Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency wants to consolidate plans in its six areas this summer with the goal of giving developers and residents predictability on what can be done at each location.
“We don’t want to miss the market,” said Vivian Brooks, CRA executive director, to the more than 100 people gathered on a Saturday morning in June at the city library. She is working toward receiving final commission approval in September.
The CRA held three public workshops with residents, allowing them to select or “vote” on what they liked in each plan for the land use and zoning.
When Brooks gave the same presentation to a group of real estate professionals, her talk became a “stakeholders forum.”
“We can’t make our city into a city without your help,” she said.
Resident Susan Oyer said she agrees with most of the changes, “but my issue is height. We all want to see growth that is well-planned, but none of us want to become like West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale with their concrete canyons.”
Plus, she said, the taller buildings block the flow of the ocean breezes.
Some residents, including Barbara Ready, objected to the method the CRA used.
“The changes should have been voted upon separately if the CRA really wanted some true input,” said Ready, who also chairs the city’s Historic Resources Preservation Board. “Instead, we were basically forced to approve the bad parts with all the rest.”
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