By Jane Smith
Delray Beach commissioners unanimously postponed discussion of proposed sea wall ordinances to Jan. 11.
That should give city staff time to hold a meeting at Veterans Park with property owners who live along the Intracoastal Waterway, Mayor Shelly Petrolia said at the Nov. 2 City Commission meeting.
“They are the ones who are most affected,” she said.
The city attorney also said she had problems with the language of the proposed ordinances and needed more time.
The Intracoastal has about 21 miles of waterfront on both sides, but the city owns only about 1 mile of the sea walls. Under the proposed ordinances, new residential construction along the ICW would have to meet a new height requirement of 4 feet above the mean water level of the waterway.
Three years ago, Aptim Environmental & Infrastructure submitted a sea level vulnerability study to Delray Beach. The city saw more frequent and increased flooding from seasonal high tides, commonly called king tides, and more everyday rain events.
Aptim reviewed 29 public sea walls in 2018 and found 10% in poor condition. The company also reviewed 868 private sea walls and found 23% in poor, serious or critical condition.
For existing sea walls, when a property owner is cited for failing to maintain a sea wall, that person must show progress toward repairing the defect within 60 days.
If the required repair meets a substantial repair threshold, the property owner must construct the sea wall to meet the minimum elevation requirement of 4 feet.
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