Minutes 07-02-68MIArtr~S OF THE PLkNNING A~D Z~'I~G BOARD I~LD TU~SDAY, JULY 2, 1968,
AT 7:30 P.~L AT CITY }~AL, Bo~rON BEACH, FLORIDA.
~RESM~r.: Robert Olds, Chairman Stuart B,
~ynard ~.%rtz, Vice Chairman
Col. Albert %t%hrell
Foy ~*~ard
ABSENT:
St~l~ ~a~r
Ja~sMcAlpine
Fuller, Bldg, Official
~{r. Olds opened the meeting with a request for approval or disapproval
of the last }Snutes of the June ~.~eeting. },~r. ~rertz moved they be approved
as mailed. Seconded by Col. '~/ehrell. Unanimously carried.
}~. Olds introduced ~,.~r. Gerald Dake of the firm bU~RALD DAK~ ASSOCIATES,
Plauni~g~ and Zonins people from Jacksonville and requested him. to give
some oi the information as to how they would assist the City of Boynton
BeaCh.
Mr. Dake thanked the members present for giving them the assignment of
coming up with some forcasts and plans for the future development of the
City. In the early part of 1960, I was here in Boynton Beach and worked
on the present plan and we attempted to get the City to keep us on, on
some kind of a retainer basis to assist the Planning Board and to keep
these things current so that we could keep them t~p-to-date, but un-
fortunately that did not continue. '~,Ve are now here to come up with a
general revised plan and proposing to them, as a Planning Board, the
future requirements for the development of the City. There are a couple
of things that I would like to point out here, that as a consultant, I
will be working for you, the Planning Board, and the staff and people
in here will be the equivalent of the staff and you. The plans and
programs will come from you. We will be doing all the le~ work and give
you as much guidance as ~ can and it will come from you to the City
Council as a plan in the end. It is important to follow this procedure.
When we are through, I want to feel that this is their plan, and that
their Planning Board has developed it. It should not be developed by
their Consultant. I tried to tell }~r. Olds that in the future, that if
a developer or property owner comes to me and requests that I take a
look at their property, I will immediately refer 'them to ~r. Olds and
the Planning Board first, so that we don't get involved with them coming
to the Consultant instead of the Planning Board. In the future, it is
going to take quite a lot of your time in the revision of plans, drafts,
etc., attempting to interpret all these things we will be throwing at you
and too, the time being short, that it is going to requi~e your full
attention to these items so that this can progress as we go along.
Generally, through the next eight monflts, we will be doing four phases of
work. (1) Attempt to come up with a thorough analysis of existing
conditions of this City. (2) Learn the economical and physical factors
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Planning ~ Zonin£ Board
July 2, 1968.
would ~xe like to ~o. ~,'-./hat will our goals and objectives be? Some over-
all plan and concepts are as to ho~ we are going to carry out all these
goals. Pie will then submit these to the Council asking them for approval
as a guide to the development.
Ail the work we do will be tied in with that which has been done at Delray
and also the County. County is involved now in transportation study.
are going to try and get ours set out and be able to take them to the
County sh~,~in~ them ~at we will need and t~en let them take it from
there.
(At this point, k,.'.r. Arthur S~th, Assistant to I,,~r, Dake, came in to the
meeting and was introduced to all ~,embers of the Board. ~¥. Dake advised
that ~ir. Smith has been doing planning work at Pelray and was involved ~rith
the County).
~lr. Dake advised the Board that they would need a notebook so that. in the
coming months they ~.,ill be presenting various drafts, reports, etc., and
he ~ould like to ask that each of the members get au Arco type binder
that they can put these materials in it. In the future we will be
setting up speaking engagements with Civic Organizations and from time
to time, ~e will be having some of you speak before the public to let
them know what plans we have. Each ~onth, we will be presenting draft
copies of the various plans and programs that we will be involved in and
it will be something totally new to you and at the following session, we
hope to get co~r. ents from you, to get things lined up. Diso~ss these
things with friends and associates to see if they have ideas so that we
e an strengthen tJ~ese ideas. ~Ie want something that can be carried out,
asibly :and somethin~ the City can really present to the people and
follow through, on.
Perhaps the first t~hing might be to set up speaking engagements as far
as the public goes. k~. Olds requested to contact Civic Associations.
Suggestion tZ~at Mr. Olds contact the Real Estate Board, as a group to
see if they could submit a few names, for the vacancy on the Planning
~ Zoning Board.
Col. ~ehrell: The way ~r. Dake is expecting to go about it, sounds
sensible and logical. Basically I agree that things should be handled
through the Plarming Board and the Planning Board essentially would be
the one to bring it to the City Council, with the help of the Consultants,
as we represent the City in that respect. If you are contacted by various
developers, ~.~hich you undoubtedly ~ill be you will refer it to the
Planning Board. '
},ir. Olds: I?~r. Dake has already been contacted, for information from the
paper, etc., ~ud as time goes along, he will be getting more contacts.
Col. fffehrell: Possibly members of the Council, as ~ell as developers?
~. Dake: I have always chosen to try to work through the Planning Board
and if something comes up, it ~411 come threugh you first. At all times,
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Planning ~ Zoning Board
July 2, 1968
you can be assured that these things vrill be discussed through you.
I third( it is very important that they respect you and they begin to
throw things to you, involvin~ development.
We expect to get a lot of kmowledge from the Building Official here, as
he is the one who really will be giving us much assistance and guidance.
During the coming thirty days vacations, we will be involved and we will
be doing research on gathering information, doing field work, and I would
like to asP, each of you to jot down different things, ideas, etc. so
when we get together with these '
i' ' plans, we can take time and give them
proper cons aeration.
Mr. Olds brought up he now has a couple of zoning problems that have
been given to him.. If it is something that can be put off until we can
come up with a real comprehensive zoning ordinance, we should check into
this again, to see if t~bere is a need for certain item such as mobile
homes, etc. There are several things in your present ordinance that
have to be changed. In multiple family zoning, we do not have the proper
controls, lye have no provisions for cluster developments, l.~hat is the
status of t~ City Plat ~.Zap? ~e want to go all the way out to the Trail
regardiu~ g a new map for the City. Annexation Legislation is needed for
the City. Jacksonville went to Consolidated Government - no City
situation at all.
Art Smith: ~Ie put in some Legislation while in Pelray and we should try
to get some ready for the next Legislature for whatever is necessary for
annexation. As soon as I-gS is put through., you are going to see a
fantastic explosion in the western area.
Foresight to plan development to the Trail, need to establish set-backs,
zoning, etc. It would be to the advantage of this City to try to gain
control of that area within a short period of tim.
Important points we have to solve very soon regarding the future of the
central area, the old downtown area, as we can already see up and d~n
the coast we find shopping districts, etc. ^ third shopping center will
probably be west of I-gS. Very important ~ our overall planning that
we attempt to figure out what is the best for this comunity over the
coming years regarding shopping centers. If we are successful in
coming up with the proper planning, etc., it might be possible to carve
out focal points, centers of service, etc. These are things you all
should be thiuking about. !~'~e have to be very careful about re-tt~e of
the land as old buildings come down, etc.
The railroad is really a big problem. ~at is the future of the railroad?
Monorail or rapid transit, etc., is a possibility for the future.
t~. ~ertz: I think we have already expressed ourselves in urging the
City to take on a planner, etc., having to do with individually owned
property. The question in my mind is whether we can convince these
people that they should be ~rking together, l,'1e can make an outline and
sell it to them, but they are going to have to do somet~hing themselves.
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Planning ~ Zoning Board
Suly 2, 1968
We could develop along the Intracoastal and we also have a fine fishing
area and boating.
~4r. Dake: ~,~,le sure have failed in the past to utilize this water front
property. ~,~'e have to find. out what we actually want and then figure out
the way we are going to get it.
Col ltrehrell: ~bat is your opinion as to the type of comity that will
eventually emerge in Boynton Beach.? Is it going to be a ~mant type of
community or light industrial, or mixed? z~~
~Ir. Dake: I think, right now we have a great chalenge before us to de-
termine that very anm~er. I feel this City is on the threshold of a new
explosion. The entire coast is going to expand and as it does, this City
is going to also. You have an opportunity to inprove the overall picture
and image of the City. Do we want to go industrial or can we go that
way even if we wmnt to? Or are we going to be a retirement comity?
Industrial development seems to be in from Pompano to Palm ~each Gardens.
l~/e are going to have to do something to improve our new front door from
I-gs, but h~v? ~e should strive for succesSful competition with other
cities, ~'ie are going to have to be very careful as to the actual type of
industrial we get here. ~.fe need to at least think about the type and
in the future, we may choose to be choosey. Once we decide which way
to go, then we caz~ really move, but much stu~ will have to be put Luto
this. Long range ~oa!s and objectives.
~r. Olds: I understand our Cb. amber of Conmerce has been very cooperative
with industries ~hat have written in, but nothing ever came of it.
~r. Dake: We will be at the mercy of individual developers that are
interested only in how to turn the land into profit when it is completed.
Ad valo~ taxes will have to be considered. ~hat kind of a conmunity
do you now have? How does Boynton Beach compare with other surround-
ing cities? It is difficult to answer and I think ~.~a can do a lot to
improve. IVe have come a long way with the highway frontage Lvprovement.
Upgrade and ir, prove ourselves is what we are going to have to do Lu our
planning.
~r. Olds: To me, we have two different groups. ~he happy type that
want things to stay as they are, and developers who want to spread out.
~r. Dake: It is a tremendous task to sit here through the months and
come up with discussions and after they have been put down on paper and
we have agreed on ~em and can prove that they are valid decisions,
then we have the problem of selling them. If the public can not accept
it then, we have not accomplished anything. Our assignment is to
attempt to prevent chaos in coming years.
~o streets, S.'~L lSth and N.~.~L 2nd Avenues are very important to tie
west with east area. They can not become a solid strip of development.
Right of way, set backs, parallel roads, etc. P~e have to work and look
far enough into t~he future to ~revent this becoming a creeping eruption
of comnercial development. If~ the County is involved, they will be able
to turn down zoing requests on this regarding Congress Avenue.
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Planning & Zoning Board
July 2, 1968
Art Smith: Cluster development, site development~ condomi~mm, etc., were
pt~c in their ordinances, Working with the County and setting up_ your
own development it would Would give you something to ge on and put~ you
in a better position.
~'~r. Dake: Come up with real strong policies and concepts we want to
achieve and then establish policies so that we can change as we go
along. ~.~ifl~ the 1969 Legislature, we may be able to come up with some
strong policies.
Overall concepts are that we want to tie in with the other areas and have
o ur own development area tying in with the focal points. Commercial
area should be able to develop in a very large square footage so that it
has the necessary drawing po~r such as Searstown, Burdines, etc,
Discussion continued in this vein until meeting was adjourned.
raes