By Larry Barszewski
In a desire to open Boynton Beach’s waterfront along the Intracoastal Waterway to greater public access and to more water-related businesses and activities, the City Commission has approved new zoning rules to encourage such growth.
The Marina Overlay District, as the city is calling it, stretches along the west side of the Intracoastal from Gateway Boulevard to south of Woolbright Road. It was approved unanimously at the commission’s July 7 meeting.
New developments along the water in the overlay district are required to provide a minimum 12-foot-wide promenade accessible to the public. The idea is eventually to create continuous stretches of public walkway along the water by linking promenade spaces on adjoining properties.
City Planner Tyler Tornese spoke about the motivation behind the district at the commission’s June 16 meeting, saying the idea emerged from a joint City Commission/Community Redevelopment Agency workshop in November.
“We want to encourage marine uses. We want to attract new businesses. We want to — most importantly — activate that public waterfront along the Intracoastal,” Tornese said.
“We do not want to focus on dense residential development,” he said. “We want to focus on commercial uses with accessory hospitality and recreation uses,” such as hotels or marine-oriented businesses. Heights would be limited to a maximum of 60 feet to 80 feet, or roughly six to eight stories.
The new regulations also allow for more intense development — increased square footage of buildings on site and up to 20 feet higher buildings — on properties that provide more waterway benefits. Such properties would be those that do at least three of the following:
• Have a portion of the promenade be wider than the required 12 feet;
• Provide public docks, fishing piers, or kayak/paddleboard launches;
• Include public plazas or space for events and public gatherings;
• Implement environmental restoration features, such as a living shoreline; and/or
• Have a water taxi or ferry stop, including floating docks, boarding areas, seating, shade structures and lighting.
The district also offers eligible developments reduced on-site parking requirements of up to 30%, but those spaces would have to be replaced by shared parking agreements and valet services — and the development would have to include public waterfront access amenities.
While the overlay district does not apply to residential zones, a major goal behind the city’s effort is to step away from the dense residential developments that have been attracted to the area. For instance, it allows hotels but drops the maximum allowed height from 150 feet to 60 feet, a 60% decrease.
It also permits enclosed dry docks for boats in the overlay district, while prohibiting auto dealerships, automotive repair shops and new merchandise developments such as supercenters, discount and department stores and pet care spots.
The overlay district doesn’t automatically rezone any properties, offer density bonuses for residential development, or reduce any environmental protections or regulations, officials said.
It encourages mixed-use commercial developments that activate the waterfront for the public, including marine-oriented businesses and industries, and it promotes private investment in the city’s waterfront infrastructure, officials said.
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