Season preview: Palm Beach to tackle traffic, parking, code reform, water quality

The Town Council expects to tackle a number of pressing issues as the winter season gets underway on the island.

With concerns mounting over traffic congestion, parking scarcity, code reform and water quality, council members have planned an aggressive agenda for the coming months.

In addition, discussions will continue about modifications to the approval process for redevelopment projects that involve landmarked buildings. Earlier this year, both the Royal Poinciana Playhouse and North Fire Station underwent more extensive demolition than had been anticipated, prompting a public outcry, particularly over the theater.

Here are the council's priorities:

A new comprehensive parking plan

A seven-point parking plan designed to address Palm Beach's longstanding parking challenges was introduced by the town's Business and Administrative Committee in May, and will continue to be revised before all elements are implemented.

Created after months of discussion and input from residents and business owners, the plan includes components such as pre-paid parking stickers for residents, paid parking expansion using the ParkMobile app, and more free half-hour parking spaces.

The plan was tweaked over the summer, and an updated version was presented to the council this month by council member Lew Crampton, who chairs the Business and Administrative Committee.

Council members expressed concerns with several elements of the plan, including the expansion of paid parking, which they say could hurt small business owners as well as teachers. Crampton said his committee would review those concerns as it continues to tweak the parking plan.

Reducing traffic congestion

Council members will continue to address traffic congestion and look for better ways to manage "the very significant" increase in visitors, residents, construction and service workers on the island, council member Bobbie Lindsay said.

In February, the council approved a contract with Miami-based traffic engineering consultant The Corradino Group to administer a comprehensive traffic engineering and parking study of the island that will gather data for council members to review as they work to address the issue of traffic congestion.

As part of the study, The Corradino Group will evaluate the traffic impact of existing restaurants in the town's commercial area, assess the existing parking supply in the commercial area, and review the origin and destination of the traffic traveling into the commercial area on a daily basis.

“We will collect data, do analysis, and figure out where you have real traffic and parking issues,” Joe Corradino, principal of The Corradino Group, told council members in February.

The study is in its final stages, with only the residential parking and valet operation reviews to be completed, the town said. The Town Council could get a look at the results as early as December.

In the meantime, some progress has been made toward managing the gridlock.

After reviewing a request from the town to adjust the operating schedules for the three bridges that connect West Palm Beach to Palm Beach, the U.S. Coast Guard agreed to temporarily modify the Flagler Memorial bridge schedule to permit hourly openings from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

The Coast Guard also plans to implement similar operating schedules on a trial basis for the Southern Boulevard and Royal Park bridges.

"Convincing the Coast Guard to open the bridges less frequently during the morning and afternoon rush hours is an important step for reducing morning and afternoon traffic congestion," Lindsay said.

A slower approach to code reform

Amid residents' concerns and a new state law that forbids some municipalities from passing more restrictive land development amendments until Oct. 1, 2024, the town agreed to slow down its code review process.

However, the town will continue to study and recommend ways to simplify its code while focusing on preserving the island's individual history and charm.

"The code needs to be cleaned up and simplified, first," Lindsay said. "And second, does it really fit with our comp plan and our wishes to remain a unique — and primarily residential and small businesses community — that we are?"

For more than a year, zoning consultants ZoneCo, The Corradino Group and Yard & Co have been working on a total tear-down and ground-up rebuild of the town's nearly 50-year-old commercial and residential zoning codes.

An aggressive schedule of public meetings had been planned for this summer in an effort to provide an opportunity for public study and discussion of potential solutions for the critical issues facing residents in the different areas of town.

But those meetings were shelved in favor of a slower process through which the town's zoning consultants will meet initially with the town's professional planners on drafting the new code, before coming back to town officials and residents for review, discussion and input.

"The zoning code writing process is complex and technical, and it really needs to start with the consultants and the professional planning staff," Sean Suder, lead principal and founder of Cincinnati-based zoning consultant firm ZoneCo, told council members in June.

Options for drinking water

The town will continue to consider a choice of providers to supply water to the island once its current agreement with the city of West Palm Beach ends on Oct. 1, 2029.

The town hired West Palm Beach-based environmental consultant Kimley-Horn three years ago to conduct a water feasibility study that would provide a handful of water source options for the council to review.

Six options were presented to council members last April, and two remain in consideration.

They include: continuing the current water-supply contract with the city of West Palm Beach and collaborating on a membrane-technology upgrade at its treatment plant; and contracting with the city of Lake Worth Beach to provide water.

"The Town Council’s selection of its future water utility provider is surely one of the most important, long-lasting, and impactful decisions the council will make this season," Lindsay said.

"Selecting the provider that will deliver drinking water that ensures our residents, school children, businesses, and visitors consume safe, good tasting water, free from contaminants, including cyanobacteria toxins, as well as currently unregulated, harmful chemicals like PFAS, PFOS, herbicides, pesticides, and others, is of the highest priority."

Council President Maggie Zeidman said she expected a decision to be reached soon.

"I think this will get solved shortly," she said. "We will be making a decision about our water."

Commercial projects

The town's future will be "dominated" by reviewing commercial projects and making decisions about them that are consistent with the town's comprehensive plan, Worth Avenue Design Guidelines, and FEMA guidelines, Zeidman said.

Development projects that are under consideration by the Town Council or will be in the future include the Royal Poinciana Playhouse, the Paramount Theatre building, Wells Fargo property on South County Road, and Jane Holzer's property at 247 Worth Ave., among others.

"There are many things that we're going to have to take into consideration when we look at these things," Zeidman said. "It's going to be bedlam around here."

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach to address traffic, parking, code reform this season