By Nirvi Shah
When a developer offered to buy Briny Breezes recently, the deal fell through in part because state planners didn’t warm to the deal. The state was concerned the proposed waterfront high-rises would overwhelm the surrounding area.
But a bill on Gov. Charlie Crist’s desk could kick aside similar roadblocks in the future — and lead to development that doesn’t have to gibe with the capacity of surrounding roadways. Crist must sign it by June 2 for it to take effect, or it could become law if he simply chooses not to sign it. He recently told The New York Times he “probably will” sign it.
The bill, which passed easily in the House and Senate, was proposed under the guise of economic development. Proponents say it would allow more projects to be approved because permitting would go more smoothly; curb sprawl by concentrating development in cities; and create more construction work. Palm Beach County Commissioner Karen Marcus finds fault with those justifications, however, and told Crist so in a letter she sent him in mid-May. At the end of the month, she persuaded the entire commission to write to Crist, joining her in opposition.
“It just totally guts growth management as we know it in Florida,” Marcus said.
She notes that there are plenty of approved development projects on the books, but there is little demand. Thousands of residential units across the state sit vacant. And she said the bill will rob local government agencies of the ability to address traffic concerns brought on by new development.
The bill would eliminate the state Department of Community Affairs’ authority to oversee projects of regional impact in a large part of the state. There would be no oversight for the way one government agency handles a large development that affects nearby municipalities.
The proposal applies to counties with at least 900,000 residents, labeling them “dense urban land areas.” They would be designated traffic concurrency exception areas, allowing developers to look past the requirement that roads be built — at their expense — to accommodate the traffic their projects cause.
But the “urban areas” the bill defines could have as few as one house per two acres. Bob Ganger, president of the Florida Coalition for Preservation, says the bill would consider much of Florida’s coastline such an urban area — and they are anything but. The group opposed the last proposal for development of Briny Breezes. “Ironically, the state has long recognized that the land and marine environment along our extensive shoreline require special protection from overdevelopment,” he said. “By exempting these priceless areas from traditional state scrutiny, we could be opening ourselves to abusive development practices affecting residents, visitors and the native habitats alike.”
Agencies that have the goal of boosting development — or redevelopment — including Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency, support the bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Bennett, a Bradenton electrical contractor. Bennett has said local opposition to projects that have the potential to turn roadways into parking lots could outweigh the effects of the bill, if it becomes law.
“The CRA supports giving cities and counties the power to enact their own restrictions when it comes to traffic enforcement,” spokeswoman Margee Walsh said. “Each city has different needs.”
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