After several years of communications missteps and rumors, the new version of Boca Raton’s historic public housing complex likely will get final approval tonight.
It began as Dixie Manor, at Glades Road and Dixie Highway, reflecting the sensibilities of that time. It will be reborn as The Residences at Martin Manor—200 subsidized apartments on roughly 10 acres developed by Atlantic Pacific in partnership with the city and the city’s housing authority.
As I wrote recently, submission of the second phase —105 apartments on the south side to go with 95 on the north—was delayed because of concerns about the design and the 1940s building. It now will have a museum recognizing that the complex that once housed Black service members during World War II. It also will reinforce the history of the surrounding Pearl City, Boca Raton’s historic Black neighborhood.
At first, there were concerns about whether residents could return after the rebuild. So many speakers complained about the lack of communication from the authority that the city council expanded the board from five members to seven, to provide more resident input. Aside from appointments, the council has no role in the authority’s operation. Federal money is financing The Residences at Martin Manor.
Now, though, all parties seem satisfied. The project got unanimous votes for recommendation from all advisory boards. City planners support it. This will be a new era for one of Boca Raton’s most historic sites.
Twelve candidates vying for Boca Raton City Council seats
Each of the four races on Boca Raton’s March 10 ballot will feature three candidates.
Councilmembers Fran Nachlas and Andy Thomson will run for mayor, joined by Mike Liebenson. Councilmember Marc Wigder will run for reelection in City Council Seat B against Save Boca founder Jonathan Pearlman and Meredith Madsen. Running for the open Seat A will be Michelle Grau, Bernard Korn and Christen Ritchey. Running for the open Seat D will be Larry Cellon, Stacy Sipple and former Councilman Robert Weinroth.
Ritchey and Cellon have been serving on the Planning and Zoning Board. Both have submitted their resignations.
Save Boca financing
Pearlman doesn’t just serve as the front man for Save Boca; he bankrolls it.
According to records filed with the city, Pearlman has contributed roughly $62,000 to three entities he created to oppose the Terra/Frisbie downtown redevelopment plan. One is Save Boca itself, the other two are committees that gathered enough signatures for two proposals that will go before voters in a special election Jan. 13.
Each would prohibit the “alienation” of more than one-half acre of city land without a referendum. One would create an ordinance—part of the city code—to that effect. The other would amend the charter—essentially the city’s constitution—and could be undone only by another referendum. On March 10, voters will decide on the project itself.
All but $1,000 of the $30,000 in contributions to Save Boca came from Pearlman. Of the roughly $36,000 to the petition committees, all came from Pearlman except for two contributions of $651.55 from the Golden Triangle Neighborhood Association—where Pearlman lives—and $2,350 from Buffy Tucker. Records list her as the vice president of Save Boca. She does not own property in the city, but she lists her address as a home in the Golden Triangle, the area between Mizner Park and Northeast Fifth Avenue.
One contribution of $2,320.83 from Pearlman is for “legal services.” Pearlman is not a lawyer. I have tried to find out who wrote the proposed ordinance and charter and whether Save Boca contacted a lawyer. Pearlman has not returned calls for comment. Tucker referred me to Pearlman.
One might expect that Pearlman will self-finance his campaign against Wigder, who has loaned his campaign $100,000. That could be a big-money race.
Delray commissioners to discuss proposed noise ordinance
During today’s workshop meeting, Delray Beach city commissioners will discuss a proposed noise ordinance.
The problem is one facing many South Florida cities where downtown revival has brought economic success but drawn complaints from neighbors. In Delray Beach, the area in question is the entertainment district—two blocks north and south of East Atlantic Avenue between Swinton Avenue and Federal Highway.
Whatever rules the commission approves would apply from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. except within the entertainment district, where they would be in effect until 1 a.m. There would be exemptions for police and fire vehicles, alarms and city-sponsored events—notably fireworks displays.
Not surprisingly, the acceptable levels would be sounds generated by a busy street. Getting to that level, though, relies on very technical analysis and arcane terms. Example: Impulsive sounds, which are of “short duration with a rapid onset and rapid decay in which the total time from the initial onset of the sound wave to the peak pressure level of the wave of the time of the first return of the sound wave to the ambient sound level is less than one second.” Think nail gun explosions and gunshots.
Restaurant owners and patrons have complained about drivers on Atlantic blasting horns or revving engines, to disrupt outdoor dining. The ordinance proposes a violation for the “sounding of any horn or signal device on any motor vehicle for an unnecessary or unreasonable period of time, or when directed to another person without a legitimate purpose and for the purposes of harassment.”
Under the proposal, any sound “may be determined to be in violation of the sound level limits described in this Chapter if found by an enforcement officer using their normal hearing faculties to be plainly audible inside a fully enclosed residential structure with windows and doors closed.” Fines would start at $250 and could go as high as $15,000. Code enforcement would issue warnings and citations.
I’ll have more after the meeting.
Delray Commissioners to discuss who will fill Rob Long’s seat
At today’s regular meeting, the commission will discuss filling Commissioner Rob Long’s Seat 2. Long’s term ends in March, but he must resign to run in the Dec. 9 special election for Florida House District 90.
Five people applied. Paul Cannon is chairman of the Police Advisory Board. Kenneth MacNamee is a longtime commission gadfly on financial issues. Christina Morrison serves on the Site Plan Review and Appearance Board and previously served on the Planning and Zoning Board. Yvonne Odom integrated Seacrest High School in 1961 and is a longtime activist and advocate for the northwest and southwest neighborhoods. Price Patton serves on the Planning and Zoning Board and previously served on the Historic Preservation and Planning and Zoning Boards.
Commissioners generally seemed inclined to delay their choice until after qualifying for Long’s seat ends on Friday. That way, any appointee would not have the advantage of running as an incumbent. None of the five applicants have filed paperwork to run. The race had drawn five candidates as of Monday. Morrison and Patton previously ran unsuccessfully. The commission next meets on Dec. 1 and 8, when Long’s resignation takes effect.
Of course, that assumes that the commission can agree on an interim. In 2016, the commission deadlocked for weeks on filling a short-term vacancy. Interestingly, one of the candidates for that appointment was Odom. According to the charter, two votes to fill a vacancy is the limit.
The return of Garlic Fest to Delray?
Garlic Fest could be returning to Delray Beach.
On the agenda for today’s meeting is approval of a permit that would bring back the event to Old School Square next Feb. 28 and March 1. The committee that advises the commission on special events recommended approval.
As the staff memo notes, Garlic Fest was in Delray Beach for 17 of its 27 years. About a decade ago, though, residents and some downtown business owners complained that the event had become too large and, paradoxically, also was not drawing new business. So, the commission denied the permit as part of a wider review of special event policy.
The memo calls the new event “a scaled-down version” of what came before. Roughly 4,000 people a day are expected.
