Currie Park Mixed Use (CMUD) Stakeholders Meeting! Part 2

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Updated 9/16/2021 @6:18PM

I received the invitation below from Carl Flick along with other concerned residents and  the City Commissioners on Wed, Sep 15, 2021 @ 12:14 pm

“FYI on a sponsored Zoom meeting scheduled for tonight at 6:00 PM that will explain why the hosts think allowing 300-350 foot building heights in the Currie Corridor is OK.

Feel free to attend on-line. I have no idea if they will allow comments by those who remain unconvinced and disagree. Still, it’s important to listen to the viewpoints of all sides.
This is in preparation for this coming Tuesday’s West Palm Beach Planning Board meeting (beginning at 6:00 PM) inside City Hall’s Commission Chambers. We encourage all to attend this in-person forum.”

Carl received the invitation late and forwarded it to concerned citizens and with short notice 54 people attended the Zoom meeting, hoping to voice their opinion on the project. They were not allowed to speak, but 3 people in favor of the project were. One resident said this project is needed due to small businesses failing and closing it’s doors. My opinion small businesses are failing due to Coronavirus and nothing to do with development.

In attendance were Commissioners Fox and Peduzzi. Missing were Commissioners Lambert, Warren and Shoaf who is the district commissioner. I understand not much notice was given but Commissioners who will discuss and vote on projects that will affect residents lifestyle should not consider City Commission a “part time” job.

Harvey Oyer, an attorney and lobbyist and has the responsibility of “selling” the CMUD project for developer Jeff Greene to the City, along with it’s residents of the NSNA (Northwood Shores Neighborhood Association)

Oyer started and finished the presentation and he’s really good at his job. He mentioned how he “loved” Northwood Shores and at one time wished he could have afforded to purchase a home in the area. Things are looking up for Oyer, he purchased a $1,350,000 home in the Presidents Country Club, an upscale gated community far removed from large structures.

Bill Nugent, Don’t have much information on him and the conversation between Bill and Harvey had me knowing they were both on the same page and Bill called on the speakers who were allowed to comment. The hi-light of the meeting was when an attendee namely Lon Sebella found a way to um-mute his mike and started to comment and the look of panic on Bill’s face when he shut off Lon’s mic only to have Lon turn it back on and continue commenting. His mike was turned off again and the meeting ended, rather abruptly.
In the previous story concerning CMUD I wrote:

“In fact the Currie Corridor is nearly vacant with the exception of a small home built in the early 1920, and is located across the street from Currie Park.”

What I have learned is the property is owned by Mr. Kenneth Witt who acquired the property in Aug.1989 and is the hold out seller to the site. Mr. Witt, in my opinion is the most important “stake holder” living in the middle of the project, and he was denied an invitation to the meeting.

Carl Flick, AICP, (American Institute of Certified Planners) is an urban planning consultant with over 25 years of municipal & county planning experience and is the President of the Northwood Shores Neighborhood Association.

Because of his vast knowledge of planning and what goes into these projects, Carl is rarely invited to the meetings and when he is, he’s not allowed to speak with the exception of 4  board members allowed to comment at one meeting. NSNA issue is that there have been no “community meetings” where anyone can enter, take part, speak and fully express themselves. Every lie told, Carl is able to offer proof of the mis-information given to residents. Carl attended the Zoom meeting and was not called on for his opinion, but 3 people in favor of the project were. That’s called “stacking the deck.” Planning staff is still planning to allow 300-350 foot towers, among the highest buildings in Palm Beach County to be built in a residential neighborhood.

Carl Flick will tell the remainder of the story below and readers will understand why Carl is not welcome at meetings. A little bird told me developer Jeff Greene has requested a meeting with 3 of the 8 board members and Carl Flick was not to be one of the invitees.

“Sharing what Northwood Shores gave to Planning staff on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 This was our negotiating plank.
Planning staff cherry-picked the minor stuff and failed to effective address the height issue.
We start again.
Carl

Northwood Shores Neighborhood Association
Committee discussion on Currie Corridor Mixed-Use Zoning District (CMUD), West Palm Beach
Monday, September 6, 2021
NSNA’s offers these key points to improve the City’s proposal for changes to CMUD zoning district.

1. The city has offered to reduce the previously suggested 397 foot maximum building height for developer Jeff Greene’s Core I sub district. The NSNA selected option #2 which sets the maximum height at 267 feet (23 stories at “13 foot floor plates”).

2. The limiting time frame for building should be reduced from the suggested 5 years down to 3 years. After this time, if no development is begun by permitting (need specific wording), then CMUD for developers and landowners enjoying more allowances must revert back to the 2014 CMUD regulations.

3. Move the highest building heights within Core District 1 – from south of 26th Street to south of 23rd Street. This will reduce negative impacts on the adjacent single family residential neighborhood of Northwood Shores.

4. Any reorganization of Joel Daves Park should result in no net loss of park square footage. The park can be narrowed and lengthened east to west (in conjunction with the extension of Northwood Road), but if it is reshaped, then its original size total must be maintained.

5. The incentives should be significantly strengthened. If developer Jeff Greene wants to take advantage of securing more height via CMUD’s incentives, then three important base incentives should be first required. The incentive addressing attainable or affordable housing should become required incentive number 1. Further the attainable housing incentive should require that affordable units be built within CMUD only and there should be no opt-out payment in lieu of building. Required incentive number 2 should be the extension of Northwood Road. Required incentive number 3 should be the inclusion of urban-street level activity. At a minimum, implement CMUD’s urban mixed-use village along the extension of Northwood Road and along North Flagler Drive.

6. Return to CMUD’s prior strength of employing urban building liners of 3-4 stories along streets, with higher building portions set back and hidden from the pedestrian street level.

7. Hold a real community meeting so that everyone can comment on the proposed changes to CMUD. At the conclusion of its July 20, 2021 meeting, the West Palm Beach Planning Board directed Planning staff to: 1) hold one or more community meetings with the surrounding residents and obtain meaningful input; 2) meet with overlooked CMUD property owners; 3) re-engage with developer Jeff Greene; 4) make the list of incentives more powerful and beneficial to the City; and 5) carry out a “massing study” so that professionals and lay individuals alike can see how each proposal for additional height will actually appear from the street level.

The NSNA anticipates that Planning staff will fulfill the Planning Board’s directives. The NSNA continues to request that City staff hold a bona fide community meeting where residents can freely comment on the Planning staff’s proposal to revise CMUD. According to email written by Armando Fana of the City, the August 31, 2021 and September 9, 2021 meetings are not “community meetings”. They are “stakeholder meetings”, which are by invitation only. Planning staff selected participants based on prestated support and has barred those who questioned the City Planning staff’s proposal.”

If Mr. Fana, Assistant City Manager, Richard (Ric) Greene, head of Development Services, not to be confused with Jeff Greene, the project’s developer had a quarter of Carl Flick’s knowledge, the City of WPB would be better off.

The end, more to come