments provide sum- maries of what their needs are and where they see deficien- cies and it seemed that the quality and quantity of these services have kept up with the demand. Mr. Cannon pointed out the statement at the bottom of Page 41, wherein it stated that the City in adopting this plan should adopt the policy of increasing funding for those ser- vices so that they do not lag behind the population growth. There is also a specific policy for sidewalk construction. He believed the City should have a specific plan for building sidewalks and determining which areas in the City need sidewalks and which areas possibly may never need sidewalks. In reference to the Specific Neighborhood Action Plans, Mr. Cannon stated they are reiterating the original Comprehensive Plans and are concerned with three distinctive areas where ~here were housing problems. The first area of concern was the area north of the Boynton Canal and between 1-95 and FDC. The second area was between Boynton Beach Boulevard and the Boynton Canal and the third area was be- tween Woolbright Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard. Wallis, Robert and Todd came up with a specific program for addressing housing and neighborhood problems in each one of these areas. -24- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Cannon reported that Neighborhood Actionary 1 is the City's changing neighborhood, and Mr. Cannon's department is proposing specific measures to attempt to arrest or reverse the decline in that area. One of the major problems fore- seen in all areas of the City, particularly in that neigh- borhood, is the problem of parking in yards and in swales. It seems that this is one of the first indicators of decline when the yards and the swales begin to deteriorate. It was hard for Mr. Cannon to imagine anyone who is middle class or wanting to imagine themselves as being respectable, living next door to someone whose yard has turned into sand and weeds. He believed that this is something the City has to take a firm stand on. The Planning Department is recom- mending that any parking in yards or on swales be prohibited which means that cars would have to be parked in the street. Mr. Cannon noted there is adequate pavement in that area for parking on the street. However, there will be resistance from homeowners in that area who do not want to park their cars in the str,eet. It will mean that the people driving down the street will have to drive slower and more care- fully. The Planning Department believes this is something the City must do or otherwise t~here is very little hope that long-range decline in that area can be arrested, regardless of how much funding is available for rehabilitation. In response to Chairman Trauger's remark concerning unli- censed inoperable vehicles, Mr. Cannon stated that the City has an ordinance on the books that allows the city to ticket unlicensed inoperable vehicles. Mrs. Huckle inquired if there was a law on the books stipu- lating no parking on a city street overnight and was advised if the vehicle is not obstructing the free flow of traffic it can be parked on the street. Discussion continued on this subject. Mr. Cannon stated his Department is suggesting that the City consider adopting an ordinance which requires some minimum level of maintenance of yards. Discussion continued on what should be done to enhance the aesthetics of the neighborhood. Mr. Cannon noted that this is one of the issues that deserves much consideration. -25- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Mr. Annunziato interjected that a neighborhood which has an appearance of being very well kept has some relation in improving housing values. When attempting to control where people park cars and whether they should have green lawns, he aknowledged that these issues are difficult to enforce. Mr. Cheney disclosed that many cities do control that situation and do not allow residents to park their cars on the grass. Mrs. Huckle commented that residents should be encouraged to keep up their neighborhoods. Mr. deLong agreed that parking is a particular problem that can be addressed by using the law. On the other hand, he could not logically discern how lawn maintenance and yards could be controlled and believed it is a process of educa- tion, not law, wherein people must acquire taste and be edu- cated, and that it is impossible for the City to encourage everyone to be the same no matter how hard they try. Mr. Annunziato related that there are only a certain number of ways to address the obvious problems in these three cen- sus tracks - aesthetics, overcrowding, and overpayment. Mr. deLong reviewed the serious problems of swales and parking. He noted that it should be addressed and believed that through an increase of code enforcement surveillance efforts these problems could be corrected. Some of the questions to be investigated are whether there are streets on which cars could park and whether they could park on Seacrest. Mr. Cheney reiterated that the City had put swales in on Seacrest and the City does not allow cars to park in the swales. He added that some residents have too many cars in their driveways, and they are now allowed to park on Seacrest Boulevard so the question remains unanswered as to where the cars can be parked. Mr. deLong stressed that parking is a problem. As far as the City giving any consideration to municipal parking, Mr. Annunziato stated that issue is being covered in the Community Redevelopment Plan. Mr. deLong stated that if the city is going to enforce no parking regulations on swales, -26- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 there must be alternatives offered as to where the cars should be parked. Mr. Cheney responded that is one of the reasons why the City has not enforced no parking regulations in the swales. Usually people park in the swales because there is an extra car or two and the driveway is full. The city is concerned because money has been invested in the swales and the swales will take care of themselves as far as the grass, but admitted this is a prevalent situation. He could not offer an immediate solution, but noted that part of the swale problem on and off Seacrest will be resolved when Seacrest is widened, since there will then be curbs and no swales. The residents will be unable to park their cars in front of the houses and will have to park in the driveways or on the front lawns and in order to get to the front lawn, the resi- dent will either go over a curb or use the driveway to go around to the front lawn. As a result, perhaps the cars which now park in the swales off Seacrest will be sold. Housing Rehabilitation Mr. Annunziato advised that one of the issues concerns the ways to address the problems of deterioration. Mr. Cannon stated that another major issue is housing rehabilitation and the availability of money for housing rehabilitation. Neighborhood Action Area 1 Mr. Cannon directed the members' attention to the top of Page 43, which summarizes the recommendations. He stated that Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Community Development limits funding for rehabilitation to neigh- borhood strategy areas, which in Boynton Beach are the areas between North 9th Avenue and the Boynton Canal and between Seacrest Boulevard and Northwest 3rd Avenue which is an area north of Boynton Beach Boulevard, west of the city Hall. After much discussion with the Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Community Development, the Planning Department has persuaded the Agency to include the entire area from the Boynton Canal north to 22nd Avenue as another code enforcement area and it is significant that they con- ceded on this point because it allows rehabilitation expan- sion in that area which is approximately half of the Neighborhood Action Area 1. Mr. Cannon remarked that the Planning Department would like to see Community Development -27- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 designate the entire Neighborhood Action Area 1 as a code enforcement area and to include the area north of 22nd Avenue. However, the major concern of Community Development is the availability of funding and when funding a rehabili- tation program, they will concentrate on cleaning up the worst areas, as opposed to changing neighborhoods. After the Agency completes their report on funding housing assistance and if the Palm Beach County Commission initiates into action some type of mechanism for local funding rehabi- litation, the amounts of money available will increase and Community Development may be willing to expand the code enforcement area to include all of Neighborhood Action Area I. Mr. Cannon noted that a housing survey is needed for that entire area so that the city is apprised of the exact number of deteriorated houses. Although it is believed that one- third of the Neighborhood Action Area 1 has been surveyed, the Planning Department recommended a housing condition sur- vey be completed for the entire area so that the City will be apprised of the serious conditions that exist. Referring to Pages 46 and 47, Mr. Cannon concluded that the Neighborhood Action Area 1 is a summary of the public improve- ments completed and a summary of the public improvements anticipated within the next few years for that area. Neighborhood Action Area II Mr. Cannon stated the City's codes enforcement and funding by Community Development has been most concentrated. As shown on Pages 49 through Page 53, there is a summary of projects that Community Development has funded from 1976 to 1984 and indicating a considerable amount of funds had been expended in Boynton Beach - over 4½ million dollars from 1976 to 1984. Chairman Trauger questioned if the boarded-up houses located from 22nd Avenue to Seacrest and behind Village Royale which are only about six to ten years old in construction, are classified in the delapidated category. Mr. Cannon remarked that those houses are FHA foreclosures. -28- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 Additionally, Mr. Cheney responded that those houses which were actually five years old were caught up in a problem with Community Development and were rented, sold, foreclosed or in the process of being sold by the County in order to meet payback requirements to HUD for funds. He surmised they all had been sold, would gradually be rehabilitated and should be back to productive houses within a year or sooner. Mr. Cannon stated those houses are going to be used as relo- cation houses for housing which is being demolished or where the housing had to be rehabilitated to such an extent that the family must move out. Community Development is using those dwellings as relocation housing. With respect to the Neighborhood Strategy Area, Mr. Cannon pointed out that virtually all the delapidated housing has been demolished. There are presently very few structures that are unfit for habitation. The Department of Housing and Community Development recently completed a housing sur- vey of the area between Boynton Beach Boulevard and the Boynton Canal and determined three dwellings in that area warranted demolition and it was only five or six years ago that the number of housing units requiring demolition was above 100. Mr. Cannon stated it was unnecessary to explain in great detail the accomplishments of Community Development in the subject area. There is a Comprehensive Package stipulating the improvements funded by Community Development which included drainage, street reconstruction, housing, park and recreational facility improvements. Mr. Cannon referred to Page 54, Summary of Projects for 1986 and 1987 Fiscal Years, wherein it indicated that Community Development will continue the reconstruction of streets in the Cherry Hills area. He indicated that in the middle of Page 54 there is a list of those streets and statements that funding will be provided for the installation of handicap curb cuts for handicap access and further improvements to Wilson Park. One important point Mr. Cannon referenced was in regard to Community Development funding for capital improvements. He stated if Federal funding for Community Development -29- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 continues to decline, they will concentrate almost exclu- sively on housing rehabilitation and assistance, and the amount of money available for capital improvements is pro- bably going to decrease significantly unless some kind of local funding is found either County-wide or from the cities themselves. Mr. Cannon commented the city could possibly expect in the coming years the remainder of the capital improvements would be made in the neighborhood strategy areas and the only source of funding for improvements such as park improvements and street reconstruction may be from the City because the Community Development may dry up. Chairman Trauger remarked that the figures shown on Pages 49 through 54 should be reproduced and shown to the people who argue that the City has done nothing for them. Mr. Cannon reiterated the expenditure of funds is almost $4.5 million since 1976. Mr. Cannon stated that one problem that continues, par- 'ticularly in this area, is the accumulation of trash and rub- bish on vacant lots and most complaints specifically concern trash accumulation. Mr. Cannon suggested that the City increase the amount of publicity that the City provides curbside pickup of trash and rubbish and he was not certain that some of the people in that area are aware of this service. He believed that this is one case where education would help by sending out flyers a few times during the year announcing the dates for trash and rubbish pickup. Mrs. Huckle did not agree with the statement located in the brown book handed out to the members that rubbish is picked up by the City one day a week and remarked that rubbish sits on her street for at least two weeks. Mr. Cheney clarified that one-day notice should be given to the City to have trash picked up. He stated that if you put out limited amounts twice a week, it will get picked up twice a week. Chairman Trauger noted that he had eight bags of trash accumulated over the weekend and it was picked up the beginning of the week. Discussion continued on this subject. Chairman Trauger stated that before the meeting ended, Mr. Cannon should give the members their homework assignments -30- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 and note the specific pages he expected to accomplish for the next day's meeting. Mr. Cannon stated the major points in the Housing Element had been covered. Neighborhood Strategy Area 3 became Woolbright Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard, and to some degree it is similar to how Neighborhood Strategy Area 1 used to be. He suggested the City should take very strong definitive action in attempting to prevent any further decline in that area between Woolbright Road and Boynton Beach Boulevard or eventually it will start to decline in the same manner as the area north of the Boynton Canal. On Page 69, Mr. Annunziato pointed out a statistic con- cerning owner-occupancy laws and indicated that the occu- pancy level has decreased from 84% in 1970 to 76% in 1980. The City will find out in 1990 if that trend has continued. Mr. Annunziato stated this is another one of statistics that derives policy and commented that if an area begins to change there are certain public policies and activities that should be directed to correct that change. Mr. deLong inquired if this could be related to the changing character of the City - are people renting their apartments to younger people with families who are moving in and taking up jobs. In response, Mr. Annunziato stated that would be beneficial, but there might be other reasons and it is an item that deserves attention. Chairman Trauger is aware of fi=e or six houses that were sold to investors who used it as rental property. Mr. Cheney advised that it has been noticed around town that many people are discovering if they own four or five houses for rental that it is a good tax write-off. Mr. Annunziato advised that the City must be aware of housing disinvestment as a public policy matter and the ramifications of a unit being able to pay for services it demands. As property values diminish, services do not dimi- nish, sometimes they increase. There is a real public pur- pose to continue to watch these areas and if there is a disinvestment problem it is necessary to reduce the rate of -31- MINUTES - PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD WORKSHOP BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA May 20, 1986 this disinvestment and to stabilize it or it will become a problem. Mrs. Huckle added that tax codes contribute as much to this situation as anything else. In Mr. deLong's opinion, one of the greatest areas of con- cern is preventing further deterioration and looking for some fresh thoughts in terms of financing. He was not cer- tain if the City had the authority to issue bonds at lower interest rates and tax free. He noted in the field of edu- cation, the greatest dividend the City receives is the general uplifting of the education of our fellow citizens and perhaps the City should float bonds in that area at lower interest rates. Mr. deLong c~oncluded that there are areas open for City funding. Discussion continued on this issue. CONSERVATION AND COASTAL ZONE ELEMENT Chairman Trauger stated that the item on Conservation and Coastal Zone Element will be discussed at the next Workshop meeting scheduled for May 21, 1986. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Trauger adjourned the meeting at 6:10 P.M. The next Workshop meeting of the Planning and Zoning Board is scheduled to be held on May 21, 1986 at 4:00 P.M. Carol Ann Brown Recording Secretary (3 tapes) -32-