The first round of reviews on Briny Breeze’s proposed changes to its long-range comprehensive plan are in, and there are two apparent trouble spots, according to agency and town officials who have filed initial comments.
Water and traffic.
Although those two growth issues plague many of Florida’s towns and cities, the state-required Evaluation and Appraisal Report that Briny officials sent to the state in September could make way for an increase in both new construction and residents.
Officials have done this with a vision that high-rise condominiums and low-impact businesses might one day replace existing mobile homes.
But — for starters — any changes like that means the town would need more water, says Peter Mazzella, deputy director of utilities for Boynton Beach.
So far, Briny officials haven’t talked to Boynton officials about this, Mazzella said.
“Briny hasn’t approached them (Boynton commissioners) about re-doing anything,” Mazzella said.
For years, the town has bought its water from Boynton, and Mazzella said there have been just very minor changes to the agreement since it was signed in 1984.
When Boynton rewrote its 20-year water plan last year, Mazzella said they left the Briny part as-is, with no accommodations for increased water use in the coming years.
“That doesn’t mean that one can’t be negotiated, but that’s a step that hasn’t been taken,” Mazzella said.
One of the major worries would be the water lines, he said, which couldn’t handle the increased pressure needed to provide fire service to high-rise buildings.
“There would certainly have to be a lot of improvements to the infrastructure for that velocity at that rate,” he said, adding that it’s not a deal-breaker. “All it takes is time and money.”
Briny Breezes Mayor Roger Bennett said they realize this is an issue.
“We talked to them briefly, but we haven’t really updated,” he said. “That’s something we need to do, and we’ll be talking to Boynton about that.”
Currently, Briny’s water use is capped at 448 gallons per minute. For high-rise fire protection, they’d need more like 1,500 gallons per minute, Mazzella said. And that doesn’t even address the issue of providing more water to more people, he said.
Briny’s EAR plan is under review by the state Department of Community Affairs, which is expected to release its preliminary comments in mid-December.
During this time, towns and agencies can comment on the proposed EAR.
The final DCA review of the plan is due back to the town by mid-January.
In addition to the water issues, any construction that would increase population would also require attention to the roads, a Tallahassee official for the Department of Transportation wrote in his comments to DCA.
Gerry O’Reilly, DOT’s director of transportation development, said they’d like to see “data and analysis” that demonstrates new construction and residents “can be accommodated with the existing transportation infrastructure.”
In other comments filed with the state, a top official with the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council said they see “future development of the town as the single issue of major concern.”
An official with the South Florida Water Management District honed in on water, asking town officials to “demonstrate coordination with the city of Boynton Beach.”
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