Shops in California’s Carmel-by-the-Sea have distinctive style with paneled windows and carved doors. Photo provided

By Jane Smith

Downtown Delray Beach has a certain indefinable something, called an X-factor by urban consultant Bob Gibbs.
In late March, when Gibbs presented his analysis, he said Atlantic Avenue is a national standard for a walkable downtown with shopping and dining options.
He also gave suggestions about how the city could become the Southeast version of Carmel-by-the-Sea in California. The much smaller town has a population of about 4,000 with a strong style.
Delray Beach has an estimated population of nearly 66,000, according to the University of Florida’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
“Delray Beach has the potential to be known worldwide,” Gibbs said.
The city’s Downtown Development Authority sponsored his study and the Town Hall session where Gibbs gave his presentation at the Crest Theatre.
Gibbs touched on many of the city’s hot-button issues, such as parking, cleanliness, signs, architectural styles for the storefronts, landscaping and flowers, and the need for coordinated street furniture.
He thinks parking in the city garages should be free for at least two hours and possibly around the clock. “That would reduce the problem of employees parking in front of stores on Atlantic Avenue,” Gibbs said. The free parking also would appeal to shoppers who don’t mind walking.
Boca Raton and Naples have free parking in their city garages, he said.
Gibbs thinks meters on Atlantic, west of the Intracoastal Waterway, and the side streets could work in Delray Beach. He prefers single meters that can take credit cards, cash or coins or be operated via a smartphone.
“But Naples does not have meters on its streets,” Gibbs said. The rationale behind that decision should be explored by Delray Beach leaders, he said.
Gibbs thinks the city’s sign system needs work. “It should start at the interstate, continue into the downtown, point out the garages and the beachfront,” he said.
Then at key intersections, such as Atlantic and Northeast Second Avenue — the entrance to Pineapple Grove — signs should direct diners and shoppers to places in that area, Gibbs said.
Some people say brick-and-mortar stores are going away because of internet sales, but Gibbs remains bullish on downtown Delray Beach.
That prediction should hold true for the next five years, he said.
“We found the city could support 350,000 square feet more of retail space,” he said. “Stores want to be in a walkable downtown that Delray Beach has, not in a strip center.” The proposed developments of Atlantic Crossing and Midtown Delray plan to add 77,028 square feet of shops.
Speaking of strip-center styles, Delray Beach needs to stop allowing that design style with aluminum frame doors and dark-tinted windows. Gibbs didn’t want to share names, but he said there were seven or eight examples along Atlantic.
He suggested downtown Delray Beach shops aspire to be a version of Carmel-by-the-Sea stores, with paneled windows and carved doors.
Delray Beach hired planners from the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council to create design style guidelines. The City Commission has adopted them. The next step is to make sure the building owners follow the guidelines, Gibbs said.
“Tougher design guidelines were supported by a lot of developers,” he said. Gibbs talked with Delray Beach developers, along with retailers, for his analysis.
Landscaping and adding flowers are a quick fix to make the street look fresher, according to Gibbs.
For coordinated street furniture, Gibbs suggests that Delray Beach leaders decide on a design style for benches, bike racks, trash and recycling containers, and light posts. Then, as money allows, replace the mishmash of styles.
Gibbs called Delray’s DDA one of the most effective and best-managed organizations that he has worked for nationally.

Outgoing Ocean Ridge Mayor Geoff Pugh is flanked by his daughter, Alexis, wife, Lisa, and son, Jonathan, at a special reception in Town Hall on March 5 to recognize his 15 years of service to the town. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

Ocean Ridge commissioners unanimously chose James Bonfiglio to be the town’s next mayor, believing his experience as a lawyer could be useful in resolving some contentious legal matters on the horizon.
Bonfiglio, who was elected to the commission in 2014 after a long run on the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission, has been an advocate of aggressively enforcing building codes and strengthening the Police Department to deal with looming growth issues. “I think you all know that there is a lot of pending litigation facing us over the next few months,” Commissioner Don MaGruder said during the town meeting April 2. “Jim is certainly qualified to help (Town Attorney) Brian Shutt oversee that. With that I think that Jim is the most qualified on the commission to serve as mayor.”
Ocean Ridge is facing potential problems from two cases in the courts. Former Vice Mayor Richard Lucibella is facing felony charges over gunfire at his home in 2016, and his attorney has accused a town police officer of using excessive force. Also, developer William Swaim is challenging the town for refusing his plans to build houses behind Town Hall.
Bonfiglio, 64, likely will have a short tenure as mayor, however. He is a Democratic candidate for the state House District 89 race and under Florida’s “resign to run” law must leave the commission by November.
Commissioners chose MaGruder as the town’s vice mayor. Newly seated Commissioner Phil Besler nominated Steve Coz for the position, but the motion died for lack of a second. Kristine de Haseth, the commission’s other newcomer, then nominated MaGruder, who won the job on a 3-2 vote, with Besler and Coz dissenting.
Bonfiglio replaces Geoff Pugh, who resigned last month with a chorus of compliments after serving on the commission for 15 years, the last six as mayor.
“It’s been a great honor and a pleasure serving with you,” Bonfiglio told Pugh during the March 5 meeting. “I think you’ve been a great mayor.”
“I so appreciate your common sense and your love for Ocean Ridge,” Coz told Pugh. “You’ve merged those two into making the proper decisions that benefit the citizenry. I don’t know how we’re going to replace you, frankly.”
Pugh said his wife, Lisa, had attended only about four of his meetings but has heard all about them.
“She has put up with the total recap of every single meeting for 15 years,” Pugh said with a laugh. “She’s been my best sounding board.”
In other business, Police Chief Hal Hutchins says he is working with Manalapan Chief Carmen Mattox to develop a proposal under which Ocean Ridge would provide dispatching services to its northern neighbor.
Besides the revenue Ocean Ridge would collect from Manalapan, Hutchins said, his department would benefit from sharing immediate radio intelligence and links to Manalapan’s license plate recognition cameras. He said the arrangement could enhance the performance of both departments.
The chief said he would bring the commission more details at the meeting on May 7.

Phil Besler and Kristine de Haseth won in their first attempts at running for public office. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

Coastal advocate Kristine de Haseth said she “did a lot of door-to-door canvassing” in campaigning for a seat on the Ocean Ridge Town Commission, and growth-related issues ranked high on voters’ minds.
“When it affects daily life, that’s when they start paying attention,” she said.
Relief from traffic congestion, tighter code enforcement, more community policing — Ocean Ridge residents, de Haseth said, are looking for ways to cope with the impact of growth in surrounding communities and redevelopment within the town itself.
De Haseth, 55, director of the Florida Coalition for Preservation, struck the right chord with voters. She coasted to victory in the March 13 election, receiving 424 votes of the 585 ballots cast, or 72.5 percent.
Political newcomer Phil Besler claimed the other commission opening with 330 votes (56.4 percent).
Incumbent Gail Adams Aaskov, a 15-year commission veteran and former mayor, lost her seat, finishing a distant third with 175 votes (29.9 percent).
“I think people are ready for a change,” de Haseth said.
And more change is coming in Ocean Ridge. The commission will work under a new mayor, James Bonfiglio, who takes over for Geoff Pugh. He stepped down in March after six years at the helm. Then Bonfiglio’s seat is expected to open in November once he resigns to enter the state House District 89 race. Besler, 63, told voters his 40-year career as an accountant gives him experience that will help the town’s budgeting and fiscal management. A 13-year resident of Ocean Ridge, he says the commission has to develop a new strategic plan to prepare for the challenges that are coming.
“If you read the strategic plan for 2000, it’s not going to address what’s going to happen to us in the next 10 to 20 years,” Besler said. “We’ve got to get our arms around that.”
De Haseth said her work with the coalition over the past 12 years has enabled her to develop connections with neighboring communities that will benefit Ocean Ridge as it tries to maintain its character in the wake of regional growth.
“I bring a lot of knowledge about issues and the process of government,” she said. “I bring relationships with surrounding governments.”
Aaskov said she’s looking forward to moving on to other things and that her public service likely has ended.
“I donated 15 years to Ocean Ridge and wrote two books about it,” she said. “Enough is enough. I never had a personal agenda, which is more than I can say about some of the others.”
Turnout on Election Day was 35.8 percent of the 1,633 registered voters, with 107 voting by mail. There were 241 undervotes, meaning that many voters chose only one of the three candidates instead of the two selections they were allowed.
De Haseth said many of her backers intentionally under-voted to concentrate their support with her campaign and avoid raising the tallies of her rivals. “Why dilute your vote?” she said.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach can now boast it has two historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places.
The newest register listing came in mid-March when the National Park Service, which keeps the Historic Places list, decided that the Old School Square Historic District could join the Marina Historic District.
“We are delighted that this honor has at last been bestowed on one of our most cherished historic districts,” said JoAnn Peart, president of the Delray Beach Historic Preservation Trust. The city asked the group in 2014 to begin working on the district for submittal to the National Register. “It took a lot of time and sweat to get the district listed.”
The district, which runs along Swinton Avenue from Northeast Fourth Street to Southeast Second Street, is home to some of the city’s most significant buildings, including the Old School Square campus and the 1902 Sundy House, home of the city’s first mayor. Both are listed individually on the National Register.
After the state approved sending the district listing to the federal level in late November, Hudson Holdings — developer of the proposed Midtown Delray project in the southern half of the district — put out a flier with misinformation about what the National Register listing would mean to property owners, according to Historic Preservation Trust members.
“SAY ‘NO’ TO THIS DAMAGING DESIGNATION,” the flier copy read. Instead of being a feather in the cap, the National Register listing was described as limiting property repair and renovation, she said.
But the historic building changes and renovations are reviewed on the local level by the city’s Historic Preservation Board, Peart said. Nothing is done on the federal level, she said.
Steve Michael, Hudson Holdings co-founder, said he no longer opposes the designation.
“We originally thought they were trying to stop the development of Midtown Delray,” he said. “But we don’t think that anymore.”
Historic Presevation board chairman, John Miller, called the flier “mean-spirited and punitive.” On the flier, Hudson Holdings offered the services of its notary to have the statements certified, he said.
Michael said his team was trying to educate property owners about the designation. Midtown Delray received conditional approval from the city one week before the district was listed on the National Register in mid-March.
“We need to make them aware of the changes to our site plan that includes demolitions and slight relocations of historic buildings,” Michael said. “I don’t know when we will alert the National Park Service. We are trying to work on our site plan.”
The listing was delayed by 30 days after another district property owner appealed to the National Park Service in mid-February to postpone the decision. The owner promised to provide details, but didn’t produce them.

By Dan Moffett

South Palm Beach Mayor Bonnie Fischer says she met with county environmental officials in March and left convinced they are committed to going ahead with the town’s controversial beach stabilization project.
“The county is definitely moving forward,” Fischer said. “There’s been too much money spent by the county not to take it to fruition.”
Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management officials are working to secure the state permits necessary to begin construction of the project — a $5 million plan, 12 years in the making, to install a network of seven concrete groins along the beaches from the northern boundary of South Palm Beach to the southern edge of Lantana Municipal Beach.
The plan faces fierce opposition.
Manalapan and the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa have threatened legal action, claiming the groins would disrupt the natural flow of sand and hurt their beaches.
Opposition within South Palm Beach has been led by the Concordia East condominium group. The condo association has refused to grant the town and county an easement, and without it workers can’t access the beach for groin installation. Concordia homeowners worry about liability issues and potentially opening their beachfront to public access.
In February, Fischer and other Town Council members softened their support for the project, saying they would be open to other solutions — perhaps a more traditional beach renourishment plan. The mayor says she wants to discuss alternatives with the town’s neighbors.
“We’re trying desperately to get a meeting with Manalapan and Lantana to see their take and keep options open,” she said. “We also want to have a meeting with Concordia East about their easement.”
Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb believes negotiation is in the best interest of all parties.
“We need to work together, neighbor with neighbor, to solve our mutual problems — that includes Manalapan, Lantana, ourselves and Palm Beach,” Gottlieb said. “We need to get something that doesn’t hurt any community and helps all the folks involved, especially the public beach in Lantana.”
Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan thinks the county is doing the right thing by continuing to seek permits for the groins.
“Once we get the permits in place, then we can change what we want to do,” she said. “Then we’d have the options. It doesn’t mean that we have to go with the groins. We can go with restoration and other options.”
After years of watching their beach drift away, South Palm residents likely still have months of waiting ahead before they find out whether government can come up with something to slow the erosion.
“We just have to wait and see,” Fischer said.
In other business,
• Town Manager Mo Thornton says the town is switching to a different AT&T phone system to improve communications at Town Hall. She said the new phones cost “almost exactly the same” as those employees currently use and, frankly, hate.
“It’s almost impossible to carry out the town’s business on the telephone,” Thornton said, “because the service is so bad.”
• The council unanimously approved moving its meetings from the fourth Tuesday of each month to the second Tuesday. The change resolves a scheduling conflict for Town Attorney Glen Torcivia. The council’s new meeting schedule will begin at 7 p.m. May 8.

Winter storms in the Northeast that produced lots of snow and intense wind meant high surf for Palm Beach County in early March.
ABOVE: John Shipley of Delray Beach surfs down the line after being pulled into the wave by a jet ski at the Boynton Inlet. Photo provided by James Arena
BELOW LEFT: Surfers at the Boca Raton Inlet. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
BELOW RIGHT: Waves pound the sand-pumping station at the Boynton Inlet, sending spray more than 35 feet into the air. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

C. W. ‘Bill’ LeRoy, who moved to South Palm 2 ½ years ago, won election with the third-most votes. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Dan Moffett

Vice Mayor Robert Gottlieb went into the March election with a simple message for South Palm Beach voters.
Gottlieb told them that, after 45 years of living in the town and more than a decade of service as an elected official, no one knows the community better than he does. And because of that long relationship, voters pretty much knew everything they needed to know about Robert Gottlieb.
“In this town, it’s all about the beaches,” he said. “That has to be our priority. People understand that. ”
Gottlieb’s message carried him to an easy victory on March 13 as he led the six-candidate Town Council field with 268 votes. The other incumbent in the race, Councilwoman Stella Gaddy Jordan, finished a distant second with 190, and newcomer C.W. “Bill” LeRoy took the third open seat with 161.
“I’m honored, and I’m humbled and the only thing I care about is our town,” Gottlieb said.
Gottlieb and Jordan claim full two-year terms, and LeRoy takes over the one year remaining on the seat formerly occupied by Joe Flagello, who died suddenly after winning re-election in March 2017.
Jordan, an eight-year veteran on the council, said she will continue to press for tighter fiscal responsibility and transparency on spending. She said the council needs to take a hard look at its state pension obligations to employees and may have to consider other ways to provide benefit compensation.
“Controlling expenses is very difficult with the Florida retirement system,” Jordan said. “A 401(k) might be a way to create savings for the town and encourage employees to contribute their money.”
Gottlieb and Jordan agree that the town has to explore other options to restore its eroding beachfront because the long-awaited beach stabilization project with the county — a plan to install concrete groins to capture and hold sand — appears indefinitely stalled.
“It seems to be moot now,” Jordan said, because of problems obtaining the necessary easements and opposition from Manalapan officials. Jordan said the council has to turn more of its attention to renovating or reconstructing the aging Town Hall.
“A big priority is maintaining the town’s flavor and character,” she said.
LeRoy said he won his seat without putting forth an agenda. “I don’t really have any issues,” he said. “I just want to keep South Palm Beach the beautiful town it already is.”
A native of Peoria, Illinois, LeRoy moved to the town 2 ½ years ago. “I’m very grateful for the friends and neighbors who came out to support me in the election,” he said.
The other three candidates in the race were Raymond McMillan (110 votes), Mary Alessandra Hall (74) and Kevin Hall (68). In all, 349 residents cast ballots, 23.7 percent of the town’s 1,277 registered voters. Fifty-two of the votes were absentee ballots.
There were 175 under-votes, meaning dozens of voters either did not understand they could select three candidates for the three open seats, or consciously chose only one or two and ruled out the other entrants.

Candace Friis, at home in Gulf Stream, says her real estate career feeds her love of people and spaces. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

Degrees in sculpture and economics don’t typically point one to a career in real estate, but that’s where Candace Friis has found her niche for the past 25 years.
“It’s an interesting tale how I got to that,” said Friis, whose work for The Corcoran Group has earned a top Realtor ranking in beach waterfront property by sales volume from both The Wall Street Journal and REAL Trends.
“After college, I went to Denmark and then met my husband, Nils, who’s Danish, back in West Virginia (where she grew up),” the Gulf Stream resident, who chose not to share her age, said. “He was very esoteric, with a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.
“My plan was to go back and get a degree in architecture, but he said, ‘Don’t do that, go back and get something more solid,’ and he suggested economics. I wouldn’t have planned it, but as it turned out both disciplines worked out for me.”
Their travels ultimately brought them to South Florida, and having done some interior design work in New York City, Friis said she was “attracted to spaces” and decided real estate could “be a great avenue for me.”
“I loved working with people, and I loved the interior spaces, and ultimately I wound up going back to the architecture I never did pursue. I wouldn’t have planned it, but it worked out great.”

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you? 
A: I grew up near Charleston, West Virginia, where my parents owned an historic inn.
Growing up, I was constantly meeting new people and helping out where needed. This “pitch in and help get the job done” attitude was instilled in me as a child. After high school, I attended Goddard College in Vermont and graduated with a BFA in fine art specializing in sculpture. Then, after graduation, I traveled throughout Europe and studied sculpture in Sweden at the renowned Swedish glass factory Orrefors. I fell in love with everything Scandinavian and enrolled in school in Copenhagen, where I studied and became fluent in the Danish language. 
When I returned to the USA, I attended Lehigh University and earned a B.S. in economics. I am fortunate to have a background in both the arts and economics, because both have contributed greatly to the success in my real estate career as well as the other business that my family has developed, Essio Shower, a company which produces a shower device that allows one to take an aromatherapy shower with essential oils.
My background has definitely provided me with an ability to understand people’s needs and to relate to the use of space in our everyday lifestyles. My background in fine arts, specifically sculpture, has provided me with the ability to be instrumental in the design of our products at Essio and the marketing of the products.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of? 
A: I have worked and specialized in luxury real estate for the past 25 years and am proud to have been recognized by The Wall Street Journal as one of the top 100 real estate professionals in the USA. Further, I consistently achieve the honor of being placed in my firm’s elite Presidents Council, which is comprised of the top 30 producers nationally. I am also on the board of directors for our shower company, Essio Shower.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today? 
A: Work from your passion. Without passion and a love for what you do, you will never have success. Be willing to work hard and never give up.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in Gulf Stream? 
A: When we relocated from New York to Florida, we had three small children. The proximity to the Gulf Stream School was really important as it gave us more flexibility with work.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in Gulf Stream? 
A: The sense of community and the sense of safety that a small town provides. I believe this feeling of community builds confidence in small children. The beach access and laid-back lifestyle are both awesome and a big wow for me.

Q: What book are you reading now? 
A: A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. It is a book about Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, who was placed under house arrest in 1922 when the Bolsheviks spared him from death because of the 1913 revolutionary poem he wrote while he was still in university. 

Q: What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A: When I need inspiration, I like to listen to Adele. Her voice is full of soul, and the fact that she writes most of her own lyrics makes her music more inspirational to me. When I want to relax, I am fortunate enough to live near the ocean, and the sound of the ocean is the most soothing sound I know. It is great to hear it at night.

Q: Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions? 
A: “Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.” — Maya Angelou

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: I am inspired by innovators and people who pursue ideas that go beyond existing constraints and create novel solutions born from their own sheer creativity. I am totally inspired by Elon Musk and his ability to view the world through an open lens. My father was definitely an inspiration. He was kind and smart and he let me know he believed a girl could do anything a boy could do and without a shadow of a doubt. He continually believed in me.

Q: If a movie were made of your life, whom would you like to play you?
A: Annette Bening, because she is charismatic, funny, intelligent and sensitive, making her very relatable. But she has a strong presence and is capable of carrying a leading role. She seems like a multifaceted and interesting individual, thus choosing the same in characters/roles.

Concrete power poles have been installed along Southeast Seventh Avenue in the Marina Historic District. Photo provided

By Jane Smith

Florida Power & Light will move four recently installed concrete power poles on Southeast Seventh Avenue in the Marina Historic District.
FPL obtained the proper permits from the Florida Department of Transportation to install 12 poles in the area, according to Lauren Hills, utility spokeswoman. Upgrading the power grid began in March to supply the Atlantic Crossing project and future development in the area, she said.
But the utility did not apply for city permits for the work, City Manager Mark Lauzier said.
As a result, Lauzier stopped the work March 27 until the proper permits were pulled. Four poles were found to be on private property, he said. These will be moved into the city’s right of way.
Lauzier told the City Commission on March 29 that he is starting a new city policy requiring FPL or its contractor to pull a permit if the utility is doing work in the city. He also directed staff to come up with a way to note offsite power supply requirements to major developments going through the city’s review process.
Builder and property owner Michael Marco was pleased with the swift action.
“Although this situation seemingly caught some city officials by surprise, the quick response by the city manager, attorney and engineer under the direction of the outgoing Mayor Cary Glickstein was truly commendable,” Marco said via email on March 29.
“Many Marina Historic District residents were resigned to being overwhelmed and outmaneuvered by FPL, but in this case the city government worked hard on behalf of the citizens.”
Marco’s company bought a Southeast Seventh property in 2015. It subdivided the land into two lots and spent about three years going through the city’s approval process to renovate a home at 55 SE Seventh Ave.
“I’m happy to pay the price to keep the historic character,” he said. “But overnight, FPL just came in and destroyed the character of the neighborhood” by placing a 55-foot-high concrete pole between the lots on private property.
He and four other district property owners appealed to the City Commission on March 20.
“If we had received notice of the power poles or the poles were brought to the attention of the city’s Historic Preservation Board, we would have lobbied against them,” said Dan Sloan, former president of the district homeowners association. “We would have requested they be buried or rerouted from our district.”
Sloan was involved in last year’s negotiated settlement with the proposed Atlantic Crossing project.
At the time of the meetings, Edwards Companies didn’t know how FPL would service the Atlantic Crossing site, said Andrea Knibbs, the project publicist.
“To this date, they still haven’t shared details regarding the design or schedule,” said Don DeVere, Edwards’ vice president.
On March 30, Lauzier met with two FPL representatives to let them know of the policy change and “to improve communications with the city.”
The utility was contrite. “We apologize for the miscommunications to the city and its residents,” Hills said April 2 via email.
After the city permits are obtained, FPL will notify the affected property owners, Hills said. She predicted work would finish at the end of April.

Beads, bands and beer
just part of the fabric
of annual event

More than 100,000 Floridians and snowbirds gathered March 17 along Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach to celebrate the city’s 50th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The current parade organizer has announced that he intends to retire from coordinating the event, but the city pledges to keep the event alive next year.

ABOVE: Over the past decade, the parade has focused on being a patriotic celebration of firefighters, including this group from West Palm Beach. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

LEFT: Joan Fisk of Deerfield Beach, who has attended numerous Delray parades, wears a vintage Power’s Lounge shirt in honor of the late Maury Power, the parade founder. RIGHT: Delray Beach friends Lisa Ophel and Ellie Beckworth are dressed for the occasion. 

ABOVE: David Russo, from West Palm Beach, was one of dozens of marchers from Bethesda Memorial Hospital who gave away beads.

By Jane Smith

The Riverwalk Plaza renovation continues to inch forward.
In late March, the Prime Catch restaurant owner traded a small mangrove strip along the Intracoastal Waterway for 50 guaranteed parking spaces for his patrons in the renovated Riverwalk Plaza.
“The deal is done,” said Luke Therien, whose family owns Prime Catch. “We were sure it would happen. It was just a question of when.”
As of April 3, the exchange was not recorded in the county property records.
Riverwalk Plaza sits at the southwestern base of the Woolbright Road Bridge in Boynton Beach.
After the Winn-Dixie grocery store left the plaza in January 2015, the owners sought land-use and zoning changes for a 10-story apartment complex.
The controversial building — with 326 units and 41,976 square feet of retail space — was approved in January 2017. Construction work for the renovated outparcel buildings is underway. The renovated space will house two restaurants currently in other locations within the plaza: Bond & Smolders and Sushi Simon.
Shaul Rikman, founder and CEO of Isram Realty, which owns Riverwalk Plaza, could not be reached for comment.
The owners of Josie’s Ristorante in Riverwalk questioned Prime Catch’s deal for parking spaces. The Setticasi family said their lease gives them first dibs on the parking in Riverwalk and does not allow for cross agreements.
Isram agreed in February that it could not pay to buy out the 10 years remaining on the restaurant’s lease, Stephanie Setticasi said.
The firm planned to build around the restaurant, Setticasi said.
As of April 2, no updated designs were submitted to the city’s Planning & Zoning Division.

By Emily J. Minor

BRINY BREEZES ­— Alma Coir, who began coming to Briny Breezes in the 1940s when the view out the car window was citrus and cattle, died March 10 after a brief illness. Many town residents grew to know her for her love of reading and, near the end, she spent many hours on the porch, a book in hand, a dog on her lap. Mrs. Coir was 93.
Born in Germany on Aug. 16, 1924, she was the daughter of Dorothea and Wilhelm Gnosa, who moved to the United States very soon after Mrs. Coir was born. The couple chose to settle in rural Michigan because Mrs. Coir’s mother had a brother there. A farm girl who wore homemade dresses, Mrs. Coir often told her children about the one-room school she had attended. 
“She’d often remember being in the third grade and hearing the 12th-grade students get their exercises,” said her son Mark Coir. 
When she got home from school, her parents made a point of sitting with her and her older sister as they learned English and other subjects from the day. 
Later, in middle school, the family moved to Detroit, where Mrs. Coir attended the now-defunct Thomas M. Cooley High School. When she graduated in 1942, she had already met her future husband, Donald Coir, a tool and die worker at Burroughs Corp. Later, Mr. Coir — who died in 2002 at the age of 84 — became an engineer at Burroughs, which manufactured adding machines, typewriters and eventually computers. 
It was Donald Coir who brought Alma Coir to Briny; his parents had discovered the simple beauty of this oceanside campground a few years before the couple’s marriage. After Mr. Coir’s parents died, Donald and Alma Coir bought into Briny Breezes in 1983.
Mark Coir’s father didn’t live long enough to know about the development offer that almost made many Briny Breezes residents millionaires. The 2007 deal never came through. But Mrs. Coir certainly remembered that, said her son, and it was just one of the many excitements she handled with care and deliberation, he said. 
“She was a very kind, compassionate and wise woman,” he said. “She knew how to serve counsel within the family and to keep confidences. That’s a very unusual thing.”
For the most part, the family spent its growing years in Novi, northwest of Detroit, but there were plenty of road trips to Florida when Mark Coir and his three siblings were kids. 
“It was a different Florida,” he said. “We would see those big houses along A1A and wonder about all that money.
“As we got older and more sophisticated and traveled the world, we became more wise and realized that Briny was very unique.”
After her husband died, Mrs. Coir told her kids she wasn’t going to Briny any more. But the very next year she “went a little early and stayed a little longer,” he said. Her last months were spent in the oceanside park she’d come to love, he said. 
In addition to Mark Coir and his partner Diane Schmale, who live near Jacksonville, Mrs. Coir is survived by daughter Kathlyn and her husband, Doug Weier, of Connecticut, who are well known in Briny Breezes; son Ronald and his wife, Sandie, of Michigan; and daughter Doris Hambacher of Chicago.
Seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren also survive her. 
Mrs. Coir was cremated, and services were held March 27 at the Briny Breezes clubhouse. The family asks that Mrs. Coir’s favorite charities be considered for memorials: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

By Jane Smith

Dogs won’t frolic at Oceanfront Park anytime soon.
That’s the recommendation the Boynton Beach Recreation & Parks Board made in late March.
Members voted 5-1 after reviewing a residents’ survey where nearly 70 percent were for allowing dogs on the beach during select days and hours. About 56 percent of the survey takers wanted the dogs to be leashed. Slightly more than 1,100 people responded to the unscientific survey posted on the city’s website.
“Our beach is not the right place to have it,” said Charles Kanter, a board member who made the motion despite the poll result. He said the short length of the beach at 960 feet does not provide enough space for a dog park.
Board member Christina Johnson was for allowing dogs at Oceanfront Park. “Not that many residents would buy the permits,” she said.
The City Commission will discuss the issue on April 20.
Commissioner Joe Casello raised the topic last August after taking his cairn terrier, Charlie, to the dog beach in Jupiter. “He really loves it,” Casello said.
At Jupiter’s Dog Beach, no permits are required for the 2.5-mile stretch of beach. Lately, the town’s vice mayor has talked about decreasing the beach portion where dogs are allowed.
In December, Boynton Beach Mayor Steven Grant asked the parks board to poll residents about allowing dogs on the beach at Oceanfront Park.
The park, while owned by Boynton Beach, sits within the town of Ocean Ridge. That arrangement led to an October meeting between Boynton Beach city staffers and their Ocean Ridge counterparts. The message from Ocean Ridge was clear: Its laws do not allow animals on the public beach. Private beach owners, though, could allow dogs.
Boynton Beach staff delivered that message in December. Even so, Casello wanted to proceed with creating a dog beach.
At the start of the parks board’s discussion, Recreation & Parks Director Wally Majors proposed allowing dogs at Oceanfront Park on three days, Fridays through Sundays, for a limited time each morning and evening.
The morning time would be 7 to 8:30, Majors said. In the evenings from November to March, the hours would be 4:30 to 6, and in the off-season from April to October, the hours could be 5 to 8, he said.
Two board members wanted to know what would happen to the owners who kept their dogs on the beach longer. Would they be fined? That’s to be decided, Majors said.
Monitoring the dog beach at Oceanfront Park would cost between $15,000 and $20,000. The amount would cover hiring a park ranger to enforce the boundaries and time limits and then for a maintenance crew to clean the beach, Majors said.
He didn’t think volunteers could be counted on to do the work, although volunteers run the dog beach in Jupiter.
Majors also wanted people to buy permits to ensure the dogs are up to date on shots.
Asked whether they would be willing to buy a permit, 430 survey takers, or slightly more than 66 percent, said yes and 225 said no.
But 475 people skipped the question. Their lack of response created uncertainty about how many people would buy the permit.

By Dan Moffett

When Briny Breezes Town Council members started considering the idea of creating a manager’s position two years ago, they thought that the right person for the job might be able to increase the amount of state and federal grant money the town receives.
Some council members even suggested that a savvy town manager might be able to generate enough in grants and savings from improved efficiency to offset the part-time job’s $40,000 allotted salary.
The position could actually come close to paying for itself, they reasoned.
Council President Sue Thaler says Briny Breezes is beginning to see those kinds of returns from Dale Sugerman, who became the town’s first manager in January.
Sugerman, with a career in municipal government that spans four decades, has been working to bring tens of thousands in Federal Emergency Management Agency grant money to the town — enough to purchase two or perhaps three trailer-mounted generators to keep Briny functioning during the next bad storm.
“It’s definitely some of what we were hoping for,” Thaler said. “He’s gone after that grant in a very knowledgeable way. He’s got 40 years’ experience and he knows the importance of tying all the knots in a FEMA application and creating the right documentation.”
Sugerman told the council on March 22 that FEMA has committed $15 million to mitigation projects in Palm Beach County, so “there’s a very good chance we will be funded” for the generators.
The manager also reported progress in negotiations with the state over Briny’s population. After the 2010 census, the town’s official population was set at 601, but three years later, the government recalculated it using different methods and lowered the official number to 420.
Population is important because it affects revenue sharing. More people means more state money coming to the town.
Sugerman said he contacted officials at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida, which calculates population estimates for the state, and persuaded them to use the counting methods that resulted in the higher number from 2010.
So, Briny’s population rose by 181 without gaining a resident.

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach City Commissioners voted to install themselves as their Community Redevelopment Agency board members.
The members of the CRA board were replaced immediately with the vote.
Citing displeasure with the pace of West Atlantic redevelopment and the $19.5 million of taxpayer dollars at stake, the city commissioners voted 4-1 on April 3 for the takeover.
In May, it will be five years that the CRA has been trying to redevelop three blocks of West Atlantic Avenue. Residents of surrounding neighborhoods have been waiting 20 years for a full-service grocery store.
Meanwhile, the CRA has focused on the flashy, east side of Atlantic Avenue with new projects such as the iPic movie theater and the Atlantic Crossing mixed-use project.
“Thirty-two years ago promises were made that parts of the city would be rebuilt,” said Deputy Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson. “There’s been no demonstrable development on West Atlantic Avenue.”
She urged the other commissioners to act boldly and “vote to dissolve the CRA board.”
New commissioner Ryan Boylston said, “I won’t be voting to dissolve the CRA board tonight.”
He wanted to wait until the City Commission goal-setting workshop on April 20 and 21.
Seventeen people spoke about the CRA prior to the vote. Eleven wanted to keep the independent board.
“Why is this the first item of the new commission?” asked Reggie Cox, a CRA board member. “Some would say it’s deceitful, bamboozling.”
Ex-CRA board member Herman Stevens said to Johnson, “Don’t fear the heavy-handed Facebook attack about your decision . . . The CRA should be about community service, not self-service.”
The City Commission will discuss adding two independent members at its April 10 workshop.
Johnson asked at the end of the March 29 organizational meeting to have the takeover resolution discussed on April 3.
On March 7, at the end of a nearly nine-hour meeting, Johnson said she was wrong in voting to keep the CRA board last spring when she was first elected to the commission.
At that point she wanted to dissolve the CRA board because its members were going to reconsider in two days allowing a Publix grocery store to tie up potential development of the 600 block of West Atlantic Avenue for another five years. Because it was less than a week before Election Day — when four of the five commission seats could change — Johnson agreed with her commission colleagues that the optics of the takeover would look bad.
“It’s more dysfunctional than ever,” she said of the CRA board on March 7.
The City Commission had the opportunity last summer to make changes to the CRA board, but only two new members were appointed. Johnson wanted to see a clean sweep with new members in the four open seats. The CRA board has seven members who each serve four-year terms.
Johnson also said some of the CRA board members were disrespectful to CRA Chairwoman Annette Gray with their late arrivals and early departures from the meetings.
“And now, they want to change their bylaws to hold only one meeting a month,” Johnson said on March 7. The CRA board members, all volunteers, meet twice monthly and usually have a workshop session before the second monthly meeting.
At this point in time, the CRA board needs to take action at its meetings, Johnson said.
West Atlantic redevelopment was first talked about in the fall of 2012. Six months later, the CRA made its first request for development proposals for the key 600-800 blocks of West Atlantic Avenue.
The CRA board selected Equity Enterprises USA Inc. in October 2013 to redevelop 6 acres into a mixed-use project, called Uptown Atlantic. Equity agreed to pay the CRA $1 million for the land in May 2014.
The Delray Beach City Commission gave Uptown Atlantic approval in June 2015.
West Atlantic residents rallied behind the Equity project. The proposal involved hiring local contractors and subcontractors and including a grocery store in the project; something the community identified as a need years ago. It also promised to use local contractor Randolph & Dewdney.
Equity parted with Randolph’s company in the second half of 2016 when the contractor couldn’t get bonding for the multimillion-dollar project. When the developer asked for another 120-day extension in December 2016, the CRA board said no.
That move put the CRA board and staff back to square one with the Northwest and Southwest neighborhoods, now rebranded as The Set.

By Dan Moffett

New Town Council members Bill Birch and Kathy Gross took the oath of office on March 20, completing a governmental overhaul in Briny Breezes that has been many months in the making.
Besides the addition of the two aldermen, Dale Sugerman, a veteran South Florida administrator, is starting his third month as the first town manager in Briny Breeze’s history.
Roger Bennett, who served as the town’s mayor from 2007 to 2013, returns for another term after defeating Mike Hill in a 3-2 council vote in November.
And Maya Coffield joins the administration as deputy clerk after accepting the job in February.
Birch and Gross were unopposed for their seats, after incumbents Bobby Jurovaty and Jim McCormick withdrew their applications for the March election when the challengers came forward.
McCormick said he wanted to save the town the cost of the election, about $8,000, and Jurovaty said he had grown frustrated by the continued bickering between the council and the corporate board. Both aldermen joined the council in April 2014.
Gross, 58, who has been a full-time resident of Briny for about four years, said she “felt the need to represent the people.” Birch, 64, became a full-time resident in the town a year and a half ago, leaving a career as an architect in New Jersey — experience that may prove useful to the council as it considers ways to enforce and improve the town’s building codes.
Jurovaty’s exit required the council to name a new town clerk pro tem, a statutory mandate that Coffield’s part-time position be backed by an elected official or volunteer resident. The council unanimously approved Alderwoman Christina Adams for the position.

Most shareholders of the Briny Breezes mobile home park are not interested in marketing their community for sale. At least that’s how they voted Feb. 28.
After a petition drive led by a resident — who is also a Realtor — to list Briny for $1 billion, the park’s corporate entity held a vote as part of its annual shareholders meeting to see if residents were interested in pursuing a sale.
More than 66 percent of the votes cast said no to listing Briny Breezes and its assets for sale.
— Staff report

By Mary Thurwachter

Lantana will spruce up the town’s 17 bus passenger shelters and benches in April.
Each will be sandblasted, primed and get a fresh coat of regal blue paint.
The shelters are 17 years old and haven’t been repainted before, says Linda Brien, the town’s director of operations.
“We are projecting the work will take about two weeks,” Brien said. Albright Construction LLC will do the job, which will cost the town $7,650.
Brien said the town had received some comments about the condition of the bus stops.
In other news:
• Mayor David Stewart was sworn in for another three years. He had no opposition, so the town didn’t have an election in March.
• Council members chose Ed Shropshire as vice mayor and Malcolm Balfour as vice mayor pro tem.
• The council waived the rental fee for the Recreation Center to permit a tent to be installed for the annual Fishing Derby from April 19-May 9. The fee is normally $25 an hour on weekdays and $75 an hour on weekend days.
• The town hired Zambelli Fireworks Manufacturing Co. to put on the fireworks show for the Fourth of July at a cost of $30,000. Ú

The revamped visitors center is open every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It contains brochures about local merchants, a Delray Beach map and a historic-photo display. Jerry Lower/ The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

The Delray Beach Visitor Information Center, at 2 S. Ocean Blvd., re-opened with a new look and triple the space in March. It has new floors, ceilings, windows, doors, racks to hold brochures about local merchants, and a Delray Beach map and historic-photo display.
The center was a renovation project of the Downtown Development Authority’s partnership with the city of Delray Beach. Architect Roy Simon and interior designer Maura Taft donated their services.
“With this updated look and feel, we can really showcase all that our Village by the Sea has to offer,” said Laura Simon, the Downtown Development Authority’s executive director.
The center is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every day.

To be in the know about Delray Beach happenings, check out DelrayBeachCalendar.com, covering 10 categories. The calendar is open to all producers holding events in Delray Beach.
“This initiative was the brainchild of Old School Square’s Rob Steele, brought up at a Downtown Development Authority team meeting, with the city of Delray Beach paying for the website, the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce developing the site, and the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative administering, promoting and running it,” said Stephanie Immelman, executive director of the Marketing Cooperative.

Dorothy Ellington, president and CEO of the Delray Beach Housing Authority, recently addressed members of the Sunrise Kiwanis Club. She spoke about the challenges the Housing Authority faced in redeveloping the former Carver Estates Public Housing complex that was devastated by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The site is now home to 144 families with children and 84 households with members 55 and older. 

Royal Investment Group moved its headquarters from Orlando to Mizner Park in Boca Raton, signing a 10-year lease for 5,316 square feet of space in the office tower. Broker Kathleen Yonce, of Boca Raton-based Key Investment Advisors, represented the tenant in the deal. According to its website, Royal Investment Group is an independent broker dealer of real estate that does investment banking, brokerage and design-build services on behalf of major real estate investors.

Caspian Delray Beach, a mixed-use development at 190 S. Federal Highway with 146 apartments and 3,478 square feet of retail and office space, has four suites available for lease. The suites range in size from 795 to 930 square feet and are priced under $40 per square foot gross. For more information, call Nicole Fontaine, director of leasing and sales for Katz & Associates, at 869-4350, or Roxanne Register, vice president of leasing and sales at Katz & Associates, at 869-4346.

Menin Development Inc. received final site-plan approval from the city of Delray Beach on its hotel development, The Ray, to be located in the Pineapple Grove Arts District of downtown. Designed by Gonzalez Architects in Miami, The Ray is scheduled to be completed fall 2019. Features include 143 rooms and suites, three restaurants, an event space, rooftop pool and lounge area and fitness center.

Morse Operations Inc. received $114.3 million in financing last month for 10 automobile dealerships in Florida. Midvale, Utah-based Ally Bank is the lender, according to property records. It covers dealerships in Brandon, Tampa, Lakeland, Port Richey, Delray Beach, Riviera Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise and Lake Park. The company said it is planning to expand.

Douglas Elliman Real Estate hosted its annual awards celebration, the Ellies, on March 5, to honor its top performers at Etaru Restaurant in Hallandale Beach. Four of the top agents were (l-r) Steven Solomon, Ingrid Carlos, Sue Tauriello and Erik Ring. Photo provided

Hedge-fund manager and Miami Worldcenter co-developer William Powers sold his estate at 901 S. Ocean Blvd., Delray Beach, for $26.75 million. The sale was recorded on March 20. Powers paid $19 million for the property in 2015 about a year after it was built. Devin Kay of Douglas Elliman held the listing. Nicholas Malinosky of Douglas Elliman represented the buyer, QCRE VII, a Delaware limited liability company with a New York address. Affiniti Architects designed the five-bedroom house, which was built by Boca Raton developer Mark Timothy. Interiors were designed by Marc-Michaels Interior Design.

An ocean-to-Intracoastal estate at 1920 S. Ocean Blvd. in Manalapan was recently listed by Premier Estate Properties’ broker associate Pascal Liguori for $16.9 million. Recording star Billy Joel paid just under $12 million for the home in 2014 and listed it for sale in 2015 for $19.5 million. This is one of three Manalapan properties owned by Joel.
Built in 2005 and renovated in 2015, it is sited on 1.88 acres. The furnished eight-bedroom house has 13,216 total square feet, and features marble floors, pecky-cypress ceilings and Chicago-brick accents.
It appears Joel and family are expanding their Wellington holdings. Wife Alexis Roderick is an accomplished equestrian, and, as of Jan. 25, they own a farm on Palm Beach Point Blvd., adjacent to a ranch they bought in 2016. For information on the Manalapan estate, call 866-502-5441.

In February, Premier Estate Properties’ D’Angelo/Liguori team listed 2020 Royal Palm Way in Boca Raton for $14.75 million. The home has 96 feet on the Intracoastal Waterway, 11,504 total square feet and five bedrooms. It was built by Bloomfield Construction.
Also, scheduled to be completed by year’s end, a Georgian-style home under construction at 4081 Ibis Point Circle in The Sanctuary was just listed by the D’Angelo/Liguori team for a preconstruction price of $8.95 million. With six bedrooms and 8,966 square feet of interior space, the home is being developed by Dan Swanson of Addison Development Group.
Another property recently listed by the D’Angelo/Liguori team is a new “Tropical Modern” home at 1141 Spanish River Road, Boca Raton. Priced at $10.495 million, it was constructed by JH Norman Construction and designed by Brenner Architecture Group. The five-bedroom, 12,533-square-foot home has water views from all major rooms. For information, call 866-281-2158.

Illustrated Properties, a member of The Keyes Family of Companies, has listed a brand-new mansion in Boca Raton for $11.5 million. Kathryn Gillespie is the listing agent for the 899 Enfield St. property. Developer Mary Widmer of JMW Florida Properties designed and developed the six-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot estate. The estate was built by Ed Clement of Sabre Custom Homes. 

Stephen and Marla Garchik purchased a 10,500-square-foot estate at 2474 S. Ocean Blvd., Highland Beach, from Richard Chaifetz for $8.417 million, according to property records. Chaifetz bought the property in 2000 for $7 million. Chaifetz is the founder and CEO of ComPsych Corp. Stephen Garchik is president of SJM Partners, a company that specializes in developing and managing commercial and residential projects throughout the eastern U.S., according to its website.

A local group from the Realtors Political Action Committee met with Florida senators and representatives in Tallahassee to ask for support on real estate-related issues. They included reducing assignment of benefits abuse that drives up insurance premiums for property owners; reducing the business rent tax; enacting legislation concerning vacation rentals that treats homeowners equitably; and increasing funding for the housing trust funds.

Sales of single-family homes in Palm Beach County, priced at $300,000 and above, made double-digit jumps year-over-year in February, with the greatest jump, 33.8 percent, in homes ranging from $300,000 to $399,999, the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches and Greater Fort Lauderdale reported. There was an 11.6 percent increase in the sale of homes $400,000 to $599,999; a 12.4 percent increase in homes $600,000 to $999,999, and a 17 percent increase in homes $1 million and up. 
Overall, there was a 4.8 percent year-over-year increase in closed sales, with a 2.9 percent decrease in cash transactions. The median sale price increased 9.5 percent to $345,000, and the median time to contract decreased 15.6 percent to 54 days.
In addition, inventory (active listings) decreased by 4 percent and the months’ supply of inventory decreased 3.7 percent to 5.2 months. 

Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa and Eau Spa received Forbes’ five-star award for the third year in a row as part of Forbes Travel Guide’s 2018 ratings. The Boca Beach Club received a four-star award; Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach received a five-star; Jove Kitchen & Bar, located within the Four Seasons, received a four-star; and Palm Beach Spa at Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach received a five-star.

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County won five American Advertising Awards from the American Advertising Federation of the Treasure Coast, in recognition of its work to promote Palm Beach County as a cultural tourism destination. 
The council received three Addys for its “Where Culture Always Shines” advertising campaign. Its online “Spring Training” campaign won a gold award, and the “About the Cultural Council” brochure took a silver award.

The Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce is growing, with 15 businesses added in January and February, making it well on its way to meeting its goal to add 70 members by the end of 2018.
“We are currently 40 percent ahead of projections,” said Michael Mohl, chairman of the chamber’s board. “With a very successful gala in January, we now turn our attention to our second annual Small Business Bow Tie 5K run, which will be held on April 14 at the Boynton Beach Mall.” The mall is at 801 Congress Ave. Registration will start at 6:30 a.m. and the run and walk will start at 7:30. The price to participate is $30, plus a $2.50 sign-up fee. The family-friendly 5K run is competitive and timed. For more information, call 927-7331 or email  chamber@boyntonbeach.org.

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County will host a Hot Topic Luncheon on the “New Role of State Colleges,” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 18 at the Atlantis Country Club, 190 Atlantis Blvd., Lake Worth.
Special guest speaker will be Ava Parker, president of Palm Beach State College. Before joining the college in 2015, Parker was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Florida Polytechnic University. Tickets are $25 per person until April 11, and $35 after that date. RSVPs are requested at www.lwvpbc.org or by calling 968-4123.

Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com.