Moratorium on some Atlantic Avenue development — There is little disagreement among stakeholders and elected leaders the time is now to preserve — as Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney calls it — the charm, the feel, the scale of downtown Atlantic Avenue. It’s how to do it that is up for debate.
While Vice Mayor Juli Casale and Commissioner Tom Markert campaigned on supporting a downtown historic district, Carney has gone his own way. He added a resolution at the last minute to the Feb. 18 commission meeting agenda to implement a zoning in progress status for the avenue, which would stop any aggregation of properties east of Swinton Avenue and would prohibit any facade or architectural changes while the city crafts new zoning rules for commissioners to consider.
Casale and Markert objected, saying they wanted to read the resolution and vote on it at a later time, but Carney had support from Commissioners Angela Burns and Rob Long.
“This is a time-out, and all it does is, essentially, it’s going to protect the direction of the commission, and for a period of six months, we are able to extend it if we’re still actively working on these ordinances,” explained City Attorney Lynn Gelin.
The resolution unanimously passed after Gelin said time was of the essence in case a property owner wanted to try to knit together multiple properties or make facade changes before the city adopts stricter standards.
Carney, outside the meeting, said his main concerns were big-box stores buying up properties and turning what makes downtown Delray Beach unique into another shopping mall.
Carney said it is to be determined whether aggregation of properties along the six blocks could be prohibited or if there could be a requirement that each parcel must have a different facade. “It’s going to be done through discussion with stakeholders, discussion with staff and discussion with commissioners,” he said.
Supervisor in code enforcement resigns — A Delray Beach supervisor in the city’s troubled Code Enforcement Division resigned the same day a commissioner demanded an outside investigator get to the bottom of how she had resolved three liens on a property she owned.
Danise Cleckley, the assistant neighborhood and community services director, resigned on Feb. 4 after allegations surfaced that she should not have resolved the liens without alerting the city that she owned the property at 624 SW Fourth St.
An internal Human Resources investigation by Paul Weber said the liens were a result of a clerical error by the Palm Beach County clerk of courts. City Attorney Gelin, in an email to Weber, said the question remained whether policies and procedures were followed.
Cleckley also faced a 2021 lawsuit claiming the home on Fourth Street was deeded to her by an owner who could not read or write.
Vice Mayor Juli Casale at the Feb. 4 commission meeting questioned the independent investigator with Calvin, Giordano & Associates who was giving an update on his findings.
Casale said his preliminary report was woefully inadequate.
Casale told the investigator he needed to look into Cleckley’s actions, among other problems that have surfaced in the division since an employee was arrested for allegedly taking bribes in October. No formal charges have been brought by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
— John Pacenti
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