Happy 2024. Here’s some of what happened since my last post on Dec. 21.
Pebb Capital secures loan for Sundy Village project
Pebb Capital secured a $173 million construction loan for its Sundy Village mixed-use project in downtown Delray Beach.
According to a company news release, the financing comes from Chicago-based Monroe Capital and JP Morgan Chase. Sundy Village’s total cost is estimated at $240 million.
The project will bring 180,000 square feet of Class A office space to the city as Delray Beach seeks to recruit corporate tenants. Pebb executives say that they already have leased 141,000 square feet of that space.
Another 28,000 square feet will be what the company calls “experiential” retail space. Sundy Village will include seven restored historic buildings. A centerpiece will be the new Sundy House featuring what Pebb touts will be new culinary standards for Delray Beach dining.
Pebb took over the project, then called Midtown, from Hudson Holdings in 2019 and made revisions that pleased critics of the previous plan. According to the release, construction is scheduled for completion this summer.
Will RoofClaim.com continue to sponsor Boca Bowl?
South Florida routed Syracuse 45-0 in the most lopsided Boca Raton Bowl since the game started in 2014.
The question for now is whether the event will retain its sponsor. RoofClaim.com’s original deal has ended, but the Georgia-based roofing firm has an option for three more years.
ESPN’s Doug Mosley is executive director of the Boca Raton Bowl. In an email, Mosley said RoofClaim.com “hasn’t yet indicated whether they intend to opt in or out.” Mosley said, “We’ll know more by Jan. 15.”
That first game in 2014 was the only one without a name sponsor. Before RoofClaim.com, the sponsors were outdoor apparel company Marmot and Cheribundi, which makes and sells natural tart cherry juice.
“Delray Defacer” gets early termination of probation
The man who defaced Delray Beach’s LGBTQ Pride streetscape got early termination of his probation.
In 2021, two days after the city dedicated the painting at a Pineapple Grove intersection, Alexander Jerich left 15-foot skid marks after intentionally braking his truck hard. Jerich, who had been part of a birthday parade for Donald Trump, acted after another participant goaded him to “tear up that gay intersection.”
Prosecutors declined to charge Jerich with a hate crime. On June 7, 2022, Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Scott Suskauer sentenced Jerich to two years’ probation, even though he had faced a felony charge. Having served 18 months, Jerich last month sought to end probation.
Rand Hoch, founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, objected. But Jerich’s attorney claimed that his client’s probation officer had no objections and that Jerich “has completed all the conditions of probation.” Suskauer then granted the motion.
Owls Basketball puts FAU on the map
Florida Atlantic University’s men’s basketball team continues to get nationwide publicity.
A Dec. 22 Washington Post story invoked the Owls’ new motto “Winning in Paradise” while recounting the team’s trip last spring to the Final Four. Players recalled how they once played home games before “about 50 people.” Now the arena is sold out for every game this season.
The article appeared one day before FAU played then-fourth-ranked Arizona in Las Vegas. The Owls delivered before a national TV audience, defeating the Wildcats in a double-overtime thriller.
Yet last Saturday, FAU lost to Florida Gulf Coast. It was the second inexplicable loss this year, the first coming at home to lightly-regarded Bryant. The Owls came back Tuesday to win their first American Athletic Conference game, against East Carolina. They play Saturday at Charlotte.
Boca Chamber of Commerce endorses Thomson
Andy Thomson got another endorsement in his race against Brian Stenberg for Seat D on the Boca Raton City Council.
The Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce announced its support for Thomson, who is seeking to return to the council after an unsuccessful 2022 run for the Florida House. Thomson previously had received the endorsement of the firefighters’ union. The election is March 19.
Boca Bash defendant’s motion to dismiss rejected by prosecutors
Prosecutors filed their response to the motion to dismiss the case against a man accused of trying to strangle his girlfriend during the 2022 Boca Bash.
Cole Preston Goldberg claimed that the state lacked evidence to charge him with second-degree murder. The upgraded charge came after Goldberg refused a plea deal to a lesser charge.
In their filing, prosecutors rejected Goldberg’s argument that he would face “prosecutorial vindictiveness” for turning down the deal. Goldberg, they said, knew what would happen. The offer was “an accepted part of plea negotiations, as has been recognized by the courts for decades.” Nine depositions, the filing says, have produced that new evidence.
A hearing on Goldberg’s motion is set for Jan. 31.
As for what’s coming this week. . .
Delray to get update on Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan
At today’s 4 p.m. workshop meeting, Delray Beach city commissioners will get an update on the ambitious Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan.
The effort began more than two years ago and is nearing the point for commission approval. A consultant has held numerous community meetings, and the proposal went before the planning and zoning board last month.
According to the consultant, Delray Beach has 16.4 miles of bike lanes and 59.8 miles of sidewalk. Current plans call for adding 10 miles of bike lanes, but the plan recommends adding 52.5 miles. It also calls for making 30 more miles pedestrian-friendly. South Florida ranks among the most dangerous regions of the country for bikers and walkers.
The consultant recommends that the city carry out the bicycle and pedestrian upgrades in four tiers. Bicycle improvements would cost $103 million. Pedestrian upgrades would cost $15.5 million. Delray Beach also faces potentially $400 million in costs to protect the city from sea level rise.
I’ll have more after the meeting.
Proposal for retro affordable housing in Delray
Also at today’s workshop meeting, commissioners will hear a proposal on retro affordable housing.
The formal name is Multi-Tenant Housing Units, or MTHUs. Informally, they are 21st century versions of 20th-century rooming houses. Many of those drew young people with little money who were starting their first jobs.
The proposal comes from Delray Beach-based Jetta Investment Company. A fact sheet calls MTHUs “like traditional boarding rooms or Single Residential Occupancy (SRO) apartments, but with significant upgrades in technology, enhanced security requirements, strong tenant vetting, and strict regulations to ensure that they do not become a public nuisance like the older forms of SROs.”
Average rent for these apartments, Jetta says, is $600 per month. In Delray Beach, the average rent for a studio apartment is $1,800 per month. MTHUs, Jetta says, are designed as a “permanent housing option” for individuals who make less than $35,000 a year.
Jetta seeks changes to Delray Beach’s land-use regulations that would allow as many as 24 rooms for each property. Some rooms could be as small as 96 square feet, with the only requirement that each room have a closet and a sink. Residents would have to be at least 18 years old. Owners would have to screen tenants and provide adequate security.
Palm Beach County has an acute affordable housing problem. Jetta’s proposal has support from officials of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County and Delray Housing Group. I’ll have more after the meeting.
Boca looks to raise minimum apartment size
Speaking of ambitious plans and housing, Boca Raton wants to raise the minimum size of traditional apartments. It’s part of the city’s response to the Live Local Act.
The proposal goes before the planning and zoning board tonight. It would apply only to new units. Boca Raton is expecting a lot of projects to be filed under Live Local, which removes elected officials from the approval process.
Under the new rules, the minimum for efficiencies would increase from 400 square feet to 500. One-bedrooms would go from 550 square feet to 700 and two-bedrooms from 750 square feet to 900. There is no three-bedroom minimum now. The new rules would make it 1,050 square feet.
City Councilman Marc Wigder is a real estate lawyer. He said city planners are trying to “reconcile” divergent, outdated regulations in different parts of the city. Because the city annexed the Midtown area near Town Center Mall from the county, there are no regulations because residential development hasn’t been allowed.
The proposal “is a really big deal,” Wigder said. He added, “It shouldn’t be rushed.” He and officials in other cities are pushing for changes to Live Local. The proposal could come to the council next month.
